reuby2

Yeah , I'm the same as you Brook. He was up at 6 and so excited and grateful as well which was nice!! Only thing is everything takes so many batteries that we keep having to swap them between toys! Hope everyone has a great day. I on the other hand feel like i've got a hangover due to getting about 4 hours sleep !!!

I love the idea of a chat room but personally I need to feel "safe" with that.I don't want to use a chat room and get upset by "nasty " things because if that happened I doubt I would use this forum again. I really appreciate all the help and support I have found here and do feel safe using this forum.With clearly defined rules for using the chat room e.g nothing explicit ,racist etc, and having a moderator to "complain " to if something was getting out of hand, then a chat room would work well, I think.

You are definitly NOT a bad mother . I am feeling exactly the same way with my son (ASD) at the moment. Also Christmas is a really stressful time ......people fighting in the supermarket over the last turkey......the half price decorations etc.....then to top it all we have the constant whine of our kids, I know they can't help it but it does grate on the nerves after a while. It seems I can't make my son happy right now and constantly trying to explain and be patient is really taking it's toll. I try my best but last night i had to go to a friends house accompanied by a bottle of bacardi breezer and just let it all out. I found that I was really sad because I had lots of things as a mum that i wanted to do with my son (a panto etc) that we just can't do and it is getting to me a bit. I know that it is myself that I am feeling sorry for but it's there and i can't deny the way I feel. I do feel a bit better about things today, I think by accepting that i am feeling a bit of a prisoner and that there are things that are upsetting me, it has helped to put those feelings into perspective. I can tell you love your girl very much. A bad mother wouldn't even care about what happened. Take care <'> <'>

Thanks!!! <'>

Perhaps the chat room could just be open for certain hours when someone could moderate?

Gosh that's an ace one, Brook !! Perhaps I could tell my hubby that one!!!!!

We have relatives in America and every year we get sent a kind of month by month account accompanied by cute pictures for every month last year.There is usually a "funny" poem about them as well. I know i'm a bah humbug but I think "what do I want to know that for!!" I find it offensive that someone will shove down your throat their year as If you care!!! Oh well, merry christmas one and all!!!!!!

Hi all, My son has only just recovered from an ear infection, he had antibiotics for the first week and then the next day ,he was really angry in his sleep and said his ears hurt so we took him back to the docs who said he had a really nast infection and that his ear drum was bulging and could burst, that there would be some blood but that it would relieve the pressure and the tear would heal naturally, any way we kept him in the house using calpol, ibuprofen and the different antibiotics and managed to avoid it bursting. What I was a bit confused about was that even though he had this nasty infection he was jumping around the house yelling loudly when he was playing and apart from in his sleep that one time didn't complain. Is this something to do with his ASD that he doesn't seem to respond to the pain as perhaps i would??

today (in my dreams):- A team of top class cleaners will come in and dust , polish and generally make the house a nicer place. Then a chef will come in and make gourmet delights whilst i sit down and read my book, my son will be so impressed that he will try something different than chicken nuggets and unadorned white pasta.Bing crosby singing "white christmas" will be playing and I will be sipping sherry The dogs will be bathed by the doggy hairdressers and be wearing matching bows And i will be the glorious hostess with everything in hand!!!! Someone else will make the trifles, get the turkey, clean the house, keep son happy, bath the dogs, wrap the pressies, visit the relatives and generally take all the stress from me!!!!!.......wow heaven!!!!!

I agree with Jill, I think you are fantastic with 3 kids and pregnant, hope your hubby is helping out!!! Take care <'> <'>

Hi Jill My sons dx was confirmed in november, that he has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, he's 7. When I first found out I was so concerned for his future (will he get married, have a job etc). I thought I had adjusted (thanks to everyone here!) but sometimes like today I do still get upset. I have stopped trying to look too far ahead (well mostly except for days like today!!). As for what doctors think and say, my father had polio as a child and was told by a doctor that he would never work and would have to claim disability for the rest of his life.......my father has worked every day of his life and his last job was a really horrible one working on the presses at a rubber moulding company..it was dark and their were fumes etc and he did 12 hour shifts to bring a bit extra money for us. My Mum has rhumatoid arthiritis and she was told that she would be in a wheelchair by the time she was 30 she is now 66, still works and runs around helping people out. Doctors aren't prophets...no one knows what the future holds. We are all taking the same journey together and we are all here to help. Keep your chin up chuck <'> Take care, <'>

Thanks Mossgrove for replying, He hates school, so no change there. I am wondering whether it is because i have just moved his toys into another room so I can put the table in the conservatory ready for christmas. He was fine about it when i asked him but this is the longest that he has done these repetative things constantly. He has just changed what he is doing to sitting on the floor and then jiggling himself up and down every so often. He has just finished and has come to play !! It has taken about an hour and a half. I just find it really hard.

OKay I feel near to tears as son is just walking round and round in circles and has been doing for the last hour or so. He says nothing but is slowly walking up and down , perhaps adding a jump every so often .I know I said I treated it as important, But it's starting to frighten me a bit as I have tried to talk to him but he just keeps saying that I am "annoying him", I feel like i am losing him when he's doing this and I find myself getting negative in case it keeps getting worse. I'm sorry to post like this but I am getting pretty upset right now and he is just completely in his own world, I'm not part of it.

