Re: 14 year old son with ds-autism.

November 11, 2004

does he use any form of communication? sign, or augmentive, pecs ?? I would

check into a behavior management team, they use training techniques to help

everyone teach your son appropriate behaviors, and they often can figure out

what

is causing them. nathan use to be a behavioral nightmare when young but with

years of behavior management team and support and the right medications he

does very well, he is 13yrs and can be a little moody but what teenager

isnt,lol.

you can usually find this type of psychologist team at a universtiy or

research hospital, or specialty clinic setting. great to meet you!! shawna.

November 11, 2004

a,

Brad has limited language. One word sentences such as; eat, drink, etc. he can

sign but usually only when he is prompted to. I have taken him to behavior

management at the childrens hospital in our town with no success. That was a

few years ago. We have considered taking him to Seattle for evaluation but when

I have called to enquire about it either I have had no success or they refer me

on to someone else. Its so challenging. Sometimes I feel like I want to give

up but I know I can't for my sons sake. But it is encouraging to read letters

like yours where you have had success with your son . I'm so glad for

your response. Tessy

sewshawna@... wrote:

does he use any form of communication? sign, or augmentive, pecs ?? I would

check into a behavior management team, they use training techniques to help

everyone teach your son appropriate behaviors, and they often can figure out

what

is causing them. nathan use to be a behavioral nightmare when young but with

years of behavior management team and support and the right medications he

does very well, he is 13yrs and can be a little moody but what teenager

isnt,lol.

you can usually find this type of psychologist team at a universtiy or

research hospital, or specialty clinic setting. great to meet you!! shawna.

November 12, 2004

what about ABA? some on the list use this with success. shawna

November 12, 2004

Hi,

Welcome aboard. Just thought I throw my suggestions on the grabbing

hair and scratching. I've noticed you had mentioned that you've gone

the med route and the behavior management route. Boy, do I know that

feeling when wanting to give up. I could not figure out what was

going on with my son when he was 12 y/o, not even toilet-trained to

add on and some of the medical & educational professionals were all

clueless whom I have dealt with. I had prayed for answers and the

doors had opened when I ran into the Disabilities Solutions

Newsletter and this wonderful group whom I have also learned from. I

could not get anyone to see or listen about my new discovery with

the docs whom my son was seen by and there were numerous. How could

I, I did not even know what the " Autism/ASD " words meant myself, so

I realized I had some reading to do and get educated. Once again I

was convinced that my son had alot of similarities of the

descriptions mentioned. I started attending Medical Conferences for

Autism, read numerous books on AU, workshops on AU, Autism

conferences, etc. I had given the school district that my son

attends and the medical arena my info and finally they have been

open-minded to listen and him evaluated/tested. I'm still getting

educated and advocating for my son, so its never over but there is

some hope at least to some extent.

I read about therapy/interventions and many here on the list had

shared their stories of trials with their children. I would be

thinking out loud while reading and my family would look at me

funny, " Hmm,this I would have to look into. " Glad I did as where I

live we are still in the Flintstone ages and slowly coming around.

Have you had him tested for Sensory Integration with an OT, trained

with SI? He may be seeking for a sensory input, may overreact to

touch, loud noises, and bright lights, which could be overwhelming,

irritating, and sometimes painful. Puberty may be especially scary

because of its new sensations.

When he had scratched or pulled hair was the other person loud or

touching him? Just questions to ask to anaylsis the behavior.

If you post the particulars of the behaviors that you most want to

address now perhaps we can give some ideas of things to try.

Have you read the Out of Sync Child or the Out of Sync Child Has Fun

books by Carol Kranowitz - these are great books around the various

sensory issues as well as to give you ideas of things to

try. Many times it's a matter of replacing an undesirable behavior

with a more socially acceptable one or one that provides more

efficient feedback of the sensory input they are seeking (the

sensory diet will be designed to pre-empt anticipated

needs/problems).

Another factor which occurs with my son in learning difficulties and

behavior problems-food sensitivities which is pending on future

testing, whether to dairy products, sugar, additives, preservatives,

wheat,etc. When I suspect a certain food which may be a culprit

causing behavior problems, I remove or reduce it for a week to 2

depending on the results or changes.

It is hard to figure out anything else, as all our kids experience

differently but have similar issues. There are tons of questions to

ask as we all try to pinpoint the root cause. Like does your son

sleep? How is he at school? What type of programs does he have at

school? Any physical activity? Can he read? Can he type? Play any

electronics games? Could he use a computer? Any eating issues? Does

he have daily bowel movements? Does he interact? Does he imitate? Is

he sociable? Does he like to be alone? Does he play? What does he

enjoy doing? The list goes on as we try to target one behavior at a

time, until we get into our childs world or mind.

Sorry to ramble on. Just know that you are not alone. We are all

here to support each other. Once upon a time I felt like my kid was

the only kid with Down syndrome that was not like other kids with

Downs, until I came aboard this list, they were talking about my

son, almost like the twighlight zone. Such a relief, many walk in

the same shoes and we understood each other. Do follow your instinct

and know that you are on the right track. Prayers that you will find

some answers. See if there is a local Autism support group who could

give you some referral/resources of medical physicians whom their

child have been seen by, which is worth a shot.

http://www.featwa.org/

Hopefully you'll hear from someone from this list who lives near by.

Look forward hearing more about your son.

Irma,16,DS/ASD

November 14, 2004

Tessy - do you live near Seattle? There are a few of us near here.

Joanne

Mom to (10)

Re: 14 year old son with .

a,

Brad has limited language. One word sentences such as; eat, drink, etc. he

can sign but usually only when he is prompted to. I have taken him to behavior

management at the childrens hospital in our town with no success. That was a

few years ago. We have considered taking him to Seattle for evaluation but when

I have called to enquire about it either I have had no success or they refer me

on to someone else. Its so challenging. Sometimes I feel like I want to give

up but I know I can't for my sons sake. But it is encouraging to read letters

like yours where you have had success with your son . I'm so glad for

your response. Tessy

sewshawna@... wrote:

does he use any form of communication? sign, or augmentive, pecs ?? I would

check into a behavior management team, they use training techniques to help

everyone teach your son appropriate behaviors, and they often can figure out

what

is causing them. nathan use to be a behavioral nightmare when young but with

years of behavior management team and support and the right medications he

does very well, he is 13yrs and can be a little moody but what teenager

isnt,lol.

you can usually find this type of psychologist team at a universtiy or

research hospital, or specialty clinic setting. great to meet you!! shawna.

November 16, 2004

Joanne,

I live about 2 1/2 hours away from Seattle. If you have any information about

docs in Seattle, or clinics, etc. I would appreciate it.

Tessy / son Brad (14)

Joanne Hiebert wrote: