Introductions anyone?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Introductions anyone?
13
Fri, 05-06-2005 - 7:04pm

How's about a little intro poll/ thread. It just dawned on me that since we are temporarily sans a cl and have all these new members it might be nice to do a intro thread. A little get to know you since there are loads of newbies and oldbies to get to know.

Maybe a little about you. A bit about the kidlets (the ones that bring you here and the ones also learning to live with and love autistics). Maybe where you are from, that sort of thing.

What'd ya think?

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2005
Fri, 05-06-2005 - 7:27pm

Sounds good to me, Renee!

I'm Maribeth. Robbie (AS) will be 5 next month, and Claire just turned 2. DH is a sports writer which is making for some very long hours these days (covering the new baseball team in DC). We live in Maryland, but I grew up in Buffalo and my whole family is still there.

I'd list hobbies, but can't remember the last time I actually had time for any of them, although I did enjoy making Mother's Day gifts for Mom and MIL. The kidlets are very much into VeggieTales, singing, and MagnaDoodles.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone a bit better!

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Registered: 09-17-2003
Fri, 05-06-2005 - 10:04pm

Hi I'm Beverly & I just lurk around looking for inspiration. I have 5 kids Mike 19 NT, Tasha 15 NT, Rodney 14 Bi-polar, ODD, GAD, mood disorder-NOS & adjustment disorder, Kadan 9 Microcephaly, PDD, ADHD, ODD & childhood psychosis and Quentan 1 and absolutely adorable.

Kadan's diagnoses are a result of the microcephaly and that makes all of them atypical - but it takes me too long to type that in front of all of them.

I am a SAHM - sometimes WAHM. My DH & I run a printing and promotional company. I'm up on Toronto Canada, where spring has yet to make an appearance. My hobbies include harrassing doctors and fighting with goverment officials for adequate funding, someday I hope to find time for a real hobby. My number one social activity is meetings - IEP meetings, placement meetings, case coordination meetings and my all time favorite - social worker meetings. I just wanted to say that you have a great group here and I always leave with some insightful bit of wisdom.

Beverly

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 05-06-2005 - 11:15pm

Gee, maybe I should respond to my own idea, lol.

I am Renee, married to DH - John for nearly 14 years. We both worked in the autism field beginning prior to kids when we both worked in a residential school mainly for kids with autism. We worked there until Cait was nearly 3. Then we both switched to what is now called a non-public agency and mostly taught young kids with autism in home programs. Mainly early intervention but had kids up to about age 8. Mostly I worked part time and helped my kids parttime. About 5 years ago, DH got a job here in CA as an autism specialist and in the move I was able to take on my current job. SAHM.

We have 4 kids. 3 of whom have ASD dx'es. Cait is 11 and AS (originally PDD-NOS due to language delay but re-dx'ed when langauge caught up). She is currently mainstreamed with a 1/2 time aide in 5th grade. She will be going to a special asperger's program classroom with a fulltime program aide next year. It is a cool program which includes mostly mainstreaming despite it being a special day class.

Mike is 9 and AS. He is in 3rd grade in a special day class with a 1:1 aide. Mike is a very smart guy, but very easily stressed. he has a hard time with any changes, noise and people which is why he is in the special day class. Hard to place him since his academics are pretty much stellar (with the exception of comprehension).

Emily is 7 and doesn't have an ASD bone inher body. She does however have mild learning differences in the area of vision processing. She is in 1st grade and trying like the dickens. A great kid who is making progress and we are going to get a handle on it soon.

Dave is 5 and ADHD/PDD-NOS. He is borderline though or as the psych says "he is one of those kids up in that part of the spectrum somewhere but we don't know exactly where yet" There is something going on but no one can put thier finger on it totally. The psychologist believes PDD-NOS is the closest diagnosis she can give at this time, but it may change to mood disorder or something like that at some point. He is in preschool on an IEP and having his transition meeting for Kindie soon.

Hobbies besides IEPs, doctors and such? I like to garden. It is my therapy. I also like to do home improvements and have been known to tile our bathroom myself. I love to cook and grow my own herb garden. Oh and I LOVE!!!!! a nice glass of red wine.

We have 2 doggies, a kitty, a fish and what ever critters Cait has caught and put in the bug house this week.

Renee

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 05-06-2005 - 11:18pm

Hi maribeth!

Oh I love DC. DH and I took the kids on a cross country journey a couple years back. One of our favorite parts of our trip was the Smithsonian. That is except for the horrible heat. Oh yeah and 3yo Dave announcing to the WHOLE crowd at the end of the day "I not an A$$!" while I was holding him. You can just imagine how he was that day!

Renee

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 05-06-2005 - 11:20pm

Beverly!

