Stephanie

Exactly the same here, I didn't give my son the booster. The injection went fine, very professional place in Sunbury, what I couldn't believe is how busy it is, so many people in there getting single jabs. They most be making money hand over fist. Anyway it's done, I haven't seen any reactions as yet, but they can take 3 weeks to come out.

Just going back to this, my sons sensitivity seems to have lessened since he has lost two of his milk teeth. I wonder if they were just sensitive all over because of the changes. For the record, my Dentist said a big NOWAY to Sensodyne, apparently it should not under any circumstances be used on milk teeth. Just flouride mouthwashes, but not toothpastes. I am waiting for a referral to the special needs dentist for a second opinion. The best thing that has come of it, is that my son is now not eating sweets and is following a healthier diet.

�3 on cake sounds like a good idea ... and a good way to make friends! Talking of being kind, I bought some cute coins off that internet auction site ... little coins that say "you have been kind, thank you so much, you made me smile etc" from a lady who has a son with ASD. They are great for passing on when someone does a kind dead to my son and win brownie points. Nice to pass on to teachers, helpers, strangers. One for Carol me thinks ...!

Sweet how lovely! My son had his first school trip yesterday - to a local bookshop in town. I was thinking of parking outside wearing a disguise just to see how he was doing - I was worried about it all day. No need though. He came home from school with a spring in his step, clutching two new books and telling me all about who he sat next to on the minibus. We are all hoping your child can get into that school too!

My son is fine with a busy room but then he loves picking out tiny details and he has never had a problem sleeping so he doesn't need his bedroom tranquil or calm. His room is currently a space theme and I did a mural on the wall ... but I made sure I had his buy in first. I let him pick out what I was going to paint (rocket, planet etc) and he came with me and chose the wallpaper for the rest of the room. I was worried that the change would be a bit much for him as he had previously had the same design for 4 years. I was wrong, he absolutely loves it (I kept a few things back as secrets so when I did the "big reveal" he had a few surprises. I think you just have to go with what your child likes, colours, themes etc. If he has difficulty visually processing information, maybe you could tone it down a bit - or do the same design with softer tones.

Come back Auriel, all is forgiven. Ten by Pearl Jam (again!) Well it is my fave CD in the whole world. This time cranked out on my new CD multistack in my new car where it will remain as CD No.1 forever!

Muck

Yeah I have had this too. I know that one of the boys in A's class had a party over the holidays - A never got an invite and it seems like most of the other kids went. It could be that we just never got the invite ... that they forgot about us etc ... in which case his mum probably thinks I am ignorant for not telling her we weren't going. .... of course they are the excuses I am making up for his lack of invitation..... I take it quite personally, my son isn't any type of trouble to them .. they just hear the label and fear the worst that Autism means he is going to be punching all the other kids and causing mayhem - idiots. He is only five and loves parties, and I like him going to socialise. I am now ignoring this woman ... and going with my usual saying about the people who mind don't matter. She is one of the PTA and I can't wait until she asks me another favour. She has boys herself, one is a total little S and behaves much worse than mine and he is NT. Maybe we over react because we think/know our kids are singled out??? We just want everyone else to love and understand them the way we do at the end of the day.

Also Neil, I don't like your avatar eye staring at me, it's horrible and I am NT!! Lol

Neil How does your day from hell look in hindsight? Do you find that things always turn out to be as bad as you feared them?? Do you look back and worry about what happened or is it just relief that it is all over? Do you have any "anti panic strategies"?? I'm just interested. Sorry for the rapid fire questions. Your posts are funny, I think we can all imagine what you are like because you are so descriptive. As for the woman staring, she was just trying to look keen and interested, don't forget it was her being interviewed, in all reality she was probably scared and nervous too and didn't take in a word you said ... or maybe your flies were undone?? How about we all turn up with our lovely autistic kids round yours at Christmas instead?

Baddad are you sure you aren't just taking the helm from Auriel with your made up stuff? Of course you will be forgiven because you helped me out with the Polyphonic Spree question - saved me from much mental torture. Oh god, I've just been listening to Don Henley .. it was an accident and I don't want to admit to it.

OMG YES!!! Thanks. Wow, that has been really bothering me, I will text my husband straight the way - he's at a Buckcherry gig and I feel guilty for interrupting him, but he needs to know because he has also spent a hard days work on Google and came up with nothing. Cheers!! I know you aren't ASD (?) but I said to my husband earlier ... I can't find the name of this band I am going to have to call in TRIPLE A ... he said what's that and I said "ASK AN ASPIE ... if they can't tell me nobody can"!

Who was that band that looked like a religious cult, they were all on TOTP wearing white and arrived in some kind of Jesus Army bus?? There are a lot of members, sound a bit like the Flaming Lips etc. God it's really annoying me, I just can't remember and I have been on Google for 30 minutes and have got nowhere. This is all sparked from a conversation we had over dinner last night and it's really bugging me. Put me out of my misery and stop me wasting anymore time searching on Google please. It's on the tip of my tongue .... and I'm so annoyed at myself.

Relieved.

Yeah he collects Queen vinyl, has a massive collection so probably has many copies of that poster in the loft ... and I dread to think what else! I do think it's true though .... "fat bottomed girls we make the rockin' world go round!!" Hell yeah!

