Questions

January 16, 2007

Hi Kathleen,

As soon as you can, see if either the school district you're in will help (can you even *have* an IEP when you're homeschooling?) with a neuropsychological assessment. If they won't or can't, then I'd suggest finding your own neuropsych doctor. Where are you currently located? You can either go to a child development center in a hospital or to a private neuropsychologist for a diagnosis (with referral from your doctor). There have also been diagnoses done by regular neurologists and regular psychologists, but I prefer the neuropsych from the research I've done- I feel it's more comprehensive.

From there, there are a variety of services available to you depending on your location. Here in RI, all you need is a diagnosis to get services from a CEDARR center, who basically acts as a go-between for the Department of Human Services and the actual service providers who put staff people into people's homes (the parents are in charge of all services though) to assist their children to work toward specific goals. So, there's a start.

As for the wandering off/running away business, one family I visited with recently has the same problem with their Autistic son. They had plastic handles over the regular door handles, that you had to squeeze in two particular spots before you could get a grip and turn the handle. There are also motion alarms you can rig up over the doors for fairly cheap and just turn on at night so that you can sleep more comfortably. Another option that we utilized when I worked in direct care was a pressure-sensitive mat. We used it for Alzheimer's patients who wandered. It let the staff know when the resident would get out of bed at night.

That should be enough information for you to chew on for a bit! Good luck, and keep us posted.

Be well,

On 1/13/07, Visscher family <kvmoose@...> wrote:

OKay.. here's where I'm at in this journey. I have 5 children.

my 4 1/2 year old is the one who we think has autism. he is showing signs of it.

he is a very smart little boy though. he can say the alphabet and count to 50, and lots of other things. but he doesn't converse. He has other little quirks.

I am wondering how some of you have dealt with this. those that have other childen. we homeschool as well so I have all the children all the time.

Isaac is my 4 year old:) he likes to play in the potty. he used to play in his diaper. he was hard to potty train but he is fully wet trained but still goes stinkies in his pants most of the time. he goes to the bathroom to do it but still....

I am not sure how to deal with this. he also doesn't seem to have normal social graces or pick them up like my other children have.

he is the middle child. one of the children younger than him can say please and thank you. I have worked with Isaac on this and he just doesn't get it. he'll say the words but not at the right times:) he can say I'm sorry as well but not when he needs to.

I am just not sure what to do.

I am askign this now because my husband has been working long hours. as in this week he worked 95 hours. so it's me and the kids in a new town and I'm just kind of uncertain where to turn.

I think I mentioned earlier that he has not been tested yet. we do not have insurance right now. soon though, Mark just switched jobs and we have to wait 90 days to get stuff with the new company. it'll be soon though.

but how do I find a DR who is good at this? who will be understanding and not condemning? I really liked our former family DR back in MI he was great but what should look for in a DR that will be a great asset in helping Isaac be his best?

I have more questions but I need to keep up with my kiddos here too!

oh and one other thing. Isaac likes to escape. I have caught him but he has run out our front door, we live in a townhosue. no screen door to slow him down either! at our former home ( we owned a house and now we rent ) we had a screen door. and we used a hook and eye lock on the top and that worked pretty well. he opens the dead bolt here.

and I had a latch on his bedroom door for at bedtime and he'd stay in there but now I do not and he is up wandering all over at all hours. I'm running on empty here. What can I do to keep him safe. and me sane:)

I do have a windchime on the inside of the door as kind of an " Isaac " alert!!

in the meantime.. please pray I meet new people and can get out there to find the right help for Isaac!

I better go

Kathleen

-- Don't Breed, Don't Buy, Adopt!

www.avianwelfare.org

January 21, 2007

Dear Kathleen,

It sounds like you are already doing well with many things. I

really wish I could homeschool my kids, but there seem to be too many

hurdles for me at this time.

You will find the right doctor. Ask around as you get to know

people. Maybe someone you meet tomorrow or next week will give you a

lead. We will pray for you. I met most of our family doctors through

a friend with a child with high functioning autism. I like those

doctors much better than the one we had before who was condeming. Our

new doctor is so positive I had to write him a letter as soon as I

left the office. I wonder if he knew or realized how much a

difference he made in our visit/lives by being positive. (I told him

in the note)

In the mean time you might want to do some reading? Learning

always seems to empower me. It's a step forward?

Moving is stressful. Again, it sounds like you are already doing

an incredable job! Hang in there!

