Re: Thanks for the welcome & replies

[Guest guest]

,

I didn't get a chance to respond to your earlier Introduction post, so I want

to say welcome! is 14 yrs. and started having noticeably (in

retrospect) autistic behavior when he was very young. He started banging his

head before he was 3. He started to say words..mama, dada, ball, up, etc.

around 15 months and lost all speech by the time he was 3. He has never

interacted with other children however he is affectionate with family

members. When he was a toddler, he would play with toys, primarily cause and

effect toys, appropriately. He never played cars, trucks or anything

requiring some imagination. He has lost developmental skills over the years

and now is cognitively probably somewhere around 12 months. He is

non-verbal. He has multiple gi issues which necessitate g-tube feedings

around the clock and takes nothing by mouth. He has a seizure disorder and

is hypothyroid. He had surgery for hip dysplasia in January and is still in

a cast. We hope to have the cast removed on May 4. was diagnosed

with autism as a secondary diagnosis when he was six by two neurologists. It

has been supported by several other doctors and other professionals over the

years. I don't think you are really in denial. If you recognize that

has " autistic " tendencies or symptoms that is a big step. I have received

tremendous support from the people in this group. I'm glad you found it as

well and look forward to your posts!

Terry

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome and don't feel bad about waiting to act on what you saw. I have a

son who is ll yrs old named Brook. We thought he had autistic tendencies but

didn't think he was autistic either. We never had a doctor or specialist once

tell us that they thought he was autistic. Brook had major feeding problems

and we had a feeding specialist who was an occupational therapist work with

him on this and it did help. Brook also has obsessions and has had

self-injurious behaviors. He finger feeds himself but we still feed him

anything like cream of wheat and Gerber's 3rd fruits etc. Brook also takes me

to what he wants me to do, but he is just now learning how to talk a little.

Brook also has seizures and has been a very low functioning child after the

seizures and the autism began.

That's really great that is becoming more sociable and that he is

learning more words. That should be very encouraging. It's also wonderful

that he has been really healthy because that can cause a lot of problems

especially in a child who can't communicate well. The fact that he loves

school should be really good to.

Marisa

Mom to Miles 14, Brook 11 DS/ASD, Gennie 3 yrs

[Guest guest]

Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they

have a repeat of that show.He likes to put things in containers and shake them

and everything must be done the same way EVERY time or he gets very upset.He had

a period of time where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two he climbed

up on the couch and adjusted a picture that was crooked!He was a headbanger and

tooth grinder also. Carole

<rysmum@...> wrote:

They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this site! As I

mentioned, has not officially been dually diagnosed yet, we are

waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your responses, I have

to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's that for sounding

like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings about the autism,

and realize now that I have seen the signs for a couple of years. I

feel badly that I waited this long to act on them. To be honest, I

either didn't want to see these things, and assumed that he was a

" lower functioning " DS child.

Most of the behaviours that regularily displays have been

mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his toys, flaps, slaps,

shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his amusement. As well,

we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food refusal and texture

preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not feeding himself full-

time.

Up until December of last year, was a terrible sleeper. He

would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep. This started when

he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he got bigger and

stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It got to the point

where either my husband or I would end up sleeping with to calm

him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball on his back from

this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors as he kept

bumping on them in the night.

Another behaviour that started about a month ago has me concerned.

During meal times, will check under the table to see where my

legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles happened to be

crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the table to put my

legs together with my knees touching and both feet together on the

floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue to check on the

status of my legs while feeding him. The first time this happened I

thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but now I am worried

that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews on his shirts,

actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes in a few. I

can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he will chew them

off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went through 2 ski jackets

as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up removing the zippers

and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school and absolutely

loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning and grade 1 in the

afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years prior to this and

an EI program. Just this year he has begun to become a little more

sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to prefer his own

company for the most part, but he is starting to interact and even

initiates play with his classmates and older brothers. His speech is

very limited. He is starting to really babble alot more...mama,dada,

baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some words, but they

are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he will say something

so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He does alot of hand

over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It is very obvious

that he understands so much more than he verbally communicates.

Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an AVSD repair at 6

months of age. Last year he developed alopecia areata and has since

lost all his hair.

Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so long-winded! It really feels

good to talk about this though. Thanks for being here!

[Guest guest]

ewwww, nathan still grinds his teeth often, drives me

crazy, we give him " chewey's " and this helps some. He

also still occasionally chews on his shirts, use to be

realy bad at it. and his meds keep the head banging

down to rare occasion anymore shawna.

--- carole any <carole9545@...> wrote:

>

> Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors

> started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they have a repeat of that

> show.He likes to put things in containers and shake

> them and everything must be done the same way EVERY

> time or he gets very upset.He had a period of time

> where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two

> he climbed up on the couch and adjusted a picture

> that was crooked!He was a headbanger and tooth

> grinder also. Carole

>

>

>

>

> <rysmum@...> wrote:

> They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this

> site! As I

> mentioned, has not officially been dually

> diagnosed yet, we are

> waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your

> responses, I have

> to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's

> that for sounding

> like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings

> about the autism,

> and realize now that I have seen the signs for a

> couple of years. I

> feel badly that I waited this long to act on them.

> To be honest, I

> either didn't want to see these things, and assumed

> that he was a

> " lower functioning " DS child.

>

> Most of the behaviours that regularily displays

> have been

> mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his

> toys, flaps, slaps,

> shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his

> amusement. As well,

> we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food

> refusal and texture

> preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not

> feeding himself full-

> time.

>

> Up until December of last year, was a terrible

> sleeper. He

> would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep.

> This started when

> he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he

> got bigger and

> stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It

> got to the point

> where either my husband or I would end up sleeping

> with to calm

> him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball

> on his back from

> this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors

> as he kept

> bumping on them in the night.

>

> Another behaviour that started about a month ago has

> me concerned.

> During meal times, will check under the table

> to see where my

> legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles

> happened to be

> crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the

> table to put my

> legs together with my knees touching and both feet

> together on the

> floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue

> to check on the

> status of my legs while feeding him. The first time

> this happened I

> thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but

> now I am worried

> that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

>

> The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews

> on his shirts,

> actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes

> in a few. I

> can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he

> will chew them

> off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went

> through 2 ski jackets

> as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up

> removing the zippers

> and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

>

> Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school

> and absolutely

> loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning

> and grade 1 in the

> afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years

> prior to this and

> an EI program. Just this year he has begun to

> become a little more

> sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to

> prefer his own

> company for the most part, but he is starting to

> interact and even

> initiates play with his classmates and older

> brothers. His speech is

> very limited. He is starting to really babble alot

> more...mama,dada,

> baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some

> words, but they

> are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he

> will say something

> so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He

> does alot of hand

> over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It

> is very obvious

> that he understands so much more than he verbally

> communicates.

> Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an

> AVSD repair at 6

> months of age. Last year he developed alopecia

> areata and has since

> lost all his hair.

>

> Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so

> long-winded! It really feels

> good to talk about this though. Thanks for being

> here!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

ewwww, nathan still grinds his teeth often, drives me

crazy, we give him " chewey's " and this helps some. He

also still occasionally chews on his shirts, use to be

realy bad at it. and his meds keep the head banging

down to rare occasion anymore shawna.

--- carole any <carole9545@...> wrote:

>

> Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors

> started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they have a repeat of that

> show.He likes to put things in containers and shake

> them and everything must be done the same way EVERY

> time or he gets very upset.He had a period of time

> where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two

> he climbed up on the couch and adjusted a picture

> that was crooked!He was a headbanger and tooth

> grinder also. Carole

>

>

>

>

> <rysmum@...> wrote:

> They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this

> site! As I

> mentioned, has not officially been dually

> diagnosed yet, we are

> waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your

> responses, I have

> to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's

> that for sounding

> like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings

> about the autism,

> and realize now that I have seen the signs for a

> couple of years. I

> feel badly that I waited this long to act on them.

