New to the group

June 18, 2006

Thanks for the welcome .. does have language but he doesn't use it to communicate with us. Most of the time he is talking about something he heard on T.V or something we read him. If you ask him what he wants or just a question in general he won't answer or he will say something off the wall like ... your eyes are blue or your shirt is red. pkuenstler@... wrote: Welcome Brad and Celia. I am Pat the grandmother of a 13 year old autistic

boy. I diagnosed him and have worked with him since he was three. I have him all day every day and adore him. When he was your sons age he used pinching as a form of communication. If he wanted to stop me from doing something that he didn't like, he would pinch me. All of us who worked with him wore long sleeves until he learned "hands quiet" or to say, "I want to go play" which got him out of any situation that was causing him anxiety. He still will sometimes reach over and pinch me gently when I am doing something that he doesn't like, but after years of scarred arms; I pretty well know when he is getting upset and can avoid it. Are you doing ABA with your son? Does your son have language? This is a good group; I am sure you will get some good suggestions from others or empathy. LOL, Pat K

Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

June 19, 2006

-------Original Message-------

From: CRYSTAL

Date: 06/17/06 10:37:46

HI

I have a 13 yro son with high functioning autism, we live in MN. His

behaviors are driving me crazy. He has been a good kid, with some

bumps here and there. Now, I think puberty is hitting him like a

freight train. A few days ago I watched him crane his neck to watch a

skimpy clothed girl walk by! Has anyone else experinced this one yet?

Puberty-its scary!

Thanks,

Crystal

**********************

This is normal for most 13 yo boys But yes, with a son who is nearly 12,

the idea of puberty is scary.

June 19, 2006

Avery is 9 and will be 10 in December. I don't even want to think about puberty. I am already going through it with my 13 year old daughter who does not have a dx. That is hard enough. :-)

Hope StudentPineville, Louisianamsyogi@...

Re: new to the group

-------Original Message-------From: CRYSTALDate: 06/17/06 10:37:46HII have a 13 yro son with high functioning autism, we live in MN. Hisbehaviors are driving me crazy. He has been a good kid, with somebumps here and there. Now, I think puberty is hitting him like afreight train. A few days ago I watched him crane his neck to watch askimpy clothed girl walk by! Has anyone else experinced this one yet?Puberty-its scary!Thanks,Crystal**********************This is normal for most 13 yo boys But yes, with a son who is nearly 12,the idea of puberty is scary.

June 19, 2006

>

> -------Original Message-------

>

> From: CRYSTAL

> Date: 06/17/06 10:37:46

>

> HI

> I have a 13 yro son with high functioning autism, we live in MN.

His

> behaviors are driving me crazy. He has been a good kid, with some

> bumps here and there. Now, I think puberty is hitting him like a

> freight train. A few days ago I watched him crane his neck to

watch a

> skimpy clothed girl walk by! Has anyone else experinced this one

yet?

> Puberty-its scary!

> Thanks,

> Crystal

>

> **********************

> This is normal for most 13 yo boys But yes, with a son who is

nearly 12,

> the idea of puberty is scary.

>

Kathy/Indiana

be thankful that ur son is even looking at girls....(no offense)

my son is 15yo & just been diagnosed with aspergers

he has NO INTEREST in girls what so ever atm & i hear comments all

the time " arent u worried that dustin will be GAY? "

geez come on ppl we all mature at different lvls

butyea just try to remember what it was like when u were his

age....everything will work out

but i dont worry that dustin will/will not be gay cuz no matter

what...ive lived through all this misdiagnosis of add/social anxiety

to now learning he has aspergers--it doesnt matter what dustin " IS "

or " ISN'T " hes my son no matter what

June 20, 2006

Crystal, My son is 11 and we have already heard comments such as "oh man she is hot." It is very surreal to hear that come out of his mouth. Very funny stuff....... But hey...... they are human too...... LOL in Lancaster, CaCRYSTAL <mvlcrystal@...> wrote: HII have a 13 yro son with high functioning autism, we live in MN. His behaviors are driving me crazy. He has been a good kid, with some bumps here and there. Now, I think puberty is hitting him like a freight train. A few days ago I

watched him crane his neck to watch a skimpy clothed girl walk by! Has anyone else experinced this one yet?Puberty-its scary!Thanks,Crystal __________________________________________________