After reading a few posts about our difficulties getting out and about and some of us feeling trapped, I have decided to post this thread. If I had my choice today i would :- (sounds very much like If I went to the moon I would take an Apple..banana..etc) Take my son out to see the decorations everywhere, stop and have a coffe and a biscuit together whilst both talking and smiling about what we have seen. Take him to see Santa where he would have an enchanted look on his face and look happy. Then we would perhaps even go to the outdoor skating ring for a bit of fun. Maybe visit my parents where son would be happy to see them and talk to them, then later when we got home we could both just relax a bit. The best part would be my son sharing my world for a bit. Merry Christmas.

Hi Paula, I really can identify with your situation, I was saying to my hubby this morning that I feel so trapped because there are things that I want and need to do (christmas shopping etc) but my son doesn't want to go out anywhere.He's 7 and anytime we want to go out we have to really stick to our guns and then when we are out it's not long before he's saying constantly "when are we going home!!" and we feel guilty and end up not doing much at all. My son now wont stay with anyone else apart from me and dad , the last time we went out (our anniversary in Nov) we had to come home as my mum who was babysitting was really concerned as he wouldn't talk to her and sat on his own in the dark saying "when is mum coming home" over and over and crying. I'm quite a social person and I like to be out and about but we can't do those things we would love to do with him (the pictures,bowling, santa etc) as he really doesn't want to and gets annoyed if we keep asking him and point out that it may be fun. Every so often now we do eat out as a family, but it's more stress and trouble than it's worth and he really wants to go home.!! Just keep going girl !!!! <'> Thinking of you, take care

Mine's a bacardi breezer, pleezer, hic!!!!! Oops better keep my voice down, they're looking at me on the next table!!! Suppose I should stop dancing on the table now!!!! Wahoooooooooooooooo!! " you got to jitterbug into my brain"""" DA,DA,DA, Dum de dum dum !

I did sign the petition but afterwards reread it and wish i hadn't! I read the part about offering parents in the uk the services and support to explore whether those issues are affecting their child. I wanted to offer my support to anything that will help our kids BUT I don't agree with the "curing" autism part. I love my son and enjoy his company, yes it is difficult sometimes and our lives have become restricted, however this is who my son is and I wouldn't want to change him. Sorry if that sounds odd, I would like him to be able to overcome some anxiety and control issues but part of who he is, is how he sees and interprets the world. I think the majority of people would support the services part, but don't perhaps agree that the food issue is the "cure". I wish you all the best and perhaps you could pick out the positive from what people have replied and ignore the negative and perhaps if the petition was worded slighty different less people would react. Just a thought , Please take care. <'>

Hi I'm just wondering what made you think about aspergers. Have you come into contact with anyone with aspergers or have any experience of it? I know that right now seems hard but you will come through it if you hold on. I agree with Baddad and Nellie that finding time to talk about things is important.I know many men who sound like your husband and they haven't got AS but just find it difficult to communicate. Do you have much time together ,just the two of you (without your little one?) as it's so easy to just fall into a routine and then our husband/wife relationship can suffer. If you find out it is AS then it may be easier to accept his ways, but it would be good to explore other areas first such as communication, life changes etc. Hope you don't mind me posting this. All the best <'>

Today sounds like a better day,even though you didn't get much help from camhs. I'm glad. Take care <'> <'>

Thanks everyone, He does say he is imagining when he does it, so in a way I treat it in the same way as if he said he was going to read or play on the computer etc. It is important to him so it's okay. take care,

thanks for that, Does it happen when they are bored? It seems when my son is awake that he wants us to play his make believe games all the time and he tells us what to do, but if we wont play then he looks bored!! WE feel shattered!!!!!

Just a note as I have just been trying to find out about "stimming". A friend at school visited a special school as an alternative for her daughter when she moves school, whilst there ,one of the pupils in the " autistic" room started to tap his feet loudly and repetatively perhaps because a stranger was there.The teacher pulled a visual card off the wall which was a pic of a foot tapping with a cross through and held the card in front of the boy and said firmly " NO Tapping", I thought this was harsh, anyway the boy stopped and after about a minute picked up the visual card and put it back in it's envelope on the wall. I didn't agree with this as i had heard that you shouldn't stop them as it's relieveing stress or anxiety, although i didn't know it was called "stimming". This was a special autistic unit so I don't know......The mum wasn't very impressed anyway!!!

Hi helen, What is "stimming"? I have seen it mentioned a few times but haven't got a clue what it is. Thanks

thanks for your replies, I used to think he did it because he was bored but he seems to enjoy it even though to look at his face he looks very serious . It's good to know that it's not just him that does it though, thanks.

My son has been running up and down the house over and over.At first I tried to stop him as he didn't say anything just ran to the same place and back again.When i tried to talk to him as it was happening he got annoyed that I was interrupting him. I have figured out from him that when he is doing this, he is using his imagination and thinking things in his head, he doesn't say a word as he is running, but now I leave him to it .He says he is going to imagine and then runs in the same way repeatedly. He does this at school in the playground too. Is this part of his ASD ? If I try to stop him he gets annoyed so I do let him.