> To be honest, I

> either didn't want to see these things, and assumed

> that he was a

> " lower functioning " DS child.

>

> Most of the behaviours that regularily displays

> have been

> mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his

> toys, flaps, slaps,

> shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his

> amusement. As well,

> we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food

> refusal and texture

> preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not

> feeding himself full-

> time.

>

> Up until December of last year, was a terrible

> sleeper. He

> would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep.

> This started when

> he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he

> got bigger and

> stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It

> got to the point

> where either my husband or I would end up sleeping

> with to calm

> him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball

> on his back from

> this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors

> as he kept

> bumping on them in the night.

>

> Another behaviour that started about a month ago has

> me concerned.

> During meal times, will check under the table

> to see where my

> legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles

> happened to be

> crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the

> table to put my

> legs together with my knees touching and both feet

> together on the

> floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue

> to check on the

> status of my legs while feeding him. The first time

> this happened I

> thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but

> now I am worried

> that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

>

> The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews

> on his shirts,

> actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes

> in a few. I

> can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he

> will chew them

> off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went

> through 2 ski jackets

> as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up

> removing the zippers

> and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

>

> Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school

> and absolutely

> loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning

> and grade 1 in the

> afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years

> prior to this and

> an EI program. Just this year he has begun to

> become a little more

> sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to

> prefer his own

> company for the most part, but he is starting to

> interact and even

> initiates play with his classmates and older

> brothers. His speech is

> very limited. He is starting to really babble alot

> more...mama,dada,

> baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some

> words, but they

> are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he

> will say something

> so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He

> does alot of hand

> over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It

> is very obvious

> that he understands so much more than he verbally

> communicates.

> Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an

> AVSD repair at 6

> months of age. Last year he developed alopecia

> areata and has since

> lost all his hair.

>

> Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so

> long-winded! It really feels

> good to talk about this though. Thanks for being

> here!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

ewwww, nathan still grinds his teeth often, drives me

crazy, we give him " chewey's " and this helps some. He

also still occasionally chews on his shirts, use to be

realy bad at it. and his meds keep the head banging

down to rare occasion anymore shawna.

--- carole any <carole9545@...> wrote:

>

> Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors

> started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they have a repeat of that

> show.He likes to put things in containers and shake

> them and everything must be done the same way EVERY

> time or he gets very upset.He had a period of time

> where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two

> he climbed up on the couch and adjusted a picture

> that was crooked!He was a headbanger and tooth

> grinder also. Carole

>

>

>

>

> <rysmum@...> wrote:

> They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this

> site! As I

> mentioned, has not officially been dually

> diagnosed yet, we are

> waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your

> responses, I have

> to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's

> that for sounding

> like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings

> about the autism,

> and realize now that I have seen the signs for a

> couple of years. I

> feel badly that I waited this long to act on them.

> To be honest, I

> either didn't want to see these things, and assumed

> that he was a

> " lower functioning " DS child.

>

> Most of the behaviours that regularily displays

> have been

> mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his

> toys, flaps, slaps,

> shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his

> amusement. As well,

> we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food

> refusal and texture

> preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not

> feeding himself full-

> time.

>

> Up until December of last year, was a terrible

> sleeper. He

> would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep.

> This started when

> he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he

> got bigger and

> stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It

> got to the point

> where either my husband or I would end up sleeping

> with to calm

> him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball

> on his back from

> this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors

> as he kept

> bumping on them in the night.

>

> Another behaviour that started about a month ago has

> me concerned.

> During meal times, will check under the table

> to see where my

> legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles

> happened to be

> crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the

> table to put my

> legs together with my knees touching and both feet

> together on the

> floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue

> to check on the

> status of my legs while feeding him. The first time

> this happened I

> thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but

> now I am worried

> that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

>

> The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews

> on his shirts,

> actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes

> in a few. I

> can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he

> will chew them

> off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went

> through 2 ski jackets

> as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up

> removing the zippers

> and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

>

> Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school

> and absolutely

> loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning

> and grade 1 in the

> afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years

> prior to this and

> an EI program. Just this year he has begun to

> become a little more

> sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to

> prefer his own

> company for the most part, but he is starting to

> interact and even

> initiates play with his classmates and older

> brothers. His speech is

> very limited. He is starting to really babble alot

> more...mama,dada,

> baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some

> words, but they

> are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he

> will say something

> so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He

> does alot of hand

> over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It

> is very obvious

> that he understands so much more than he verbally

> communicates.

> Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an

> AVSD repair at 6

> months of age. Last year he developed alopecia

> areata and has since

> lost all his hair.

>

> Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so

> long-winded! It really feels

> good to talk about this though. Thanks for being

> here!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

ewwww, nathan still grinds his teeth often, drives me

crazy, we give him " chewey's " and this helps some. He

also still occasionally chews on his shirts, use to be

realy bad at it. and his meds keep the head banging

down to rare occasion anymore shawna.

--- carole any <carole9545@...> wrote:

>

> Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors

> started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they have a repeat of that

> show.He likes to put things in containers and shake

> them and everything must be done the same way EVERY

> time or he gets very upset.He had a period of time

> where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two

> he climbed up on the couch and adjusted a picture

> that was crooked!He was a headbanger and tooth

> grinder also. Carole

>

>

>

>

> <rysmum@...> wrote:

> They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this

> site! As I

> mentioned, has not officially been dually

> diagnosed yet, we are

> waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your

> responses, I have

> to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's

> that for sounding

> like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings

> about the autism,

> and realize now that I have seen the signs for a

> couple of years. I

> feel badly that I waited this long to act on them.

> To be honest, I

> either didn't want to see these things, and assumed

> that he was a

> " lower functioning " DS child.

>

> Most of the behaviours that regularily displays

> have been

> mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his

> toys, flaps, slaps,

> shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his

> amusement. As well,

> we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food

> refusal and texture

> preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not

> feeding himself full-

> time.

>

> Up until December of last year, was a terrible

> sleeper. He

> would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep.

> This started when

> he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he

> got bigger and

> stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It

> got to the point

> where either my husband or I would end up sleeping

> with to calm

> him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball

> on his back from

> this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors

> as he kept

> bumping on them in the night.

>

> Another behaviour that started about a month ago has

> me concerned.

> During meal times, will check under the table

> to see where my

> legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles

> happened to be

> crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the

> table to put my

> legs together with my knees touching and both feet

> together on the

> floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue

> to check on the

> status of my legs while feeding him. The first time

> this happened I

> thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but

> now I am worried

> that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

>

> The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews

> on his shirts,

> actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes

> in a few. I

> can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he

> will chew them

> off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went

> through 2 ski jackets

> as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up

> removing the zippers

> and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

>

> Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school

> and absolutely

> loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning

> and grade 1 in the

> afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years

> prior to this and

> an EI program. Just this year he has begun to

> become a little more

> sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to

> prefer his own

> company for the most part, but he is starting to

> interact and even

> initiates play with his classmates and older

> brothers. His speech is

> very limited. He is starting to really babble alot

> more...mama,dada,

> baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some

> words, but they

> are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he

> will say something

> so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He

> does alot of hand

> over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It

> is very obvious

> that he understands so much more than he verbally

> communicates.

> Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an

> AVSD repair at 6

> months of age. Last year he developed alopecia

> areata and has since

> lost all his hair.

>

> Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so

> long-winded! It really feels

> good to talk about this though. Thanks for being

> here!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

ewwww, nathan still grinds his teeth often, drives me

crazy, we give him " chewey's " and this helps some. He

also still occasionally chews on his shirts, use to be

realy bad at it. and his meds keep the head banging

down to rare occasion anymore shawna.