June 21, 2006

My daughter has already had boyfriends and so forth... You can't beat the boys off with a stick, she is very "normal" in that respect. My worry is that she has a hard time getting to what the reality of a situation is. She wants very much to be loved and so on and feel attractive. She also knows I had her brother at 16 and her at 19, she doesn't sit and think through what HER reality would be with that situation, she says oh it would be fine - you had us young... it is difficult at best. M Strahlendorf <pgnsht@...> wrote: Crystal, My son is 11 and we have already heard comments such as "oh man she is hot." It is very surreal to hear that come out of his mouth. Very funny stuff....... But hey...... they are human too...... LOL in Lancaster, CaCRYSTAL <mvlcrystal@...> wrote: HII have a 13 yro son with high functioning autism, we live in MN. His behaviors are driving me crazy. He has been a good kid, with some bumps here and there. Now, I think puberty is hitting him like a freight train. A few days ago I watched him crane his neck to watch a skimpy clothed girl walk by! Has anyone else experinced this one yet?Puberty-its scary!Thanks,Crystal __________________________________________________

June 21, 2006

My 11 year old son (w/ asperger's) saw the commercial for the new Adam Sandler movie titled "Click It" and commented when he saw the very well endowed woman running in slow motion,

"Man, now that's what I call sexy".

I was tempted to ask him what he thought sexy meant but I decided I did not want to know. ~Jeanette

Re: new to the group

Crystal,

My son is 11 and we have already heard comments such as "oh man she is hot." It is very surreal to hear that come out of his mouth. Very funny stuff....... But hey...... they are human too...... LOL

in Lancaster, CaCRYSTAL <mvlcrystal@...> wrote:

HII have a 13 yro son with high functioning autism, we live in MN. His behaviors are driving me crazy. He has been a good kid, with some bumps here and there. Now, I think puberty is hitting him like a freight train. A few days ago I watched him crane his neck to watch a skimpy clothed girl walk by! Has anyone else experinced this one yet?Puberty-its scary!Thanks,Crystal

__________________________________________________

June 21, 2006

M Strahlendorf wrote:

>

> Crystal, My son is 11 and we have already heard comments such as " oh

> man she is hot. " It is very surreal to hear that come out of his

> mouth. Very funny stuff....... But hey...... they are human

> too...... LOL

>

> in Lancaster, Ca

>

> CRYSTAL <mvlcrystal@...> wrote:

>

> HI I have a 13 yro son with high functioning autism, we live in MN.

> His behaviors are driving me crazy. He has been a good kid, with some

> bumps here and there. Now, I think puberty is hitting him like a

> freight train. A few days ago I watched him crane his neck to watch a

> skimpy clothed girl walk by! Has anyone else experinced this one

> yet?

When Louie was, oh, I guess about ten (give or take) he became a huge

fan of Madonna. Why? His words: " She dances around in her underwear. "

!! Autistic or not, guys are guys....

Annie, who loves ya annie@...

--

" If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the

thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power

to revoke at any moment. " -- Marcus Aurelius

July 9, 2006

At 02:49 PM 7/9/2006, you wrote:

>I have not made a perfume yet but I am starting to collect ingredients and

>I am looking for some classes in the So. Cal. area. Any ideas for classes?

>I look forward to participating and listening as I get my feet planted in

>the Natural Perfumery venue.

>Peace,

Hi

Welcome to the group, I'm sure you'll love it here.

You should check out the classes of our of our group members, JoAnne

Bassett, in La Jolla. They're held on a regular basis. There's a link in

the Calendar section of the www..com site, and there may be

info on her site www.joannebassett.com As our Guild grows and moves

forward, JoAnne is going to coordinate meetings, and I'll bet the first one

is in Southern CA!

>

Anya

http://artisannaturalperfumers.com The Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild

http://.com The premier site on Natural Perfume

/

Biggest, most dynamic natural perfumery chat group

July 10, 2006

> Hello my name is .

> I am 20.

> I am the child of Hippies. Hence I am one too.

> I live in Long Beach, California.

Hi ,

Welcome....I love southern Cal. I have a store, Le Bijou in La Jolla 2

blocks from

the ocean. I eat lunch overlooking the water on most days.......

I just had a Natural Perfume class on Saturday. The next one will be Aug 5.

