RE: Kids w/ Classic Autism, PDD-NOS & Speech Delays

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I live in Italy and I got only speech therapy, 4 hours a week, and I was lucky because waiting lists are crowded. Kids also have the right to get a support teacher, but he/she doesn't even know what autism is because no training is proveded for teachers. This year is hard to get a support teacher because of budget cuttings. Italy is (was..':(') the country of law, so we have good laws and disabled children have the right to be included in mainstream schools even if they can't keep pace with peers, but autism is completely unknown and early intervention also. For example, deafs have their special law but autistics don't. Early intervention is an "innovation" made by Bambin Gesù pediatric Hospital in Rome since last year, but it's THE ONLY in the whole country!
You can do ABA only though parents' associations, that try their best to provide professionals, but you have to pay out of your pocket. If you can't afford this, you have to do by yourself, but you need the knowledge to handle reading ABA training books... it's hard to find an Italian translation and not all parents can read in English.

I'm picturing something like the Sesame Street numbers that had eyes and a mouth. I bet my son would've carried numbers around too if he had them.

There is a little girl at my son's playcentre that carries around a stuffed number 5 with eyes - there is a UK/BBC programme called Numberjacks that she loves and of course you can buy all the numbers as toys. I deliberately haven't shown it to my boy as he would probably go crazy for it!

I know how you feel, I have both kids on summer break and they are also driving me nuts. Im glad to have a few hours of therapy for the next three days but then there is nothing until September. I have sometimes thought about getting a small (teeny tiny) dose of xanax or valium for my kids as they both suffer from anxiety and this affects their behavior but I will wait until they are older and I will give them the choice unless they begin to have more serious problems. I dont want them on an everyday drug, no SSRI's (I and my other kids have had bad reactions) and I would never put my younger kids on Risperdal as they have no psychotic issues. Resperdal is an anti psychotic that they use for Schizophrenia. My older Aspie daughter (19) had had psychotic episodes (we believe she either has Bi Polar or paranoid Schizophrenia that just developed around age 16) and responded well the Resperdal but the side effects were upsetting her, she was gaining weight so she refused to take it anymore.
They should not be putting kids with a-typical Asperger's on this unless they are having some sort of psychotic behavior which most do not. This is a very powerful drug and it has some nasty side effects other than just weight gain. I was also shocked at some of the high doses that these kids were on at my sons social group. Like Temple Grandin says, Autistic kids and people are more sensitive to these medications (SSRI's and Benzo's and especially anti psychotics) so its better to keep them on very low doses.

Well at least hes asleep !

My older son, 9, who has Asperger's loves his stuffed animals and his bed looks like this too. He has mainly dolphins and cats. I got him a small Pikachu (pokemon) because he likes to carry his animals with him to therapy and school. He would have his big stuffed snake and his big dolphin stuffed into his back pack. We also got him a small dolphin and I ordered him some other small stuffed Pokemon for the school year. I bet most people dont look at stuffed animals as a back to school item .

I talk to someone on Facebook who lives in Germany and has to sons, one with high functioning Autism and one with Asperger's and she also gets no services. This is what upsets me, there need to be changes in the systems in different countries and parts of the US. We need to make some noise, it is the only way to bring change. Like Blondeambition says that Texas another part of the US has problems again, fight, make noise....this is how I get help for my kids. Threaten to go to the media and if that doesnt work, go to the media! There is help in the US but they try to do their best to save money so the more parents they can "silence" the less they have to help their children and the less money they have to spend. We were lucky to be where my kids were diagnosed but they told me that my daughters ABA therapy would stop when she turned 3 and went to school....we threw a fit and we got her in home ABA therapy and school at the same time. They also told me that there were no services for my son....we got services for my son. Dont listen to them when they say "we dont have that" because 9 times out of 10 they do but they dont want you to know this. Ill tell you a secret....my daughters first ABA therapist supervisor is the one who told us about this (oddly she disappeared, I was told she quit, maybe she was tired of the BS and that is why she told parents about the lies they tell) , she told us that if we make noise (the squeeky wheel gets noticed she said) we will get what we want and she told us how much the school system lies to parents with autistic children. They can not deny assistance to children in wheel chairs, ect but they can deny our kids assistance if we allow them to do so. Also you would be surprised what you can get your insurance to pay for. Also we were not "poor" and we did not need to show our income to get the free services that we did. The Regional Center took anyone regardless, same with Easter Seals.
As I said, this is the US but these other countries need to change as well.
Everyone here is amazed at the fact that we got so much assistance for our kids and so fast....I was wondering where all the Asperger kids and more high functioning Autistics were....the are at home and in public schools with little to no assistance because they are told there is none. I think its sickening that they lie to save money at our children's expense.

I think it's a hard one. My son actually didn't have that issue, but did have others ... We honored and mitigated what we could, and he eventually chose to tackle some of them himself; he got tired of the restrictions his own sensitivities placed on his life. I guess my main question is, does she really have to be at that school and for all the hours she is? Otherwise, talk to her, if you can - empathize, mostly, and throw out ideas just in case she'll hear or integrate them. Include earphones in that conversation, and leave some around ... It's the prime tool used.

They're more like patchwork quilt numbers.

Anyway just before he went to bed my son's teddy magnadoodle broke due to overuse...good thing we have a spare!

I hope he's not attached to that particular one. When my son's special blanket (dubbed "Stinky Winky") started getting tattered and nasty we got him a spare which he rejects (this one we call "The Impostor").

My younger son had two identical rain coats that he used to wear all of the time (rain or shine). (Hand-me-downs from twin cousins). A couple of times, we left a coat some place and were very relieved to have a spare.

Yesterday someone who I've been friends with since elementary school (actually as an Aspie she was the only close friend I had growing up), messaged me and asked how and when I realized my son was autistic. She has a 23 month old and confided he's been lining up his toys, won't use a spoon, only knows a few words and rarely talks, doesn't say Mom or know how to ask for a drink, if he's hungry he just stands in front of the fridge and whines, he doesn't sleep for more than 4 hours at a time, has only just learned to wave bye-bye and a few other things ... she has three other kids (one of which is ADHD) and said none of them were like this. It's been about a year since I've seen her son and he seemed bright and on track then .... I told her she has valid concerns. Thoughts?

Last edited by Washi on 25 Jul 2011, 3:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

And he doesn't respond to his name or "no".

Is she having a 24 month developmental screening/check up with her pediatrician? I would recommend her taking the child in for a check up and discussing her concerns with her pediatrician. I personally wouldn't necessarily go into the whole autism thing with her until the child is screened by a doctor.

That was basically what she was asking me, if she should bring it up to the doctor or not. I told her she should. Then she mentioned that her family was against bringing it up and that she has a new job and won't have insurance until October .... I didn't ask if she was going to put off his 2 year check til then, but if she does and if he does have valid issues she'll be missing out on some IE.

And I had to pry to the get some of the most relevant info, it was only by asking I found out that he's doesn't say Mom yet ... if I hadn't I don't think she'd have realized that was something to mention.

My personal experience with pediatricians has been that most of them are idiots when it comes to things like this, it has to be spelled out to them ... the only symptom our pediatrician took seriously was loss of language.