--- carole any <carole9545@...> wrote:

>

> Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors

> started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they have a repeat of that

> show.He likes to put things in containers and shake

> them and everything must be done the same way EVERY

> time or he gets very upset.He had a period of time

> where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two

> he climbed up on the couch and adjusted a picture

> that was crooked!He was a headbanger and tooth

> grinder also. Carole

>

>

>

>

> <rysmum@...> wrote:

> They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this

> site! As I

> mentioned, has not officially been dually

> diagnosed yet, we are

> waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your

> responses, I have

> to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's

> that for sounding

> like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings

> about the autism,

> and realize now that I have seen the signs for a

> couple of years. I

> feel badly that I waited this long to act on them.

> To be honest, I

> either didn't want to see these things, and assumed

> that he was a

> " lower functioning " DS child.

>

> Most of the behaviours that regularily displays

> have been

> mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his

> toys, flaps, slaps,

> shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his

> amusement. As well,

> we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food

> refusal and texture

> preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not

> feeding himself full-

> time.

>

> Up until December of last year, was a terrible

> sleeper. He

> would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep.

> This started when

> he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he

> got bigger and

> stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It

> got to the point

> where either my husband or I would end up sleeping

> with to calm

> him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball

> on his back from

> this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors

> as he kept

> bumping on them in the night.

>

> Another behaviour that started about a month ago has

> me concerned.

> During meal times, will check under the table

> to see where my

> legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles

> happened to be

> crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the

> table to put my

> legs together with my knees touching and both feet

> together on the

> floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue

> to check on the

> status of my legs while feeding him. The first time

> this happened I

> thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but

> now I am worried

> that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

>

> The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews

> on his shirts,

> actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes

> in a few. I

> can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he

> will chew them

> off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went

> through 2 ski jackets

> as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up

> removing the zippers

> and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

>

> Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school

> and absolutely

> loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning

> and grade 1 in the

> afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years

> prior to this and

> an EI program. Just this year he has begun to

> become a little more

> sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to

> prefer his own

> company for the most part, but he is starting to

> interact and even

> initiates play with his classmates and older

> brothers. His speech is

> very limited. He is starting to really babble alot

> more...mama,dada,

> baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some

> words, but they

> are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he

> will say something

> so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He

> does alot of hand

> over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It

> is very obvious

> that he understands so much more than he verbally

> communicates.

> Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an

> AVSD repair at 6

> months of age. Last year he developed alopecia

> areata and has since

> lost all his hair.

>

> Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so

> long-winded! It really feels

> good to talk about this though. Thanks for being

> here!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

ewwww, nathan still grinds his teeth often, drives me

crazy, we give him " chewey's " and this helps some. He

also still occasionally chews on his shirts, use to be

realy bad at it. and his meds keep the head banging

down to rare occasion anymore shawna.

--- carole any <carole9545@...> wrote:

>

> Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors

> started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they have a repeat of that

> show.He likes to put things in containers and shake

> them and everything must be done the same way EVERY

> time or he gets very upset.He had a period of time

> where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two

> he climbed up on the couch and adjusted a picture

> that was crooked!He was a headbanger and tooth

> grinder also. Carole

>

>

>

>

> <rysmum@...> wrote:

> They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this

> site! As I

> mentioned, has not officially been dually

> diagnosed yet, we are

> waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your

> responses, I have

> to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's

> that for sounding

> like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings

> about the autism,

> and realize now that I have seen the signs for a

> couple of years. I

> feel badly that I waited this long to act on them.

> To be honest, I

> either didn't want to see these things, and assumed

> that he was a

> " lower functioning " DS child.

>

> Most of the behaviours that regularily displays

> have been

> mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his

> toys, flaps, slaps,

> shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his

> amusement. As well,

> we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food

> refusal and texture

> preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not

> feeding himself full-

> time.

>

> Up until December of last year, was a terrible

> sleeper. He

> would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep.

> This started when

> he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he

> got bigger and

> stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It

> got to the point

> where either my husband or I would end up sleeping

> with to calm

> him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball

> on his back from

> this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors

> as he kept

> bumping on them in the night.

>

> Another behaviour that started about a month ago has

> me concerned.