I do teach Meditation with essential oils and hydrosols. They are also

great classes. People fly in for my classes and they certainly drive down

from LA. I can drive to Long Beach in about 1 1/2 hours.

I look forward to meeting you and sharing on the list.

Happy blending......

JoAnne

Le Bijou, a natural perfume boutique http://www.JoAnneBassett.com

Bassett Aromatherapy products http://www.AromaWorld.com

July 19, 2006

My 2 year old daughter started getting recurring fevers at about 9

months old and was diagnosed with a fever syndrome at 18 months

after consistently fevering at 104-106 for 5 days every 5-6 weeks.

We have been using prednisone with the fevers since then. In

addition to the fevers, usually Ella gets a sore throat and a runny

nose (which runs clear and like a faucet) about two - three days

before her fever starts and then abruptly stops about 12-24 hours

before the fever starts. The prednisone has been a wonder for us.

It breaks the fever within 2 hours and then she acts like she was

never sick. The first couple of times we used the prednisone she

acted kind of tipsy, almost drunk, and slept poorly, but that

resolved itself by about the third fever. The prednisone made her

fevers a bit less predictable, but they never came closer than 4

weeks apart. We have not had to use anything in addition to the

prednisone, although we've used Motrin in combination with the

prednisone for her sore throat. Ella's symptoms have actually

seemed to have improved over the last year. Currently she is in a

stretch where she has gone just over 4 months without a fever (which

seems like a miracle!), however, she still gets the gushing, runny

nose every 5-6 weeks consistent with when she would be " scheduled "

to get her fever, but she has not had the fever or sore throat. We

have never given her prednisone to treat the runny nose. You will

find that many people have tried prednisone with mixed results. For

some, like us, prednisone has really improved our daughter's quality

of life. For others, the side effects of the prednisone prompted

them to discontinue using it.

Best of luck to you. It can be hard to know what to do.

>

> My daughter who is 18 months old was just diagnosed with in

> June. She started having fevers when she was 12 months and they

would

> occur every 3-4 weeks. Her cycle seems to be classic but luckily

she

> has not exhibited any other symptoms except a high fever. We

began

> using Prednisone in July and here fever dropped in 2 hours and did

not

> recur again till 11 days later (yesterday). I have heard that

> Prednisone will increase the frequency of the fever.

>

> Are there other parents who have used Prednisone and have not

needed

> any other medications or treatments? We are hopeful that this is

the

> trick but are concerned that as she gets older her symptoms will

> become worse. We are used ot the high temps (103-105) but are

fearful

> of other symptoms.

>

> Look forward to hearing from others.

>

> Alyce Benson

> Chattanooga, TN

>

July 19, 2006

Hi Alyce,

My daughter had her first fever just before her second

birthday and was diagnosed with about 4 months

later. She began taking prednisone about 10 months

ago and she has just turned 3. The only symptoms she

had early on were the extremely high fever and

vomiting (when her fever peaked - usually in the

middle of the night). It was only after she was

referred to the ID docs that they began to notice the

lesions in the back of her throat. Now, over a year

after the first episode, she also complains of

headache, stomach ache and joint pain. We've also

noticed the clear runny nose just before an episode.

Now we are also seeing a slight rash which seems to

appear one to two days after her fever.

Before the prednisone, the fevers were like clockwork,

but they became very unpredictable once we began

giving it to her. But, she never had a fever more

than once a month until the end of May (actually the

one year anniversary of the initial fever!). Since

then, she has had a fever approximately every 9 days.

And, the last fever on July 15th came back two days

later. After a second dose of prednisone the fever is

gone but she now has the rash I mentioned earlier. I

have an apt. at our local Children's Hospital on

Friday and I'm anxious to discuss these issues.

Anyway, that is my daughter's story. Everyone's story

is a bit different but sometime it helps to compare

notes. I hope you continue to have luck with the

prednisone.

Best regards,

Mother to (5) and Audrey (3 )

--- alyce_benson <abenson@...> wrote:

> My daughter who is 18 months old was just diagnosed

> with in

> June. She started having fevers when she was 12

> months and they would

> occur every 3-4 weeks. Her cycle seems to be

> classic but luckily she

> has not exhibited any other symptoms except a high

> fever. We began

> using Prednisone in July and here fever dropped in 2

> hours and did not

> recur again till 11 days later (yesterday). I have

> heard that

> Prednisone will increase the frequency of the fever.