Nice to see you here! I haven't seen you post around in a while. Then again I don't get to many of the boards since the change over. Thanks for posting. It is nice to see you.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-17-2003
Sat, 05-07-2005 - 10:06am

I love to garden as well - I just have to figure out how to keep the little one out of it this year. He thinks the dirt tastes good and I'm afraid of what he is going to do with my flowers. I'm with you on the red wine thing as well, although some days a whole bottle sounds like a better plan than just one glass.

Just a quick question here - a pretty big one, but oh well. I haven't figured out how to teach Kadan anything. Since his regression, nothing we are doing is getting through to him. I'm at a loss, I feel so bad because it doesn't seem like I can engage him in anything lately. He doesn't even like to watch tv anymore, he's just a cute little noisy couch potato. Any thoughts? You know those kids that they always used to show on tv - the ones rocking in the corner and completely oblivious - that's what we have right now and I just don't know how to get through to him.

Beverly

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 05-07-2005 - 10:27am

what have you tried so far? I am thinking like a mix of a floortime with ABA actually.

Get on his level with him and figure out what motivates him. First things first is a reinforcer assessment. Think about what he enjoys doing. YOu say he is in the corner rocking. Well, then I am thinking that stimming is what is reinforcing for him right now. If that is it then use it. Is there any thing that you can get that may be more interesting than the rocking, even if it is some toddler cause and effect toy that lights up, makes sounds, that sort of thing. Maybe it will be some sort of interaction with you. Perhaps like a swing but more like one of those hammock swings. Then if you can get him to make some simple request, even to gesture at the object or interact in anyway for the reinforcer, then give him it be reinforcing and do it again and again until he interacts consistently. Then move on to more purposeful interactions, kwim?

I guess I am saying a mix between the 2 so that you strategically figure out what is going to motivate him, then you get on his level and interact where he is at and try to draw him out little by little. Speaking his language with him at first.

Beverly, despite his age it sounds like maybe he needs to start over from the beginning. Think of him as a toddler with autism who is first diagnosed and how they would go about teaching a child like that. That is where I would start. But with him, I think I would go about it in a gentle fashion, not full blown ABA because that will likely freak him out. THis is where floortime maybe good. Get into his world, get him to accept you there and then draw him into yours.

Did that make anysense? I can picture in my head what I would try but can't explain it.

Renee

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Registered: 09-17-2003
Sat, 05-07-2005 - 11:19am

Ok - that made perfect sense and as soon as I read it a lightbulb went off in my head. We have been trying 9 year old activities and activities that he used to like, but that isn't where he is at right now. We have tried ABA (not extremely intensive, because he could'nt handle it) and the one with the baskets & pictures (TEACHH or something like that). The only person he shows any interest in at the moment is his little brother and he just pets him like a dog. I'll just have to try involving him in interacting with Kadan and see how that works. Maybe I can get them both potty trained at the same time.

Logically, I know that we are starting over from the beginning, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking that something we try is just going to trigger something in his brain and it will all come back to him. I'm so afraid that we will make some progress and then lose it all again, I think that is more frustrating than getting nowhere in the first place.

Well, as you can probably tell from my rambling, I'm the problem here not Kadan, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around alot of what is going on. He is in an RTC while we fix his meds so I have until June to get myself straight.

Thanks for the tips and the brain shake.

Beverly

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Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 05-07-2005 - 11:30am

HI! I am Liza married to dh Carl for almost 12 yrs. Jake,AS/ADHD is almost 12(June19) and Katie NT as far as we can tell is 3.5 and a very independant and smart little girl.

Jake was dx a little over a yr ago after a very long fight with the school district. He is almost done with 6th grade in which he was in a special AS program. He has 3 sp ed class and one in mainstream and aids in every class. The goal is to get him mainstream by high school. He has an Autism teacher that he is allowed to go to through out the day for breaks and if he needs any help. The class also eats lunch in her room and decusses social skills and different topics. There are 11 students 10 boys and 1 girl.

I am currently working very pt time and going to school. DH wotks for Lowe's and works tons of hours. I am thankful he is will to work so hard for us. Besides work, school , and meetings-I spend most of my time with the kids.

LIza

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 05-07-2005 - 11:49am

beverly,

i just wanted to add on to renee's suggestion which i think is great. we are a floortime family, so from that point of view i tell you some of the things i use. your son probably does something--for example, bangs on the side of the stove, makes a certain sound, draws with crayons (i'm listing what my son does). copy whatever it is he does back to him. that is what i think is a great starting point with floortime. there is a saying about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. copy back to him whatever he's doing, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. he will see, hey--she understands me, i feel comfortable around her. personally, i use this tactic all the time. sometimes matt is stimming or rolling around and i can't get his attention. so i copy him, he usually starts smiling and laughing and we can build on that.

valerie
matt 2.10 Autism, austin 1.11 pdd-nos
rochester ny

~Valerie

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