johnsons50

It was a lovely article and it struck a few chords with us. Both parents come across very well and Mia is gorgeous. Our daughter is fortunate enough to attend an ABA unit attached to a mainstream, state primary school. I think many others would benefit from a similar education.

All the kids in M's class are autistic, which makes life a bit easier! The school is in the next town but about half the kids live near us and we have got friendly with their parents. We invite their whole families to our kids' parties and vice versa. We each tend to privately hire out an indoor play area and there are about 12 kids there, half ASD, half NT. We went to a boy's party last Saturday night and M and her class mates all stayed out playing whilst their NT siblings sat and ate jelly and ice cream in the food room. Everyone loved the disco and bubble machine, especially M who sat on my shoulders throughout. It was a superb night. When we get invited to other parties we often just take D, our youngest child (NT) and leave M with a sitter. We have got a christening coming up and we aren't taking M. I do get pangs of guilt about it but she will absolutely hate having to sit still for the church service and won't like being around all the chattering adults in the reception. She would probably like the buffet but that is all she is missing out on and will be spoiled rotten by her grandparents. I think we have made the right decision. Any comments?

My 6 year old daughter wears pull-ups at night and when out and about as we have real problems with toileting although we are trying our best at home and school. The major issue for us is that she will often take herself off somewhere to have a poo and by the time we get to her it is everywhere! It is definitely behavioral as it doesn't occur all the time and is often for a reaction. Her school advised her to give her a cold shower after she smears, not as punishment but she needs cleaning up and a nice warm bath or shower might be rewarding her behaviour. If she poos on the toilet or in her nappy and doesn't smear it then we give her some shampoo in her hands over the sink for her to play with. This satisfies her sensory need. We occasionally have problems with constipation and it can really affect her mood. She is non-verbal so we keep a diary at home and in school to record her bowel movements. If she hasn't been for a couple of days we know to expect her to become naggy.