>

> Are there other parents who have used Prednisone and

> have not needed

> any other medications or treatments? We are hopeful

> that this is the

> trick but are concerned that as she gets older her

> symptoms will

> become worse. We are used ot the high temps

> (103-105) but are fearful

> of other symptoms.

>

> Look forward to hearing from others.

>

> Alyce Benson

> Chattanooga, TN

>

__________________________________________________

July 19, 2006

>

> My daughter who is 18 months old was just diagnosed with in

> June. She started having fevers when she was 12 months and they

would

> occur every 3-4 weeks. Her cycle seems to be classic but luckily

she

> has not exhibited any other symptoms except a high fever. We

began

> using Prednisone in July and here fever dropped in 2 hours and did

not

> recur again till 11 days later (yesterday). I have heard that

> Prednisone will increase the frequency of the fever.

>

> Are there other parents who have used Prednisone and have not

needed

> any other medications or treatments? We are hopeful that this is

the

> trick but are concerned that as she gets older her symptoms will

> become worse. We are used ot the high temps (103-105) but are

fearful

> of other symptoms.

>

> Look forward to hearing from others.

>

> Alyce Benson

> Chattanooga, TN

>

I have also wondered about prednisone at times, but I am having good

luck with it. My son is 3 and gets fevers as high as 106.7. For his

last two bouts with this fever thing, his doctor gave him a single

does of prednisone. The first time, it was liquid form, but my son

kept throwing it up because the taste was so bad. Now each time they

give him a shot instead. Does your doctor have her on it all the

time, or only with the symptoms?

a Blodgett

Clovis, CA

July 20, 2006

Hello Alyce.... our son is now almost 8 and started fevering when he

was 2 1/2 years old. We started using prednisone after about a year

and a final diagnosis of . The prednisone still does control his

fevers. When he first started fevering, his were every 14 days, but

now they are down to every 26-30 days. So for him, the prednisone has

not made the fevers come closer together. We have been fortunate.

Really the only other symptoms our son gets is the yucky throat and

quite abit of the time, he experiences leg pain, (not joint pain, but

leg pain) right before the episode. We have again gone through so

many tests, since he has been fevering for 5 years now, but still,

seems to be the diagnosis. His fevers still do go up to 105.0

if we don't use prednisone, but his too are gone within a few hours

after the prednisone is administered.

Good luck to you, very frustrating, but our pediatrician keeps

reassuring us that time is on his side, and the research does show

most kids outgrow true . We'll see I guess.

Patti, mother of Brady 7

>

> My daughter who is 18 months old was just diagnosed with in

> June. She started having fevers when she was 12 months and they

would

> occur every 3-4 weeks. Her cycle seems to be classic but luckily

she

> has not exhibited any other symptoms except a high fever. We began

> using Prednisone in July and here fever dropped in 2 hours and did

not

> recur again till 11 days later (yesterday). I have heard that

> Prednisone will increase the frequency of the fever.

>

> Are there other parents who have used Prednisone and have not

needed

> any other medications or treatments? We are hopeful that this is

the

> trick but are concerned that as she gets older her symptoms will

> become worse. We are used ot the high temps (103-105) but are

fearful

> of other symptoms.

>

> Look forward to hearing from others.

>

> Alyce Benson

> Chattanooga, TN

>

July 22, 2006

Hi Alyce. Welcome to the group! Depending on how your

daughters diagnosis came to be and the severity of the

disease, will determine if new symptoms occur or other

treatments are needed.

So glad you found this site and are making

connections-that is so helpful!!

Best of luck...lots of prayers, Lori Todaro Mom to

Nino,7 with PFS.

--- alyce_benson <abenson@...> wrote:

> My daughter who is 18 months old was just diagnosed

> with in

> June. She started having fevers when she was 12

> months and they would

> occur every 3-4 weeks. Her cycle seems to be

> classic but luckily she

> has not exhibited any other symptoms except a high

> fever. We began

> using Prednisone in July and here fever dropped in 2

> hours and did not

> recur again till 11 days later (yesterday). I have

> heard that

> Prednisone will increase the frequency of the fever.

>

> Are there other parents who have used Prednisone and

> have not needed

> any other medications or treatments? We are hopeful

> that this is the

> trick but are concerned that as she gets older her

> symptoms will

> become worse. We are used ot the high temps

> (103-105) but are fearful

> of other symptoms.

