Intro and Question

[Guest guest]

My name is Ali, and although I am not a parent of a child with Autism, sometimes

I feel like it! I currently work in a residential program for kids with Autism

and related disorders. I also finished my masters in Applied Behavior Analysis

last year and am sitting for my board certification next week.

I've joined this group because I have learned that parents are the best

resources. Their knowledge and experience goes beyond any degree or in

classroom knowledge that I will ever have.

Most of the kids I work with have great parents, but their behavioral needs have

caused such damage (physically/ emotionally/ mentally) that they need extra help

and therefore come to live in our program.

I'm not really sure how to search for previously asked questions. I have so

many current questions, but don't want everyone to post if it has already been

discussed. Any reccommendations on how to search past topics?

I do have one behavioral need that I need help on.

I have a young lady, 15 years old, who refuses to wear a bra and underwear. She

will only wear stretchy pants and loose shirts. We have tried many different

textures and styles of bras and underwear, but to no success. When we tell her

she has to wear them, she get very aggressive. She has ripped toilets out of

the ground and cabinets out of the wall.

I really just want to say that no bra/ no underwear is just fine with me, but

the no underwear is a major issue when she has her menses. We tried to stop her

period with Depo (no success,) extra dosages of Depo (no success,) extra

estrogin pills (can't use long term and didn't help,) birth control to regulate

it (not helping.) All the doctors we discuss this with are amazed that not of

that has't stopped her period. We are concerned that something is internally

wrong, and after she kicked the doctor who attempted to examine her (once

without sedation the other time with) she doesn't know what to do. We have an

order for full sedation, but no doctor will help us.

We are trying to get her into a new school inorder to get some more intensive

services, but when she has her menses, she can't even go to school because she

won't leave anything on to protect her pants and inturn the chairs/ desks and in

turn other students.

I have worked with this family for four and a half year, and we have been

running this battle for three and a half. Any help would be greatly

appreciated.

Also, thank you in advance for everything I will learn though this group!

----Ali