> During meal times, will check under the table

> to see where my

> legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles

> happened to be

> crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the

> table to put my

> legs together with my knees touching and both feet

> together on the

> floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue

> to check on the

> status of my legs while feeding him. The first time

> this happened I

> thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but

> now I am worried

> that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

>

> The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews

> on his shirts,

> actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes

> in a few. I

> can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he

> will chew them

> off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went

> through 2 ski jackets

> as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up

> removing the zippers

> and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

>

> Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school

> and absolutely

> loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning

> and grade 1 in the

> afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years

> prior to this and

> an EI program. Just this year he has begun to

> become a little more

> sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to

> prefer his own

> company for the most part, but he is starting to

> interact and even

> initiates play with his classmates and older

> brothers. His speech is

> very limited. He is starting to really babble alot

> more...mama,dada,

> baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some

> words, but they

> are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he

> will say something

> so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He

> does alot of hand

> over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It

> is very obvious

> that he understands so much more than he verbally

> communicates.

> Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an

> AVSD repair at 6

> months of age. Last year he developed alopecia

> areata and has since

> lost all his hair.

>

> Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so

> long-winded! It really feels

> good to talk about this though. Thanks for being

> here!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

ewwww, nathan still grinds his teeth often, drives me

crazy, we give him " chewey's " and this helps some. He

also still occasionally chews on his shirts, use to be

realy bad at it. and his meds keep the head banging

down to rare occasion anymore shawna.

--- carole any <carole9545@...> wrote:

>

> Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors

> started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they have a repeat of that

> show.He likes to put things in containers and shake

> them and everything must be done the same way EVERY

> time or he gets very upset.He had a period of time

> where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two

> he climbed up on the couch and adjusted a picture

> that was crooked!He was a headbanger and tooth

> grinder also. Carole

>

>

>

>

> <rysmum@...> wrote:

> They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this

> site! As I

> mentioned, has not officially been dually

> diagnosed yet, we are

> waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your

> responses, I have

> to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's

> that for sounding

> like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings

> about the autism,

> and realize now that I have seen the signs for a

> couple of years. I

> feel badly that I waited this long to act on them.

> To be honest, I

> either didn't want to see these things, and assumed

> that he was a

> " lower functioning " DS child.

>

> Most of the behaviours that regularily displays

> have been

> mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his

> toys, flaps, slaps,

> shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his

> amusement. As well,

> we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food

> refusal and texture

> preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not

> feeding himself full-

> time.

>

> Up until December of last year, was a terrible

> sleeper. He

> would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep.

> This started when

> he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he

> got bigger and

> stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It

> got to the point

> where either my husband or I would end up sleeping

> with to calm

> him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball

> on his back from

> this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors

> as he kept

> bumping on them in the night.

>

> Another behaviour that started about a month ago has

> me concerned.

> During meal times, will check under the table

> to see where my

> legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles

> happened to be

> crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the

> table to put my

> legs together with my knees touching and both feet

> together on the

> floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue

> to check on the

> status of my legs while feeding him. The first time

> this happened I

> thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but

> now I am worried

> that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

>

> The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews

> on his shirts,

> actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes

> in a few. I

> can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he

> will chew them

> off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went

> through 2 ski jackets

> as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up

> removing the zippers

> and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

>

> Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school

> and absolutely

> loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning

> and grade 1 in the

> afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years

> prior to this and

> an EI program. Just this year he has begun to

> become a little more

> sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to

> prefer his own

> company for the most part, but he is starting to

> interact and even

> initiates play with his classmates and older

> brothers. His speech is

> very limited. He is starting to really babble alot

> more...mama,dada,

> baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some

> words, but they

> are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he

> will say something

> so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He

> does alot of hand

> over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It

> is very obvious

> that he understands so much more than he verbally

> communicates.

> Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an

> AVSD repair at 6

> months of age. Last year he developed alopecia

> areata and has since

> lost all his hair.