(Mother of three on the spectrum)

> OKay.. here's where I'm at in this journey. I have 5

children.

> my 4 1/2 year old is the one who we think has autism. he is

showing signs of it.

>

> he is a very smart little boy though. he can say the alphabet and

count to 50, and lots of other things. but he doesn't converse. He

has other little quirks.

> I am wondering how some of you have dealt with this. those that

have other childen. we homeschool as well so I have all the children

all the time.

>

> Isaac is my 4 year old:) he likes to play in the potty. he used to

play in his diaper. he was hard to potty train but he is fully wet

trained but still goes stinkies in his pants most of the time. he

goes to the bathroom to do it but still....

>

> I am not sure how to deal with this. he also doesn't seem to have

normal social graces or pick them up like my other children have.

>

> he is the middle child. one of the children younger than him can

say please and thank you. I have worked with Isaac on this and he just

doesn't get it. he'll say the words but not at the right times:) he

can say I'm sorry as well but not when he needs to.

>

> I am just not sure what to do.

> I am askign this now because my husband has been working long

hours. as in this week he worked 95 hours. so it's me and the kids in

a new town and I'm just kind of uncertain where to turn.

>

> I think I mentioned earlier that he has not been tested yet. we do

not have insurance right now. soon though, Mark just switched jobs and

we have to wait 90 days to get stuff with the new company. it'll be

soon though.

>

> but how do I find a DR who is good at this? who will be

understanding and not condemning? I really liked our former family DR

back in MI he was great but what should look for in a DR that will be

a great asset in helping Isaac be his best?

>

> I have more questions but I need to keep up with my kiddos here too!

>

> oh and one other thing. Isaac likes to escape. I have caught him

but he has run out our front door, we live in a townhosue. no screen

door to slow him down either! at our former home ( we owned a house

and now we rent ) we had a screen door. and we used a hook and eye

lock on the top and that worked pretty well. he opens the dead bolt here.

>

> and I had a latch on his bedroom door for at bedtime and he'd stay

in there but now I do not and he is up wandering all over at all

hours. I'm running on empty here. What can I do to keep him safe. and

me sane:)

>

> I do have a windchime on the inside of the door as kind of an

" Isaac " alert!!

>

> in the meantime.. please pray I meet new people and can get out

there to find the right help for Isaac!

>

> I better go

> Kathleen

>

> I love a child with Aspergers

> Please, read, learn, and love

>

> KELLY

>

> ---------------------------------

> Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection.

> Try the free Beta.

>

February 1, 2007

Also there are government programs that will pay for alarm systems etc if necessary for your childs health and safety. My dd is in the "Mental Health Waiver Program" here in Iowa and as well as paying for therapy, they pay for items like the ones mentioned below. Just a thought, since I know my son quickly learned how to pull the plastic doorknob covers apart and THEN open the door! Good luck and God bless! DeeDee Avian Rights <avianrights@...> wrote: Hi Kathleen, As soon as you can, see if either the school district you're in will help (can you even *have* an IEP when you're homeschooling?) with a neuropsychological assessment. If they won't or can't, then I'd suggest finding your own neuropsych doctor. Where are you currently located? You can either go to a child development center in a hospital or to a private neuropsychologist for a diagnosis (with referral from your doctor). There have also been diagnoses done by regular neurologists and regular psychologists, but I prefer the neuropsych from the research I've done- I feel it's more comprehensive. From there, there are a variety of services available to you depending on your location. Here in RI, all you need is a diagnosis to get services from a CEDARR center, who basically acts as a go-between for the Department of Human Services and the actual service providers who put staff people into people's homes

(the parents are in charge of all services though) to assist their children to work toward specific goals. So, there's a start. As for the wandering off/running away business, one family I visited with recently has the same problem with their Autistic son. They had plastic handles over the regular door handles, that you had to squeeze in two particular spots before you could get a grip and turn the handle. There are also motion alarms you can rig up over the doors for fairly cheap and just turn on at night so that you can sleep more comfortably. Another option that we utilized when I worked in direct care was a pressure-sensitive mat. We used it for Alzheimer's patients who wandered. It let the staff know when the resident would get out of bed at night. That should be enough information for you to chew on for a bit! Good luck, and keep us posted. Be well, On 1/13/07, Visscher family <kvmoosecomcast (DOT) net> wrote: OKay.. here's where I'm at in this journey. I have 5 children. my 4 1/2 year old is the one who we think has autism. he is showing signs of it. he is a very smart little boy though. he can say the alphabet and count to 50, and lots of other things. but he doesn't converse. He has other little quirks. I am wondering how some of you have dealt with this. those that have other childen. we homeschool as well

