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Anyone have an autistic child?

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ChadTower:

--- Quote from: Ninten-doh on December 04, 2007, 11:00:08 am ---Chad, we do read to him a lot.  We're worried that it's too much.  We're fearful that it was all that reading that has now caused the echolalia where he repeats them. 
--- End quote ---

Nah.  I don't think there is a "too much" here.  1-1 time and communication is always positive.  Just make sure you're not the only one communicating.  Getting info back from him is very important here.  Keep him exercising that skill as much as you can, even if you have to stop every page to pull feedback from him.  Can't stress enough how much better it is to keep it two way communication rather than daddy reading and kid listening.

Sounds like you're on the right track.  It's also good that you have another kid as social skills and peer interaction are going to be a challenge for him.  That is one of the ironies of the autistic child - they really need a sibling to practice their social skills but many parents are so afraid of a second autistic child that they never have any more kids.



--- Quote ---He's not a big fan of getting his hands dirty, but has really started to enjoy this and playing with Play Doh.
--- End quote ---

That's common.  He doesn't like the sensory input he can't remove.



--- Quote ---For his play, we're working on doing things that require taking turns and sharing.  We have also tried to spur some imaginary play by getting him to treat his Elmo like we treat our 6 month old daughter ("give Elmo some milk". etc.) 
--- End quote ---

Role playing is good.  Some kids respond well to rote repetition of social situations.  You may end up having to do it again with the baby as he may not transfer that knowledge from Elmo to the baby.  It will help him learn how to interact with the baby faster since it is not new material, though.



--- Quote ---So far, he doesn't really have tantrums or meltdowns.  He'll cry when he's not happy ("okay, time to put the train tracks away"), but the crying is short-lived.
--- End quote ---

Reasonable at that age for any kid.  One thing I've noticed in dealing with many parents of autistic kids is that if anything happens they immediately assume it is the autism and don't understand it.  They miss the forest for the trees - don't miss the age appropriate actions for what they are - age appropriate.  It's not easy to draw that line, and sometimes you'll be wrong, but when a 5 year old kid runs and falls down it's NOT always a motor skills problem.  Sometimes he's just a 5 year old that tripped.



--- Quote ---In terms of senses, he doesn't appear (to my untrained eye) to be sensitive to lights or sounds and such.  He walks up to the Christmas tree and likes looking at the lights and ornaments. 

--- End quote ---

A consistent fascination with lights could be a light sensitivity.  It doesn't appear to be causing discomfort, which is the real issue, so that's good.  Some autistic kids will seek out and be drawn to light sources, especially colored flashing ones (pinball).  Of course, the tree is pretty and big and right in his face, too, so he could just think it's pretty and cool (which it is).



--- Quote ---We're just bummed that he doesn't show more emotion like a normal 2 1/2 year old.  We took him outside for the first snow of the year over the weekend, and he didn't crack a smile.  I know there was a lot for him to digest (what is all this white stuff?  Why am I stuffed into a snowsuit like some kind of sausage?  Why is it so friggin cold?), so maybe I was expecting too much.

--- End quote ---

That's a difficult thing.  I truly believe that they feel the emotion.  I just think they don't feel exactly what you would expect because they view the world differently.  They also don't express it.  Don't ever stop going to the effort to expose him to positive things like that - you may not get the feedback you are looking for but he is getting the benefit you wanted him to have.  Consider this - for the dozens of times that will happen, it will all be worth it the day you hit the right stimuli at the right moment and he opens up and lets you see.  I've seen large men break down and cry at that moment.  I've done it myself a couple of times when weeks of frustrating skills work leads to a sudden ability to consistently hit a baseball and the kid smiles and won't put the bat down.


EDIT:  BTW, sorry for the especially long wordy posts (even for me)... if it's too much, email me and we can talk there. 

Ninten-doh:

--- Quote from: saint on December 04, 2007, 11:12:52 am ---This is the best advice you could possibly listen to.
--- End quote ---

Agreed.  And we are fortunate to have my boss' wife as our advocate as well.  She is an administrator for a special needs program in NY (I'm in NJ) and she is helping us to, as she puts it, "cut through any BS they tell you."

Ninten-doh:

--- Quote from: ChadTower on December 04, 2007, 11:17:54 am ---EDIT:  BTW, sorry for the especially long wordy posts (even for me)... if it's too much, email me and we can talk there. 

--- End quote ---

This has been terrific for me, so no worries on the wordy posts.  Like you mentioned, I'm in an "analyze every movement" mode right now.  My wife has to stop me at times and say "He's not doing XYZ because he's autistic, he's doing it because he's a 2 1/2 year old boy."

XyloSesame:
My wife and I know two autistic boys; one severe and advanced, the other mild, yet advanced. One of the kids has a single dad as a parent; he is dedicated to massage therapy/touch therapy as a means to mitigate his son's autism and has gone into the field of professional massage therapy for this reason. He swears by it, but YMMV.

I agree with Chad and Saint; the best thing you can do is be an advocate and ask questions of every source you encounter, be it online, from a therapist or doctor, or from friends and family. Our single dad friend has been the best father and offspring-advocate I've ever met, is 100% committed to his son, and is always (at least outwardly) positive, even during the hard times. Don't let any of this get you down, particularly this early on...

CheffoJeffo:
I have two children with autism. I also also work (well, not really work, but I volunteer as a scout leader so that kids with autism could attend) with a half dozen kids with autism.

First -- take any advice you get with a grain of salt. There is an absolute TON of mis- and incomplete information out there. For the most part, what you hear in the media is either incorrect or incomplete. The advice you get from professionals may be incomplete as well.

EDIT2: I should say that, in addition to the mis/incomplete information out there, there are lots of 'solutions' that work for some kids and don't work for others. You need to keep an open mind but maintain perspective.

The only singularly true advice has been given by saint/chad (why did I want to type that combination as 'sad' ?) -- you are your child's best advocate (actually, Mom is a better advocate than Dad, but ...).

The problem with the 'best advocate' advice is that you're probably still in shock and have no idea what to advocate for (I've been doing this for nearly 5 years and I still don't know).

This is one of those health-related situations where you can feel good about living in the USA -- the ADA is a powerful piece of legislation and you have more opportunities than folks in other countries to get things done early (which is exceedingly helpful in dealing with autism). Also, cluing at 2 1/2 is valuable and highly actionable.

I have PMd you with my email addy and phone number so that we can talk some more about the issues and options -- it isn't a matter conducive to group discussion.

Hang in there ... there is lots that you can do at that age with dramatic effect ... I know people whose children were identified much later than your son and who, within a few years, would not receive a diagnosis.

Give me a call.

EDIT: for spelling

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