>

> Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so

> long-winded! It really feels

> good to talk about this though. Thanks for being

> here!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

ewwww, nathan still grinds his teeth often, drives me

crazy, we give him " chewey's " and this helps some. He

also still occasionally chews on his shirts, use to be

realy bad at it. and his meds keep the head banging

down to rare occasion anymore shawna.

--- carole any <carole9545@...> wrote:

>

> Hi , had surgery at 3 and the behaviors

> started at 4 ,hmmmm,hope they have a repeat of that

> show.He likes to put things in containers and shake

> them and everything must be done the same way EVERY

> time or he gets very upset.He had a period of time

> where he also chewed on his clothes.When he was two

> he climbed up on the couch and adjusted a picture

> that was crooked!He was a headbanger and tooth

> grinder also. Carole

>

>

>

>

> <rysmum@...> wrote:

> They are much appreciated! I am glad I found this

> site! As I

> mentioned, has not officially been dually

> diagnosed yet, we are

> waiting to get in to the specialist. Reading your

> responses, I have

> to say that probably is a bit autistic. How's

> that for sounding

> like I am in denial, LOL. I have had mixed feelings

> about the autism,

> and realize now that I have seen the signs for a

> couple of years. I

> feel badly that I waited this long to act on them.

> To be honest, I

> either didn't want to see these things, and assumed

> that he was a

> " lower functioning " DS child.

>

> Most of the behaviours that regularily displays

> have been

> mentioned in your posts. He rocks, lines up his

> toys, flaps, slaps,

> shakes/twirls an object (such as paper) for his

> amusement. As well,

> we have had ongoing feeding problems, ie. food

> refusal and texture

> preference. At 5 1/2 years old, he is still not

> feeding himself full-

> time.

>

> Up until December of last year, was a terrible

> sleeper. He

> would rock and bang himself till he fell asleep.

> This started when

> he was about one, rocking on all fours, and as he

> got bigger and

> stronger the rocking/banging got more forceful. It

> got to the point

> where either my husband or I would end up sleeping

> with to calm

> him. He actually had a welt the size of a golf ball

> on his back from

> this. We ended up having to remove his closet doors

> as he kept

> bumping on them in the night.

>

> Another behaviour that started about a month ago has

> me concerned.

> During meal times, will check under the table

> to see where my

> legs are. By that I mean, if my legs or ankles

> happened to be

> crossed, he will slide from his chair to under the

> table to put my

> legs together with my knees touching and both feet

> together on the

> floor. Once back up on his chair, he will continue

> to check on the

> status of my legs while feeding him. The first time

> this happened I

> thought it kind of cute in an odd sort of way, but

> now I am worried

> that this is an autistic tendancy as well.

>

> The other thing I wonder about is that he he chews

> on his shirts,

> actually soaks his shirt, and has even chewed holes

> in a few. I

> can't buy him shirts with collars or buttons as he

> will chew them

> off. Thinking back, a few years ago, we went

> through 2 ski jackets

> as he kept chewing the zippers up. I ended up

> removing the zippers

> and replaced them with heavy duty velcro and snaps.

>

> Anyway, a bit more about ...he attends school

> and absolutely

> loves it! He goes to kindergarten in the morning

> and grade 1 in the

> afternoon. He was in a pre-school program 2 years

> prior to this and

> an EI program. Just this year he has begun to

> become a little more

> sociable, which I am thrilled about. He seems to

> prefer his own

> company for the most part, but he is starting to

> interact and even

> initiates play with his classmates and older

> brothers. His speech is

> very limited. He is starting to really babble alot

> more...mama,dada,

> baba, bibi, that kind of thing. He does have some

> words, but they

> are few and far between. Then out of the blue, he

> will say something

> so clearly, that I wonder if I really heard it. He

> does alot of hand

> over hand and bringing you to show what he wants. It

> is very obvious

> that he understands so much more than he verbally

> communicates.

> Overall, has been a healthy boy. He had an

> AVSD repair at 6

> months of age. Last year he developed alopecia

> areata and has since

> lost all his hair.

>

> Well, I certainly didn't intend to be so

> long-winded! It really feels

> good to talk about this though. Thanks for being

> here!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>