RE: Hello-Georgia

December 28, 2002

OMG I am impressed. How can you do so much? I have one little girl that

is not so difficult to handle and I feel tired. How do you know how to

do the ST and OT? Do you have any links to help you plan your work?

Cecilia, from Peru (mom to Dessiree 3y 5m, no dx yet some autistic

traits)

Lovely husband

-----Mensaje original-----

De: Jorgha HaQ

Enviado el: Sábado, 28 de Diciembre de 2002 08:52 p.m.

Para: parenting_autism

Asunto: Re: Hello

Hi Debbi,

I homeschool. That is part of my problem with getting services around

here. It's a long messed up story. I am told that I can't get services

because the kids are not in school and so forth. I have pretty much

been doing everything on my own. I read a lot and so forth and do a lot

of speech therapy myself with the kids that need it, I work on OT as

much as I can (it is so painfully obvious that two of the older kids

need it, the school recognizes that they need OT but I am homeschooling

and therefore they *can't* do anything.) I really wouldnt trust the

schools here to watch a hamster let alone teach my kids.

I didn't have any help or any dx for Savannah when things were the worst

with her and somehow we got through it all. She hated being hugged or

anything when she was little, now she will give hugs (has to be on her

terms though). She has come along way with no outside intervention from

" specialists " or formal education and her psych swears up and down that

whatever we are doing is the best thing for her and that we have done

more for her than anyone could have.

I know that if I have made that sort of progress on my own with her than

I can help the other kids in the house that need it. Sometimes it is

just frusterating and overwhelming. Sometimes I wish I had that outside

help (although I don't wish to deal with know it all, patronizing,

therapists and so forth that are going to tell me that the kids should

be in school for forced socialization. I swear if someone says that to

me one more time I will freaking kill them! That is the biggest bunch

of bullshit I have ever heard. Yea, forced socailization for a child

that can't handle it. Like I want to deal with that emotional and

mental anguish). Sometimes I think that outside help would make things

easier. I could be horribly wrong.

I just do what I do and don't look back. I quit questioning myself on

it all a while back. I see the progress that has been made and I am

afraid that something formal where the kids are not on their time table

but someone elses would cause regression.

Ok, I am done babbling here.

BTW Debbi, I am Georga. I have seven children (everytime I say that I

picture Mel Gibson in the Patriot announcing that. " I have seven

children. " Yea Mel, and your point is? :0) Hee hee), 5 girls 2 boys.

One that is dx'd ASD, three more that we think are on the spectrum. I

homeschool. That is pretty much it.

Georga Hackworth

UBAH Educational Consultant

Enter to win $50 worth of free books at www.ubah.com/F1549

Start your own Usborne Home Business in December for only $59.95! Ask

me how!

Hello

Hello,

I am new to the list. My name is debbi and I have been living with my

3-1/2 year old grandson for 3 years. (Long complicated story). " Buster "

was born with a subdural hematoma. We spent the first year of his life

trying to ensure that it had cleared up and wasn't going to cause

long-term complications, it appeared it wasn't. I worked with him to

make sure that his arms and legs wouldn't be stiff and watched for

seizures (thank goodness there were none).

By one year he appeared to be a normal, yet extraordinarily active

child. He would coo and babble, but words did not develop by the age of

2-1/2. We went to the doctor and she thought he had autism but sent us

for a round of tests to make sure he could hear, didn't have

complications from his subdural hematoma, and wasn't just ADD.

Well, the work we had set up was interrupted by a brief interlude

where Buster's mother decided she wanted her son and just took him, mind

you, without any knowledge of any of his problems that we were working

on. Nine months later, he's back here with us, but we've lost all this

time in getting him treatment.

At first, when I was told autism, I was having no part of *that*

diagnosis. No, it wasn't that, it couldn't be. But since he's been back

in our house, I see the classic autism signs. He fixates on repetitive

behaviours and the other day when I worked with him on talking he was

trying so absolutely hard to do it, but with his eyes rolled up to the

sky and a determined look, he just couldn't get his mouth around the

words. Finally he began spinning.

We have an appointment with a pdoc in 2 weeks. Finally things will at

least get started.

As to the post I read about having the schools deal with special

services for these children, I was disappointed in that. I don't like

the school system and what in the world makes them qualified to deal

with a medical problem? I have an appointment with them in 4 weeks...

they may not like me... so what.

I wonder about putting kids in a school situation. I don't like it at

all. Does anyone here homeschool? Does it work? Do you get any support

from the state?

Thanks for listening

debbi

December 28, 2002

I really don't know how I do all that I do. I just know that I have to do it.

If I don't, no one else will. At least that is how I see it. I pretty much

read everything that I can get my hands on. Somewhere along the way I found a

book written on ABA and how it is done. I am trying to think what else I can

tell you. I don't really think about it all and how I do it, I just do. Maybe

one day I should think about everything that I have done and put it in writting

for everyone else :0)

Georga Hackworth

UBAH Educational Consultant

Enter to win $50 worth of free books at www.ubah.com/F1549

Start your own Usborne Home Business in December for only $59.95! Ask me how!