lisac

I think you can have it paid into your account, your son doesnt need one if he is unable to sign, my sons ema was paid into my account (4 years ago) so dont know if its changed

Hi Jeanne, yes you are very right, they cant make you send him anywhere you are not comfortable with, how frustrating that it is taking so long for them to get their act together,x

I suppose it will depend where the in- patient placement will be ? It would have to be in reasonably pleasant surroundings ( especially for a youngster) if it is going to be for a longish period of time. Many of these places people are trying to escape from , i know MIL was yesterday

Yay! that is great

Jeanne, it may be at the Michael Rutter Centre at Maudsley which apparently specialises in autism . My son had an assesment by them. Will pm you the name of the psychologist there so you know what to expect, she is extremely insensitive, unsupportive and has very fixed ideas about lads like ours. I often left meetings in tears and i am a very strong person. She was still there 3 years ago, lets hope shes left. When my son went over to the adult team , it was like a huge weight had been lifted and they are entirely different and respectful. I have the same worries and concerns as you and dont have any solutions at the moment. It really is not easy, x

Hi Jeanne ,Maudsley Hospital is down the road from me . Mother-in-law is in there at the moment . It is not the most nice/pleasant place in the world. Hope they sort something out for you soon, x

How dissapointing for you Jeanne . They just dont want to pay . I have found , in my experience , drugs are given out to control behaviour , with no supporting therapy or trying to get to the bottom of the problems . Drugs and respite is whats offered . Can you appeal ?

I think a usual opticians is ok to start with. They can tell a lot just by looking into the eyes . If they cant get a reading or think there may be problems they will refer him to the eye department in your local hospital. There they can put in eyedrops that show up everything, if he is shortsighted etc. The only thing is these eyedrops sting like buggery ( but not if you blink rapidly) stinging only lasts for few moments though, dont know if Glen would be alright with that? Just thought, your GP should be able to refer him to a eye specialist at the hospital if he thinks Glen would be hard to test?

Jeanne , in my opinion you are not too soft . You have tried everything you can think of . I would do exactly what you are doing, letting him just 'be' and taking off all the uneccessary pressure. Trying to make him as happy as he can be when he is clearly struggling is priority. Hope you hear soon about the mental health assesment, x

Good for you Jeanne , going to see the home first . Lets hope it turns out to be all it says it is , x

Hi Jeanne , im keeping everything crossed for you as well, you deserve the best , keep us posted, x

Bless him, we've had some dire birthdays in the past , its only another day

Jeanne , id feel the same, just expect it to be very hard at first . Can you hang about in Scotland for a day/night to put your mind at rest ? See him after he's spent a night there, then maybe visit after a week then two weeks and before you know it the 12 weeks will be gone. 12 weeks out of anyones life is nothing. If he didnt go, you'd always be thinking what if? Wouldnt it be great to hear he's making progress, x

Its a hard one Jeanne. Try and look at it as a break/change of scenery for Glen. It is only 12 weeks not 12 months. What would happen if he didnt go? It would be the same old thing , getting nowhere with school and the behaviour continuing. They seem very professional and the therapeutic approach sound great ,what an opportunity for him! He'll experience all different things, which might be just what he needs, x

It sounds very positive Jeanne

Jeanne, i buy my son pyjamas that sort of look like everyday clothes , loose tracksuit bottoms and long sleeved cotton t-shirt so its no big deal if hes not in the mood to comply , i even forget sometimes if he's got dressed or not, pick your battles and being relaxed about it might pay off, x

Hi Jeanne, i looked at the link and it appears that they seem to know what they're doing. The complete change might be just what Glen needs and may bring out positive/different things in him . May be look at it as a kind of break for him, better than school! Would he be coming home weekends?

Just a guess but id say he's either not having enough or it is making him worse .

Jeanne , can you go in and sit in on the class? Maybe it will give you some clues as to what (if anything) the school are doing wrong . I did this a few times and the list was endless . My son doesnt like to be touched and the staff were still grabbing/pulling him (even though it was gently) by the arm on occassions . Ive just noticed this happening at the college hes started ( why on earth do staff do this) I wouldnt like it ! It might be something minor he isnt comfortable with .

A very pretty dress .

What is TATC ? Sorry for my ignorance , ive googled it but it says transport for Canada .

I have always wondered about people with autism dreaming . I put this to the psych team , but they couldnt answer . I mean, everyone dreams at some point , dont they? How confusing for those more severley affected by autism, surely it would have a negative/confusing effect

I found that it took around a week of taking the increased dose to notice any difference . Maybe everyones different and some are more sensitive to that medication than others .

Glen's behaviour is almost identical to how my son's has been before. No warning, nothing. All of a sudden he'd hit his head on the wall or bite his arms then carry on as normal too. When he was at school , for a short time, they somehow got him to bite a pencil clean in half instead of attacking himself ! The psych team came with us one Saturday and caught the behaviour on video and apparently spent hours and hours discussing it and couldnt come up with why! and these were a very experienced adult team. My only guess was , a pain or discomfort somewhere triggered it off and as my son is overly sensitive , ( a bit of a drama queen) if he thought or felt he was going to have pain or discomfort again , he'd just attack himself. The right dose of Risperdal eventually stopped the severity of attacks and then the frequency . I remember once him starting to do it , then giving up half way through. Is the Risperdal making any difference yet or is it making him worse ?