>

> Look forward to hearing from others.

>

> Alyce Benson

> Chattanooga, TN

>

__________________________________________________

September 1, 2006

Wow! The answer to that question should be interesting. Whomever has the

right place, tell us all. Maybe we can all move there. We go to middle

school next year and I'm perfectly willing to relocate.

All I can say is I know there are " pockets " of areas where school are doing

a good job, San Diego has one, Vermont has many, New Jersey has some,

lin, TN.

Whoever answers, please send it to us all.

Eleanor

_____

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf

Of OpenArms Campaign

Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 5:16 PM

Subject: new to the group

Hi. I am new to the list. I have five kids and my youngest Wyatt has Down

syndrome. I have a few questions for the group. He is going to be three in

October and is scheduled to start a preschool program here in Texas. I

visited two different school programs here and was not impressed. Wyatt is

hard of hearing also, uses hearing aids, and is non verbal and none of the

teachers signed. He does have a " hearing " therapist and she said she can

teach the teachers a few signs but I would like a more intense program. I

also am all for inclusion and so my question is this-if you could go to any

program anywhere in the US, what would you choose? We are leaving here for

a three month long RV trip and at the end we hope to have an idea where we

will live and much of that will be based on his schooling. Thanks,

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you

without leaving happier.

Mother

please check out my website: www.PaintingsBy.com

__________________________________________________________

Get the new Windows Live Messenger!

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September 2, 2006

We are in the Poway Unified School District, which is in the greater San

Diego area. So far so good here, we have pretty much gotten everything

we think needs. The preschool program was a special day class

with " reverse mainstreaming " , so there were typical kids in her class as

well (though not that many). PUSD also offers a DHH class, where

everyone signs, or you could choose a typical program like HeadStart

with supports (supposedly). We did the special day preschool and

received all her services there, plus academics, and then we

chose to put her in the same church preschool that her sister went to

(in addition to SDC), and there we only focused on classroom routine and

social goals. The preschool provided an aide for her, and she did

beautifully. It would have been great to have both at the same time,

but it worked well for her.

Once we transitioned to elementary school, she has been fully included

witn a 1:1 aide. She has had the same aide since kinder, and they are

like an old married couple in some ways :-) We (supposedly) can keep

them together as long as the aide doesn't leave and we don't request a

change. We have been through 3 principals at our elementary in the past

4 years (long story) but all have been supportive of our plans for

. We have friends who also have a 3rd grader with DS at

another school in the district, and he has had similar success with full

inclusion. The district also offers NSH (non-severely handicapped)

which do focus on academics with better student:teacher ratios, CS

(critical skills), DHH (deaf and hard of hearing), ED (emotionally

disturbed) and several different types of ASD programs. Not all schools

offer all of the special ed programs (all the schools have a Resource

teacher and Resource support), so if you choose a different program, you

might have to go to a neighboring school. However, we have a large

district and there are many schools, for example, that have a NSH class,

so you woudln't have to be bussed to far (and transportation is provided

if you are not at your home school).

Also in the San Diego area, I understand that the La Mesa school

district is very good for kids with IEPs, but I don't have any

first-hand experience. I also know that many of our surrounding

districts are AWFUL, so like anywhere, get lots of info before you

choose your residence.

Negatives of this area are that it's getting very expensive to buy a

house here, but the weather is great so you don't have to spend so much

of clothing........ my kids don't own jackets anymore..... just the

hand-me-downs we keep around for camping....... shorts, T-shirts, jeans

and sweatshirts and you're set! Get a pair of sneakers for school and

flip flops for the rest of the time..... we found it quite easy to

become Southern Californians (though your blood gets thin and your

relatives laugh at you when you visit and Christmas and complain about

how cold it is, LOL)

, mom to

(10..... 5 days of middle school and she's got a boy offering to

carry her saxophone to band... YIKES!),

(8 DS, having her BEST transition to school yet, knock on

wood), and

Sammy (6, playing her first big soccer tournament this weekend.... I

don't know how to be a soccer mom but I'm learning fast!)

Eleanor Green wrote:

> Wow! The answer to that question should be interesting. Whomever has the

> right place, tell us all. Maybe we can all move there. We go to middle

> school next year and I'm perfectly willing to relocate.