OK my son is 5 and in a lovely school. He has a statement of 10 hours a week ... broken down into 2 hours every afternoon. The "helper" they have decided for him is one of the DINNER LADIES!!! They thought it would be a good idea for her because she could watch over him at lunchtime (good idea) and then she would do 2 hours of one to one with him in the afternoon. I have given her books on ASD's etc and have spoken with her about him, and she will write things in his home/school book like "he talked nonsense today" and I write "yes, well he would .... he's autistic" type thing. I did mention the fact that I wasn't happy with him just having a dinner lady but the school did the old shrug of the shoulders (it was decided before they told me), and said they couldn't afford anyone else blah blah. I mean, this lady is ok, a bit of a wet lettuce but ok and she is taking an interest in ASD's by reading the books and learning about it. My son can take her or leave her, he knows that she is his helper. Am I just being a bit snobby expecting him to have someone to help him who is used to working with SEN kids? Is it normal for schools to promote dinner ladies in this capacity. She is not the most social or outgoing character herself so I wonder if she will be able to promote this to my son. I just want the best for him, but I don't feel he is getting the best ...?

My son has just started this - his head is too focused on thinking (and talking out loud) that he forgets things or doesn't listen because he is talking over what I am saying. I have put him back on the Omega 3 to help him concentrate, as we had given him a 4 month break from them. He copes ok with a verbal timetable so I do that "pants, then socks, then clothes, then come downstairs, then breakfast" etc. He is quite good at then making that into a visual list that he can process. I liked the idea about asking 3 times then deducting money. I ask twice and then start the counting 1-2-3 and that always gets his attention focused back on me, albeit temporarily.

Ah, Mossgrove .... I can remember the poster from Jazz being on my brother's bedroom ceiling. I think my husband has a copy of it in the loft somewhere. Prince: Sign O' The Times

Wow, you have so much going on. I have PM'd you.

.. and I was so looking forward to you saying:- "oh Watford is fantastic, there is a school there specifically for HFA/Aspergers kids that is really easy to get into, with a full on Ed Psy, SALT and OT team who give one to one care to your child on a daily basis. All of the children are angelic and we have never had any experience of bullying. Also there are many resources and play schemes for children, and meetings for parents, with free flowing champagne ... Oh well! LOL. I will continue to Google!

I hope so Flora, thanks for your reply. On the plus side of all this talking he is doing, his imagination has come on in leaps and bounds - he is writing stories, seeing shapes in clouds, making up scenarios, surnames, ages etc for all of his toys. Some of it is copied from things he has seen on TV or read in books, but not all of it. I just imagine him at school babbling on about all his toys "it's Eddie's birthday today, he's 73!" etc and the school thinking "who? what?" shut up Asa!" Of course, he would struggle to tell them that Eddie is actually one of his stuffed elephants. He is so preoccupied with the lives of his soft toys at the moment (I know it will be another short lived phase because that's how he works). I think the constant talking has made his vocabulary increase but it is really doing my ears in! The only time he doesn't do it is when he is on his PC. I told his SALT about the problems we are having, she was as unhelpful as usual just giving me the "oh yes, that's the way AS kids are" thing. She isn't interested in what problems we have at home with him, she only cares about the things she witnesses herself when she visits the school and how his problems will affect the curriculum. But then she thinks she knows it all ... just from her four 20 minute visits per year. Mental!

If we were to move house - maybe to Watford area (husbands job), who would be our first point of contact with regard to schools, Ed Psy, etc etc. Would I have to contact the schools myself (if so how do I find out about them) or is it all done through our LEA? I have done a quick Google but can't find anything appropriate. Obviously I would need to know what resources would be available for us and what support we would get before even thinking of moving. Can anyone point me in the right direction of where to even start. Also, if anyone lives near or around Watford, I would appreciate some advice. Thanks,

My son is five, he has recently started to babble constantly - not to anyone specifically. Usually he is talking about his toys (all very imaginative stuff) but constantly talking ... like he is thinking out loud. I tell him not to say it, and just to think it, but he is going on and on and driving me bonkers! He has had a really bad couple of days (sometimes has good days, sometimes has bad ones), this morning it was like he was living on a parallel universe ... went into the wrong door at school, total lack of concentration, crying and reacting to the smallest insignificant thing when normally he copes fine. This morning I heard a big scream from upstairs and he was shouting "Mummy, somebody HELP ME, please help me" ... thinking he was half dead or something I ran upstairs, only to find out that he had lost one of his toys and couldn't find it - then he cried and told me that he was already having a bad day because of it. Yesterday I was sorting out the top of the wardrobe and fell off a stool really badly, I shouted to him to come up and help me as I had really hurt myself and he said "I'm watching TV" .... this has really made me think ... what if I had of really hurt myself, or if my other child was hurt, what would he/could he do and how would he react. He wouldn't be able to call 999 or anything. He can't even get out of the house to tell anyone and probably wouldn't think of doing so. Anyway I am ranting on because he has had two bad days (maybe the change of class at school - he seems to like it??) and it has really affected me after a 6 week break from school, where he has been with me and has not been judged by anyone else. When I took him into school this morning, he was standing there ranting on in the playground as normal making him stand out. Is there anyway you can minimise this thinking out loud stuff, can stop him babbling on, will he grow out of it etc? I don't want him to grow into the man on the back of the bus talking to himself who people avoid ... I know I am a bit previous with that, but you know what I mean? .. Now I am babbling (sorry!)

He certainly had a full and adventure packed life, it's such a shame that it all ended so prematurely.

Yeah I saw this too. My husband was early 30's when we had our ASD son, he is now 36. I told him if the deadline is 40, and he wants another child, he had better crack on ... as it will take me at least 10 years to come around to the idea of having another one!!! (and that's only because I will be 45 then and the chances of conceiving are slim to negligible!) Don't believe the hype! (Public Enemy)