so I have all the children all the time. Isaac is my 4 year old:) he likes to play in the potty. he used to play in his diaper. he was hard to potty train but he is fully wet trained but still goes stinkies in his pants most of the time. he goes to the bathroom to do it but still.... I am not sure how to deal with this. he also doesn't seem to have normal social graces or pick them up like my other children have. he is the middle child. one of the children younger than him can say please and thank you. I have worked with Isaac on this and he just doesn't get it. he'll say the words but not at the right times:) he can say I'm sorry as well but not when he needs to. I am just not sure what to do. I am askign this now because my husband has been working long hours. as in this week he worked 95 hours. so it's me and the kids in a new town and I'm just kind of uncertain where to turn. I think I mentioned earlier that he has not been tested yet. we do not have insurance right now. soon though, Mark just switched jobs and we have to wait 90 days to get stuff with the new company. it'll be soon though. but how do I find a DR who is good at this? who will be understanding and not condemning? I really liked our former family DR back in MI he was great but what should look for in a DR that will be a great asset in helping Isaac be

his best? I have more questions but I need to keep up with my kiddos here too! oh and one other thing. Isaac likes to escape. I have caught him but he has run out our front door, we live in a townhosue. no screen door to slow him down either! at our former home ( we owned a house and now we rent ) we had a screen door. and we used a hook and eye lock on the top and that worked pretty well. he opens the dead bolt here. and I had a latch on his bedroom door for at bedtime and he'd stay in there but now I do not and he is up wandering all over at all hours. I'm running on empty here. What can I do to keep him safe. and me sane:) I do have a windchime on the inside of the door as kind of an "Isaac" alert!! in the meantime.. please pray I meet new people and can get out there to find the right help for Isaac! I better go Kathleen -- Don't Breed, Don't Buy, Adopt! www.avianwelfare.org

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March 30, 2007

See below for reply...

Questions

Hi. Call me nick. Me and my partner found out that he is HIV+ on our 1st year anniversary. It was an incidental finding, as he had to do blood test for other reason. i have questions, appreciate your answers.1. I am tested negative. Is there any possibilities that i have been infected, but the test could not detect it yet? We didnt use protection throughout the 1 year. The last time we had sex was 2 weeks before my blood test. should i go for regular blood test?

Yes, so you should continue to be tested regularly.2. He is perfectly healthy before the 'breaking news'. He was gaining weight. but lately his body is pretty warm -something like fever. and he looks tired. Are these symptoms or just the effects of shock and depression?

Initially people experience flu-like symptoms when they convert... but if he hasn't been exposed since over a year ago he is likely just experiencing depression or something else... See the email from the doctor in San Francisico about this...3. We did a detailed blood test (inclusive of blood count, D4 etc). and the result is coming out in a month's time. while waiting for the result, what should we do?

A month is along time but this is a good first step to see how healthy he is... there's nothing you need to do while you wait other than practice safer sex and be healthy... eat right, exercise, etc...4. Should he quit smoking? what about me?

Yes to both! Regardless of HIV, but especially because of it.5. We used to visit the gym 3 times a week but stop last december. Should we go back? does it help?

Yes... go back to the gym... it helps.... and remember, you can lead a pretty normal life with HIV6. What are the early symptoms?

Symptoms of what? After initial infection peole sometimes experience severe flu like symptoms... After that you feel pretty normal... for a long time... it all depends how his blood counts are which will tell you how far along he is... you can be POZ and be very healthy... if the numbers indicate he needs meds he should start them... the doc will be able to tell you more... the doc should also run resistance test (Genotype/Phenotype) which will tell what type of meds will work and what he is resistant to.

As I suggested... search the messages for things like 'symptoms' 'smoking', etc... there is a bunch of info in there....Thanks.Welcome to our group!If you received this email from someone who forwarded it to you and would like to join this group, send a blank email to -subscribe and you will get an email with instructions to follow. You can chose to receive single emails or a daily digest (collection of emails). You can post pictures, images, attach files and search by keyword old postings in the group.For those of you who are members already and want to switch from single emails to digest or vice versa, visit www., click on , then on "edit my membership" and go down to your selection. The list administrator does not process any requests, so this is a do-it-yourself easy process ! :)Thanks for joining. You

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March 30, 2007