>

> All I can say is I know there are " pockets " of areas where school are

> doing

> a good job, San Diego has one, Vermont has many, New Jersey has some,

> lin, TN.

>

> Whoever answers, please send it to us all.

>

> Eleanor

>

> _____

>

> From: <mailto:%40>

> [mailto:

> <mailto:%40>] On Behalf

> Of OpenArms Campaign

> Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 5:16 PM

> <mailto:%40>

> Subject: new to the group

>

> Hi. I am new to the list. I have five kids and my youngest Wyatt has Down

> syndrome. I have a few questions for the group. He is going to be

> three in

> October and is scheduled to start a preschool program here in Texas. I

> visited two different school programs here and was not impressed.

> Wyatt is

> hard of hearing also, uses hearing aids, and is non verbal and none of

> the

> teachers signed. He does have a " hearing " therapist and she said she can

> teach the teachers a few signs but I would like a more intense program. I

> also am all for inclusion and so my question is this-if you could go

> to any

> program anywhere in the US, what would you choose? We are leaving here

> for

> a three month long RV trip and at the end we hope to have an idea

> where we

> will live and much of that will be based on his schooling. Thanks,

>

> Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you

> without leaving happier.

> Mother

>

> please check out my website: www.PaintingsBy.com

>

> __________________________________________________________

> Get the new Windows Live Messenger!

> http://imagine-

> <http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/default.aspx?locale=en-us & source=

> <http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/default.aspx?locale=en-us & source=>

> wlmailtagline>

> msn.com/messenger/launch80/default.aspx?locale=en-us & source=wlmailtagline

>

September 5, 2006

In a message dated 9/1/2006 5:02:57 PM Central Standard Time,

eig@... writes:

lin, TN.

Whoever answers, please send it to us all.

Eleanor

Hi

Heehee Im a new lin resident I'm really happy here with the

education. Sara has a new teacher this year, she's been in Special Education

for 28

years, some were as a Sped administrator ............ I really like that part,

I hate dealing with teachers who are clueless to IDEA and the regs. This

teacher has embraced Sara, her IEP and the whole mainstreaming that is going on

here. I also want to BRAG on the kids here, even the Middle school boys

.............. they are so sweet and friendly to Sara, we see them in all parts

of

our community so its not just on school grounds. Im really excited the girls

don't look like Britney Spears want- a- b's like at Sara's old school, these

girls seem to act their age and dress their age too.

Now if I could just get used to the roads ...... curvy, hilly and NO

shoulders. Im waiting for a deer to jump out at me.

