minerva

Thanks for your response. My problem isn't with lack of experience as luckily I have continued to work in voluntary roles throughout my life, including in the legal sector. I have been told I will need to highlight the reason why I havent been in full time paid employment sinse 1993 though! So somehow I need to make caring for a child with Aspergers into a CV style job description and I have no idea where to start with that. The CV is complete apart from that bit :-(

Hiya, I used to be on here quite a lot but I haven't been around for some time so you will probably not remember me! My son has Asperger Syndrome and we've had a pretty rough ride, education, health, social services, family and anyone else who could let us down....did! In a huge way! He even missed 4.5 years of school altogether. ANYWAY!! He is now 19 years old, and due to start university in September....yes! He IS awesome.....yes! So am I! :-) (Keep fighting people, you WILL get there in the end, even if you're exhausted by then!) So for the last couple of years I have been studying Law! I am intending to work in Educational Law, so I can help families like ours in the future. I am currently looking for work experience. I received an email back from the solicitors that assisted us with our problems. I would really love to be based there!! The problem I have is trying to word my "experience" from the last 20 years so that it sounds positive rather than negative and relevant to Law. Somehow, since it's mine, I don't seem to be able to!! Can anyone help please?

Isn't that the one where you have to shout "BOGIES" real loud if you win? Kathryn I think we'd stick to the original rules. My kids luckily have a vocabulary sufficient for the old game!!! I think if anyone would need to buy that version for their kids then they are probably the sort of person that wouldnt buy it anyway!

He's staying at the Vets overnight because when I went to pick him up he got too excited in his "drunken" state and his blood pressure rose so the wound started pumping blood everywhere and I freaked Blood pumping out of most places I can handle but eyes is something else! He looks terrible (and so do I)! But they think it was all contained in his eye so fingers crossed that will be the end of it once he (and I) recovers! It's so quiet in my house.....I dont like it!!

I dont wanna go

Its like officially spring......and a quiet relaxing day!! With hyper sugar fed children lol

Thanks for all your kind words. It is a very hard time indeed! Its a nightmare trying to consider the kids feelings when you are distraught yourself! I found something out this week, if you take a flash photograph you can diagnose some eye problems such as Cancer's. This works in people as well as animals so is worth knowing! I took a photo of Zeus so that you can see for yourself As you can see the left eye has a large part that doesnt reflect the light as it should. Both eyes are very dark brown when looking at him without the light so you cant see anything at all when looking at him, yet its blatently obvious something is wrong from the picture. Edit, not sure why the pic isnt showing up! Go to this link http://i39.tinypic.com/vpgf91.jpg

Lorry, He isnt insured as we use the PDSA. They are very good and I trust them 1000%. They never ever do anything unless they really have to. They spent 6 hours repairing his leg when he shattered his femur after running out in front of a car in 2006. He spent so long in there and had to go back so many times afterwards for Xrays etc that they all know him. I swear if there is any more when they put him under they will be the first ones to cry! Thanks Tally, I was wanting a nice picture taken of him anyway, we were all supposed to be going to a photo shoot next month I will have to try and find someone that will come & take some really nice ones of him before Tuesday. Its not gonna be easy though with it being Easter and all! He has the worst timing!! And I know he will probably be fine, they are remarkably resilient! It will be me I think, Every time someone said "Isnt he beautiful" yesterday I just started crying! Cant help thinking well he wont be next week What a horrible thing to feel! I should be glad I saw anything at all!

I'm basically in shock!!! I was sat here minding my own business yesterday, chatting rubbish on facebook....when my beautiful Dobermann came over to have a cuddle. He put his head on my lap as usual. I noticed that his eye looked a little "misty" so googled it (trusty old google!) I got several links come up saying although it is probably nothing that with eyes you just need to call the vets straight away anyway. So I did. They gave me an appointment for the same day. So I went to the vets and sat in the waiting room chatting rubbish with the rest of the people waiting, feeling sorry for them all with all their ailments. We get called in, I tell the vet, he takes a look.....i'm expecting to be told he has conjunctivitus or something....the vet says "Oh no thats not good" They NEVER say bad stuff! Even when its bad!! They always sound positive! So obviously bad is bad.....how bad..... He shows me inside his eye.... He has a growth inside his actual eye, not on the eyelid or tear ducts, but the actual eye itself inside. Half of his eye is taken over by this growth. The vet starts telling me about benign stuff and malignant and etc etc, basically telling me that usually they would do a biopsy but as its inside the eye they would risk him going blind anyway, but as its growing so fast a biopsy isnt even necessary, its very worrying how fast its grown and they need to remove his eye!!! He had his jab's at the end of January and was checked over at the time & nothing was there, now he has a tumor the size of a 10p peice!! I cant beleive it! I walked in with a "healthy" dog and out with one that may be dying! WTH!!! Sorry if that didnt make any sense

Bensmum, I cant collect him myself as the activity doesnt finish until 9 and he's almost an hour away. I have another child aged 8 and it is only me with them at home so I couldnt leave him in bed to collect Cameron. Suze if he had already shared a taxi it wouldnt be as stressful, he would have known all along what was going to happen and had a chance to adjust to it. In his previous school there was a minibus that collected about 7 of them (with an escort though) It does state in his statement that he cannot cope with change and needs as much notice and explanation as possible if anything is to change. After 4 years of attending the same school in a taxi alone they decide during his GCSE's to just put another boy in the taxi and take away his extra curricular activities (which are his motivation to even go to class!) Sally, my son is unfortunately on his final warning with the police because when he gets stressed out he is VERY violent. In December he almost killed me. If he was sharing a taxi with your son would you still think it best for me to have just let him go in the taxi stressed out? It isnt just my child i'm concerned about here. I have no way of contacting the other parent. The school wont give out those details and he is new in the school so i've not met her. I understand the legalities of it all and wish I hadnt had to keep him home. But no court would have fined me for keeping 2 boys safe. He is back at school now since I took him myself for a week and then managed to convince him that I will continue to fight them but he needs to stay strong. But he knows that all he has to do is kick off in the taxi and they will have to give him his own! I am trying really hard to show him that violence isnt the way to deal with situations and the LEA are basically teaching him it is! In the mean time he is so stressed out by the time he gets there that he is no longer attending classes! The LEA are responsible for his education and their actions are failing him. Our Social Worker has written expressing her concerns, his Psychiatrist has also written, I have written to our MP and forwarded the complaint to the Local Gov't Ombudsman but we are yet to get an answer.

Thanks :-)

Thinking of you hun..... xXx

to help me out writing a letter? My son has been attending the same school for 3 years now. When we moved to another LEA area the new LEA decided he could share a taxi although he had originally had his own taxi. This caused a great deal of anxiety & problems especially since he was already struggling at school at the time and him and the other boy didnt get along. At an annual meeting (2008) transport was brought up and it was decided that he would have his own taxi but the LEA representative stated that it would have to be reviewed at a later date. We havent heard anything since and he has had his own taxi. He was also staying late every Monday and Wednesday evening for extra curricular activities. After half term he went back to school and was sharing with another pupil. No notice was given regarding this he just got in the taxi and someone else was there. Initially my son wasnt too bothered about it although I knew it wouldnt last long. Since he has been sharing he has had to stop his extra curricular activities, he gets shouted at if he isnt in the taxi straight away because someone else is waiting and if any changes need to be made they cant! Today things have come to ahead, apparently the school were trying to get the LEA to agree to allow him to stay as he would have done preiously but all the LEA said is that "if the other boy wants to stay we can change the taxi, otherwise no." After this my son actually had the other boy up by his throat. Apparently it was a "play fight" but I know it wouldnt have happened if the transport wasnt causing him agitation and I am really concerned about it escalating. Which I know it will!! I spoke to the transport services today and said that as far as I am concered my son was always supposed to have his own taxi until such time as it was agreed otherwise and that he will not be returning to school until things have been sorted out. They have told me to put my concerns in writing. Now I know what I want to say but when emotionally involved in something I find it very hard to get down on paper so to speak and am wondering if anyone would be able to take some time to help me out?

I had a long hard battle getting my son any education, it was a few years back though so not sure if the provision has improved at all. We live in Bristol but on the outskirts in between Bath & Bristol. If you can get him into one of the Priory schools in Frome it is worth the battle. Although still nowhere near perfecton! Is it Farleigh or North Hill House? My son attends Farleigh as a day pupil

My son is also on Respiradone but a lower does, 0.5mg twice a day. This has helped us no end! He isnt any different in himself......but he longer has "meltdowns", since being on it he has much more normal and easier to control moods. Good luck & thinking of you :-)

Shame none of you could make it. I have tried to edit out my phone number but for some reason the "edit" option is missing lol If I hear of anything else going on I will try and give more notice

