MumTee

I read it a few weeks back. There were some bits in there that helped me to describe to people how I was feeling (she put it better than I could!) It made me laugh and cry too......

Oh Hev <'> <'> <'> <'> <'> <'> <'> I would recommend 'changed by a child' by Barbara Gill too - It's got very short and simple sections (mostly one page) so its perfect for putting in the loo (thats the only time I ever get 5 seconds and even then my little one is posting PECS cards under the door!) - I often just open it randomly like a 'thought for the day' and some of the words in there literally warm you up from the inside out. In the meantime, try and get some rest wherever you can and do whatever it takes to get through the day. One day very soon you will wake up in the morning and the 'head fog' will be gone, I promise x x

Tibet

Cool. Cheers guys! Wish me luck!

Good on you Hev - the walking is a great idea. I started making tiny changes at the beginning of this year, one a week that I stick to (mostly!) - I cant say I'm losing loads of weight, but I can say I feel a hundred times healthier!

Hi all, I've had the results back to suggest my little one would benefit from gf/cf diet. To help get me started, does anyone know where I can get a list to help me looking at what the ingredients of food actually are? For example, there are so many different types of starch - which ones are ok and which ones arent? I've bought a couple of books on the subject - they give recipes but not really advice about the ingredients..and my first look through my cupboards has just left me feeling baffled to be honest Thanks in advance

Great article, thanks for sharing!!

Phwew - thats a big thought from Confucious there Lucas - I'm having trouble fitting it all in my little brain!!

Dont know if any of you saw this today on itv, so here's a link Share the Care Campaign I cant help liking David Cameron - am I being suckered in??? The campaign looks good though because its all about giving people with disabled children rights to respite and rights to choose what that respite is..... Whaddya think guys?

Just been up and taken a good whiff of our Boots Epsom salts and there is no discernable smell at all - however you do have to stir it into the water well if your little one is sensitive as it is a bit gritty underfoot until it dissolves properly. I've only been doing very weak solutions as its virtually impossible to stop my little one drinking the water.....

Noticed one of these on Ebay if you're still looking....

Thanks everyone - I nominate Zemanski and Carole for plain english awards! - I've read books and books and not made sense of a bit of it, and yet you have helped enormously in just a few paragraphs! Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who posted on the 'where on the spectrum' post. My trouble is I dont deal very well with 'ifs, buts and maybes' but I guess I'm going to have to learn! My questions have arisen because so far with everything I've read I'd say my son does fit the profile for classic autism - except while he is non verbal and doesnt seek out social interaction, he does have some eye contact when relaxed, is quite happy to be with other kids as long as they dont get too near, loves cuddles etc (on his terms), can tolerate some difference in his routines - and sometimes it throws me when I go through a patch of him being settled and mellow. Is there anywhere that you can find out what consitutes all these different 'labels' like HFA, Able autistic, Kanners and what the differences are between them at different stages? I want to leave it all alone and just see what happens but its like an itch that keeps coming back!

Havnt seen you around lately Microsoft Admin - hope all is going well with you and I hope you are still writing your book.

Hi all, just a quickie question, or maybe two.... We have our initial dx of autism but when and how does anyone decide where on the spectrum he is? (he's nearly 3 at the moment and nonverbal so difficult to test) and also, is it ALWAYS the case with aspergers that the child talks at the normal developmental stage (I guess what I'm asking is, does my sons lack of speech mean he is automatically in the autism part of the spectrum)? thanks in advance for your viewpoints

Yes - I must say I've been using Sarahs first book 'Small Steps Forward' as a dip in and out book when I need inspiration - am thinking of getting the second one too as it has some info about schools which may be useful .....I didnt realise you saw me shovelling those bhajis into my bag......

What can I tell you - Katkin snoring in the corner......... HelenL devoured the entire buffet...... I was STARVING when I got home - great buffet, small plates....! Lovely to meet you both - I thought Ros was fab! Really challenged my brain she did

That made me laugh - I went through a stage of putting my hair in bunches (dont know why) but stopped cause hubby kept calling me 'spacehopper'! Dont know what I will wear either - but I do know I will have my huge squishy purple leather handbag with me - its an amazing Mary Poppins kind of bag but you have to be careful how you put it on the floor or people and furniture disappear! Hope to see some of you there!

Don't forget - "yeah - well normal kids do that too"

My boy was addicted to Ribena (which when I read the label said not for under 3's! Yikes) - he switched onto Rocks Organic blackcurrant with only a little fuss - its not cheap but you dont need to use very much. Get it from Tesco organic section and they also do orange and lemon. Got no cr*p in at all.

<'> <'> <'> Pingu <'> <'> <'> You are much more 'evolved' than that so-called 'professional'. I think it's unfortunate that sometimes peoples egos get so tied up in their knowledgeable work that they are not really listening to you, rather they are sitting thinking of their next clever answer. Anyone who has looked after young children knows that if you dont have a routine things can quite easily go pear-shaped, with our sensitive children we know a routine makes them feel the world is safe and predictable - and if you dont write things down in a list you'll never remember them when you have to because we're all busy remembering a million things every minute! (Obviously I'm ignoring Stepford Mums and their Stepford children - thats a whole other posting!) So - forgive that man for his lack of humility and kindness - and then carry on just as you are - because you know you're doing the best you can - and thats good enough! (And we love you just the way you are!) <'>

Actually you're right! My husband probably will hand over some flowers & chocs (with a hopeful expression on his face!)........

I've put my DLA in for reconsideration after a refusal. Citizens advice gave me a bit of help, as did my Portage team. I've gathered evidence comparing my ASD son to my NT daughter at the same age. Also kept sleep diary and various other things. I found some useful resources online too just using google. I think it was the disability alliance? If I can find it again I'll PM you. Also I called everyone who had any experience of my son and got letters of support from all of them to say it was definitely harder to look after him than another 2.5 year old. It's hard work, and not very nice having to focus on the negative, but dont give up - after I posted mine off I was drained, but since its taking them so long to look at it I've 'recharged' and am ready for the appeal that will no doubt have to come next!

I know I've seen some good resources but now I'm looking I cant find them. What I was hoping for was an idiots guide to choosing the right school and maybe some help with the kind of questions I should be asking? We are just entering into the statementing procedure as it is likely he will start school at 3 in September and I already know he will not be referred to the specialist autism school right near me but an LEA one further away. So, I guess what I'm asking is - with your experience guys, where should I start? Who are people I can talk to who will have the best interests of my boy in mind instead of budgets or is that just going to be me?!

<'> <'> <'> Oh Lynne, hope things pick up soon, take care of yourself too - even if its just to buy a decent magazine and a nice milky coffee/choccie bar for 5 minutes switch off time. In the meantime <'> <'> <'>