Kathy mom to Sara 14

¸...¸ ___/ /\ \___ ¸...¸

,·´º o`·, /__/ _/\_ \__\ ,·´º o`·,

```)¨(´´´ | | | | | | | | | ```)¨(´´´

¸,.-·²°´ ¸,.-·~·~·-.,¸ `°²·-.¸

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Josh. 24:15

September 10, 2006

Hi Sue. Welcome to the group. Based on my daughter's experience, I would

inform the school, if you think things could be bad enough to impact school. We

chose not to tell my daughter's school when she was diagnosed in 8th grade. This

year ended up being so much harder because we were playing catch up with

everyone once things got really bad. Nothing was put in place ahead of time and

things did not go smoothly. When my daughter started at her high school she was

doing well, but we informed them ahead of time and she has a plan. Things

really fell apart last year, and everything went so much smoother because

everyone

knew ahead of time and accommodations were already in place. It was so

helpful. This year, my daughter is doing the best she has done in a long time,

but

her plan is still effective in case things turn around again. OCD can turn so

quickly. My daughter also has recurrent depression so that doesn't help any. I

would not take her out of her Honors classes. My daughter has maintained

honors and AP classes, even when she was doing poorly and barely attending

school.

Her teachers have been understanding and work with her. When she is doing

well, she needs these classes and your daughter probably does too. Good luck,

Kim

In a message dated 9/10/2006 9:32:33 AM Central Standard Time,

smacheska@... writes:

I feel now that I am just waiting

every day for things to blow up - I question every day whether to

tell the school or not - or wait to see how she does. She is in

honors classes that I wanted to take her out of but she said no way -

she worked hard to be in them.

September 10, 2006

Hi Sue,

My name is Kim and my daughter(15) was just diagnosed this summer as

well but looking back we now know this has been going on for quite a

long time. My husband also has the attitude " everything will be

okay, she'll grow out of it " . I am struggling with telling the

school as well because a lot of her ocd revolves around marks at

school, she is also in an honours program. The thing is for us is

that we live in a small town and people gossip. I worry if it leaks

out that she will be teased at school and things would just be

worse.

We also have a younger child too that has been greatly affected by

all that has gone on in the last couple of years. Our daughter has

seen a counsellor once a week for the past summer and the referral

to a psychiatrist has been made, just waiting to hear for an appt

date. We have not started any meds yet, have to have psychiatrist

assess first. I understand where you are coming from with all this

new information and yes I agree we are so lucky to have found this

site. Best wishes to you, your daughter and your family.

Kim M

>

September 10, 2006

I think if she is doing well, why bother telling anyone. However, I did tell my

son's teacher this year (he is in 6th grade) that he has anxiety and would just

like a " heads up " if she sees the anxiety worsen at school. The reason I did

this is because last year before his onset, his teacher at conferences told me

that he seemed very anxious and I did not really see it at home and when I asked

him, he said that he did not feel that anxious, but she saw it as something that

was accelerating and was concerned. They see them under all of the pressure and

often just knowing can help alot.

Good Luck!

smacheska <smacheska@...> wrote:

Hi - My daughter was diagnosed with OCD this summer. She is 12 years

old and is in 7th grade. We had some issues with her when she was in

3rd and 4th but never connected or was told that it may have been OCD

back then. We went into therapy and she seemed to be fine after

about 3 months. But now, 4 years later, we were hit with full on OCD

with many of the typical obsessions. Things got so bad in such a

short amount of time we were shocked (so was she). I think becuase

it hit her so fast, it made it so much worse - within the first three

weeks she was having severe panic attacks, couldn't get dressed, eat

etc without having to count constantly. If she couldn't get to the

right number, she would just cry, scream and end up breathing so hard

and fast that we thought she would pass out. (since then we have

learned that deep " yoga " type breathing really helps - now we just

start and end each day with the breathing). We started therapy ,

however we did not see results right away and things were so bad that

we were recommended to see a Psychiatrist. I really agonized over

the medication, but we started (Zoloft). Right about the time we

started the meds things were a little more in control. She started

school and seems to do well with distractions (friends, the structure

of school, craft projects etc). We are continuing the therapy (CBT

with ERP) once a week for now. I am so gratefel to have found this

group - I have spent a lot of time reading about the people like

myself that feel alone, not knowing who to tell who to talk to and

how to put the pieces of their life together in amongst the chaos.

We have another child (5 yrs old) who has witnessed much more than he

should have to - it is difficult to explain to him. My husband

thinks everything will " be okay " . I feel now that I am just waiting

every day for things to blow up - I question every day whether to

tell the school or not - or wait to see how she does. She is in

honors classes that I wanted to take her out of but she said no way -

she worked hard to be in them. I feel like our life that was once so

simple is now so complicated. Thank you to whoever started this

group - any input on how schools react when they are told or who you

told (nurse vs. guidance vs. principal etc) would be helpful. Sorry

this was so long (belive me I could write much more) but this was

therapeutic in itself. Sincerely, Sue

---------------------------------

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates

starting at 1¢/min.

September 10, 2006

Hi Sue, welcome! I have a son age 17 with OCD; his began back in 6th

grade. I'm glad things have improved and she's in weekly therapy!

We couldn't find a therapist in our small area but managed to get