Sorry to hear this Tally. We had to have a kitten put to sleep October 2008 (31st!! Creepy eh!?) aged 7 1/2 months He got sick after his very first injection and no matter what medications they gave him he just deteriorated until he couldnt walk without his legs giving way either. Its a horrible decision to make and you are very brave taking it! Too many people cant bear to live without their animal to the point that their decision becomes "selfish" (for want of a better word!) I'll see if I can dig out a pic of my lil fighter.....could you post one of Mr Cat? Would be good to see him <'> Thinking of you

If there is anyone in the Bristol/Weston Super Mare areas that would and could go to a "Supporting the Siblings of your child with an ASD" help2 seminar run by the NAS TODAY could you please call me. The person that was supposed to be attendind with me is no longer coming and I wanted to give someone else the chance to use the space. The seminar is held in the: For All Healthy Living Centre in Weston Super Mare and is 10.30 (registration at 10.15.) till 2.30pm I will be driving from Fishponds so can pick up someone that lives along the direct route from there if necessary. I apologise to moderators for posting this in the wrong forums but I wanted it to get as much traffic as possible in a short space of time. Please could you wait to delete my number until it gets past 9.30am? I am aware of the dangers and take responsibility. I hope someone can make it

I found this on another forum so figured I would share it with you guys. http://portablenorthpole.tv You create a video personalised to your child (or an adult!) It asks for the childs name and as you start typing it the options will come up so if your child has an unusual name then it wont say it on the video. I just put in a different spelling (but he still picked up on it!) It asks for a few other details which it adds into the video message to make them beleive its about them i.e hair colour etc

Had a Child Protection meeting today, Social Services were told NOT to come back until they had something that met the criteria (and basically to stop wasting everybodys time!!) And that a Mum that gets upset with her son for hurting her does NOT constitute Emotional Abuse in any way shape or form Watched the SS walk out of the building with their tails between their legs and went for a lovely dinner with my very brave boy who told SS "Most people would actually envy the relationship me and my Mum have when we arent fighting" "I'm not jealous of my brother's relationship with my Mum, i'm jealous of my brother! Because everything is just so easy for him! He does really well at school, he makes friends really easily and hes just good at everything!!" and the best one!!!! "Thats a lie! You totally made that one up!" He was so brave bless him!!! He didnt want to speak at all and was hidden in the corner with his back to everyone until they started saying nasty things about me....then he decided to join in! THATS MY BOY!!!!

On one of our assesments the SW had some random "made up" father listed as my sons, and also had the incorrect details for my youngest son. They had my son listed as white when he is mixed heritage, they had an awful lot of information that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. When I asked about it they said they got our file mixed up with someone from a different area with the same surname and apologised. But by that time I had the name, address, telephone number of some man I had never met, the name & DOB of his son and knew they had involvement with SS. Also to add insult to injury on the most recent report there is a sentence now that reads "XXXX is known to have have differing opinions to all professionals from Health, Education and SS" So i'm not allowed to complain when you get a random bloke on my file without being difficult eh?? Nice

I think your first stop should be the Doctor, if you have a specialist working with you then that one, if not then your GP. You will need to explain the circumstances to them and that them pressurising you is causing you stress/anxiety. Hopefully your Doctor will be able to send a letter confirming that this type of work is inappropriate for you. If you have an actual diagnosis of ASD you should also be claiming DLA which will definately help with the shortage of money. Its not the same as signing you off of work altogether as I'm sure there are lots of jobs that will suit you but you will need to be comfortable. I would also suggest you take someone along with you to any furture meetings (are they work focused interviews?) and let them know your concerns before you go in so they can quickly pick up on anything that you are too panicked/stressed to notice and stop you being "bullied" into something unappropriate.

LOL Pearl!! I'm still buzzing over it Searching the net for any sign of him on other peoples camera etc lol

We just got back from the centre of town where Cameron and my Neice were in the main city Memorial Parade with Air Cadets! They both did so well!! Lots of the cadets there "fell out" before the end as they had to stand really still for almost 3 hours in total but both Cameron and my neice stuck the whole thing out in freezing cold weather! It doesnt feel like often I get to say good things at the moment so I wanted to tell the whole world how proud of him I am

I was wondering what things if any your NT children have said about your ASD child? Just a second ago my 8 year old called Cameron "an angry brute" apparently its something off of Halo & he thought it described him really well at times I googled it and theres a picture here He said "well he does get really angry though doesnt he Mum!!" I was wondering if any of your children have said funny/bizarre/interesting things in relation to making sense of things?