lisac

im my experience, schooling in this country, sometimes does more damage than good,

93?

what a worry for you. i guess there is'nt anything you can do but wait for it to improve. i know what you mean though, we are told these things, and then just expected to deal with it/live with it, some advice/pointers would be good! Have they given you any advice?

How bizarre, and frustrating for you! is she just short sighted? what do the experts say??

hi sylvm, has she been seen by the opthalmology dept in your local hospital? If you get a referal there, through your GP or optician, they will put in special eyedrops, which open up the eyes and will be able to see if anything is going on with your daughters sight. It is the only way to get a proper eye check. They picked up a serious eye condition my son had, this way, that the opticians and GP had failed to spot, good luck.

sorry, meant to say, make 'some' of us feel a failure. Im not generalising, even though it was tongue in cheek. I do think she may be right though, and its down to timing . Interesting to see what others think.

you know, jenny mc carthy could be right, regarding there being a small window of opportunity where children can be pulled out of autism. I can see this. If it is true it would be down to having all right experts, therapies, and everything in place at that time and a hell of a lot of money at that time to fund it. It is so easy for her to say. Talk about making the rest of us feel a failure though!

just to say, we went to the club night on friday, and my son and other autistic adults danced solidly for four hours, it really made us smile .

personally i would not go to the GP, as before you know it, you'll have social services at the door accusing you of abuse! It happened to us. Your son sounds hightly sensitive to touch as Jsmum said and a holding course sounds good , as people can instantly react to something with out thinking, and be clumsy

hi hsmum, my son does the same and will attack himself in the area he has been grabbed hold of. It is horrible when they do this, so i understand. I dont know what to suggest, apart from telling your husband not to grab hold of him and find another way to remove your son from the situation, or move his brother or the objects . My son once snatched a biscuit from another autistic child and put it in his mouth, his teacher's reaction was to pinch his cheek to take it back ( lightly, so she said) and he then went on to gouge out a huge lump from his face, and when people said who did that, he'd reply, 'my teacher', she felt awful for years!

heartnsoul in south london turn the albany theatre in to a proper nightclub just for adults with all sorts of disabilities four times a year. I never thought my autistic son would ever have the opportunity to do what NT adults his age do. I cannot stress how excellent this night is, the experience is fabulous and it is worth travelling to.

edith, my 21 yr old son is exactly the same, he laughs a lot when anything goes wrong. I once had a car crash with him in the car and he was beside himself in hysterics. He also gets very excited when someone else is told off, and also gets very interested in someone with one arm or one leg,this has to be down to no social understanding, and they are reacting to what is there in front of them.

you know, i sometimes think school causes more harm than good for our asd kids,

bjk, let these people know how you have had to rearrange your life to see them!! A friend of mine says, you HAVE to make professionals realise what it is like to be you, to live your life, ( she always gets them listening btw) wish i was like this, getting better though. Keep your chin up girl, and have a drink, x

hi bkj, you are not being over anxious , you just want what is best for your son. Realistically your frustrations with the school will increase, unless they change. Write everything down for the statement review, photocopy it and hand it round in the meeting, you are less likely to be ignored then and you have proof of when and when you documented your concerns and take someone with you if you can.

that is so wrong bjk, it is because they have taken the easy option, as services always do, it is not until someone complains, that things may change, go for it

how much are you paying them bid !

hi thanks for responding, yes, SS have given us a direct payments package as there are no other services that they know of locally ish, but, 7 days are very hard to fill. He has moderate to severe autism so has 2 DP workers take him out cafes, bus's, trams, etc. None of this is actually getting him anywhere though, there is no progression, as my son will just go along anywhere. Ideally he needs some on-going structured learning, but I cant find it anywhere. Local college classes are hit and miss, usually not autism specific, too large, little structure. I fear his future is him sitting in cafes and buses, which is not good.

Does any one know of any day services in or around London for adults with ASD? My 21 year old son has recently been kicked out of his National Autistic Society day service for pinching people. I have appealed against this and even got my MP involved but to no avail. I am looking for an alternative and if any one knows of any where, I would be grateful.

lucky you Bid

Who said anything about being fair?? After reading many posts on this site, the majority of us have experience of poor and inadequate education/services. If this is not your experience then you are lucky. There is nothing wrong with speaking as you find .

it is because special schools provide a second rate service, because they can , because they can get away with it, it has always been this way, and this is sad

Hi Jeanne, my adult son is the same. I have now found a beard and moustache trimmer (argos) around 25 pound. It is much smaller than a standard electric razor and not so buzzy, and it may not shave as 'close ' but he will tolerate it, and it does the job.

Im not sure mumble. Just because someone breathes I am not convinced it makes a life worth living.

Well, he is on 3.5ml a day at the moment. 2.5ml in the morning and 1.ml in the evening. We live in London and my son is seen by MHILD ( Mental Health in Learning Disability) Team, for adults which is based in Guys Hospital. He has been with them since he was 18. They are an excellent group of people, much better than the Childrens and Adolescents Team. They are non-judgemental and really listen to the parents. I can telephone them if my son is having a particularly bad day and they then say I can give him a bit more Risperdal. A Psychiatrist , comes out to us once a year to see how he is doing on it, then continues to prescribe Risperdal , which I can then pick up as a repeat prescription from our GP. My son has quite severe autism and the advantages when he takes Risperdal, are that he is much less anxious, and is able to access some college classes with a support worker. He is sometimes quiet, or a bit tired (but this is better than him being stressed) usually an hour and a half after he has his first dose of the day (2.5ml) but then it begins to wear off and after about six hours its like he has'nt had any at all, so another dose in the evening ensures that he sleeps. He has no bad side effects this time round, so the plus's out weigh the negatives when he is challenging and angry. He was on Risperdal from 13 till 16. Then I stopped it as he had been very happy and calm for a while. 16-18 nothing. 18-20 only 1.5ml Risperdal at night. 20-21, (which is now) he has 3.5ml Risperdal as he became very challenging, aggressive again. He has never had blood tests because he couldnt cope with having a needle in his arm, and the psychiatrist says it is not necessary as he appears well. My son cant tell me anything, so it is just from observation. Hope this has helped you a bit.