through it - more slowly I'm sure! - with the support of this great

group and all the reading/research about OCD, etc.

So far as telling the school...well, my thoughts are that she is

managing now, correct? I think I would leave it up to her. Sit and

chat about it, have her answer the " what if things suddenly get

worse, remember how suddenly it came on...? " question; give your

thoughts on why the school might be better told ahead of time, etc.

I say leave it up to her as these are the " teen " years and self-

esteem, what others think about you, etc., are just at that

*important* time in teen lives.

Now with my son, when OCD began in 6th grade it REALLY affected

school, his ability to do his work, even write. So we immediately

sought help at school and set up a 504 Plan for him (similar to an

IEP, has accommodations/modifications for schoolwork). We used that

Plan all through middle school. Then set up one for high school in

9th grade too. He's in 12th grade now and hasn't used any of the

Plan these past years, but we've kept it in place since OCD does/can

increase. His OCD began acting up again this year actually but he

has managed it OK this time and hasn't used the Plan any. Has pretty

much made all straight A's through high school, even with the honors

classes. (I think all A's, but I might have forgotten a B

here/there).

If you do tell the school, we had to go through the guidance office,

in middle school and high school.

Gotta go!

single mom, 3 sons

, 17, with OCD, dysgraphia and Aspergers(autism-mild)

>

> Hi - My daughter was diagnosed with OCD this summer. She is 12

years

> old and is in 7th grade. We had some issues with her when she was

in

> 3rd and 4th but never connected or was told that it may have been

OCD

September 10, 2006

Sue, my daughter had a similar problem with her OCD affecting her writing.

She would have to rewrite and rewrite a sentence and wouldn't be able to move

on. We did have to get an accommodation for this at her high school. This is why

I suggest telling the school because when these things affect school it is

much easier to get an accommodation if they already know about it. We had to

have a note from my daughter's doctor to get a plan, but the particular

accommodations change throughout the year depending on what is going on with

her. Good

luck. Kim, (a different one than you had responded to)

In a message dated 9/10/2006 9:42:31 PM Central Standard Time,

smacheska@... writes:

After talking to my daughter tonight it seems we may have to talk to the

school - she has problems writing sentences without crossing things out and

rewriting everything until it is perfect.

September 10, 2006

welcome Sue

I would give the school a heads up -my dd is 7 and I called the

principal who then had the teacher get in touch with me -she's

accomodating and communicating -so far so good -I was told though if

she needs a 504 etc to contact the school psychologist -here's hoping

she won't need it

eileen

Quoting smacheska <smacheska@...>:

> Hi - My daughter was diagnosed with OCD this summer. She is 12 years

> old and is in 7th grade. We had some issues with her when she was in

> 3rd and 4th but never connected or was told that it may have been OCD

> back then. We went into therapy and she seemed to be fine after

> about 3 months. But now, 4 years later, we were hit with full on OCD

> with many of the typical obsessions. Things got so bad in such a

> short amount of time we were shocked (so was she). I think becuase

> it hit her so fast, it made it so much worse - within the first three

> weeks she was having severe panic attacks, couldn't get dressed, eat

> etc without having to count constantly. If she couldn't get to the

> right number, she would just cry, scream and end up breathing so hard

> and fast that we thought she would pass out. (since then we have

> learned that deep " yoga " type breathing really helps - now we just

> start and end each day with the breathing). We started therapy ,

> however we did not see results right away and things were so bad that

> we were recommended to see a Psychiatrist. I really agonized over

> the medication, but we started (Zoloft). Right about the time we

> started the meds things were a little more in control. She started

> school and seems to do well with distractions (friends, the structure

> of school, craft projects etc). We are continuing the therapy (CBT

> with ERP) once a week for now. I am so gratefel to have found this

> group - I have spent a lot of time reading about the people like

> myself that feel alone, not knowing who to tell who to talk to and

> how to put the pieces of their life together in amongst the chaos.

> We have another child (5 yrs old) who has witnessed much more than he

> should have to - it is difficult to explain to him. My husband

> thinks everything will " be okay " . I feel now that I am just waiting

> every day for things to blow up - I question every day whether to

> tell the school or not - or wait to see how she does. She is in

> honors classes that I wanted to take her out of but she said no way -

> she worked hard to be in them. I feel like our life that was once so

> simple is now so complicated. Thank you to whoever started this

> group - any input on how schools react when they are told or who you

> told (nurse vs. guidance vs. principal etc) would be helpful. Sorry

> this was so long (belive me I could write much more) but this was

> therapeutic in itself. Sincerely, Sue

>

September 10, 2006

Kim, thank you for your email. I will keep you informed as to our progress. My

concerns are similar - that people will label her or word will get out and she

will be teased or people just won't understand. It's hard enough for us to

understand everything that has happened and the strange behaviors that OCD

causes - so I can understand how people might think it is weird. It is just

their lack of knowledge on the subject. After talking to my daughter tonight it

seems we may have to talk to the school - she has problems writing sentences

without crossing things out and rewriting everything until it is perfect. Just

scared that most teachers and school staff don;t know much about OCD. Let you

know what happens and thanks fo sharing. Good luck with your daughter. Sue

Kim <missmeowza@...> wrote: Hi Sue,