trekster

Hello julieann You wrote Hi Cathyz, The problem with Irlens syndrome is that the test isn't available on the NHS for children. This puts parents off taking the test in case after testing their child doesn't have it. You could ask your son's school SEN department if they have any of the coloured overlay sheets that pupil's use in school. Some schools don't keep them as they are £10 for each colour. If they have them they can try each colour with a page of text and see which is best. Obviously with Irlen's testing they can accurately tell which colour lens your child needs. I know this method is used in schools and does help a lot of pupils. trekster reply i didn't realise this was still a problem in schools. i used my back-pay of one benefit to pay for my glasses and of the other benefit to buy myself a new computer. i still have that in my house. you then wrote I bought a very informative book called Seeing through new eyes Changing the lives of children with autism, asperger's syndrome and other developmental disabilities through vision therapy by Melvin Kaplin in 2006. trekster reply Thank you so much for sharing this book with us, it will help me with my "challenging behaviour? or communication" essay and also for me to understand myself and many others who need vision therapy. you then wrote Quote from back cover: Seeing through new eyes offers an accessible introduction to the treatment of visual dysfunction, a significant but neglected problem associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD's) and other developmental disabilities. Dr Kaplin identifies common ASD symptoms such as hand flapping, poor eye contact, and tantrums as typical responses to the confusion caused by vision disorder. He also explains the effects of difficulties that people with autism experience with "ambient vision" including lack of spatial awareness and trouble with co-ordination. This book is essential reading for parents of children with ASD's and professionals in the fields of autism, optometry and ophthalmology, psychology and education. I found it to be a very interesting and informative read. Julieann trekster reply i will ask my mentor today what she thinks. She has a background in education and as soon as the DSA comes through (haven't been told either way what's happening with that yet) i will stock up on relevant literature. Alexis

If you are free this Thursday evening, there is an adult dyslexia group (AFAIK) the only one of it's kind meeting near Taunton at The Falcon Hotel. They meet on the last Thursday of the month (i can't make this week due to transport problems) except in December. i know you asked about your child but just in case your son needs a hand too thought i might share. If you google "visual stress", you might come up with colorimeter optometrists, i found i was able to get my specs from "Bell and Stenton in Yatton" the 2nd time around but we had to pay 4 times as much for the Irlen ones in Chard. i was embarrassed about being tested and instead of knowing how to ask for a break tended to give some of the answers they wanted. Then i got muddled up in the colorimeter testing between the number 1s and 2s. i used to have "severe scotopic sensitivity syndrome" and needed my specs virtually all the time i was awake but recently i believe due to chelation the fatigue side of the syndrome has meant im now moderately affected. If you cant get the dyslexia diagnosis then ask about using visual overlays to help your son. i bought one overlay in staples and opened up someone's eyes to the world of dyslexia! He was unable to communicate the words "i cant read them though" in response to information leaflets being given to him so i dont think hes ever been diagnosed. Hes one of the very unlucky ones whose never managed to find his feet. Some "colour dyslexia" (as i prefer to call it) folk need overlays, some need specs and some need a combination of the 2. You cannot tell what colour your son will need so its possible he might end up with a colour he cannot stand. Nighttime hyperactivity and strange dreams can be a dyslexic trait and i certainly have those symptoms lol. I feel the same especially wondering how I muddled through my GCSEs! I knew I could do better at school and thought it was something wrong with me not the way my brain processed the information. i bought the book "the gift of dyslexia" and it is really enlightening. it mentions how many dyslexics are kinaesthetic learners and suggests ways they can learn how to write letters. Alexis

Hello Since it is easier to get prescription glasses (at least IME it was) than a dyslexia diagnosis and hes been told there are weak muscles in his eye, i would go the specs route 1st. It is very difficult to identify dyslexia in autistic kids. Many of my friends have managed to get a diagnoses for one with ease but not the other, ie they were diagnosed with dyslexia but then autism was questioned or vice versa. One of my autistic friends was misdiagnosed with dyslexia on his way to an autism diagnosis. I suspected for a long time that i could be dyslexic, I had refused an eye test due to extreme photo sensitivity until a few months ago where i was told "you have mild long-sightedness". I was told about 4 years ago "you have mild compensatory dyslexia", about 2 years later a lovely ed psych assessed me (Dr Peter Parkhouse) and mentioned "you have dyslexic traits". He even let me see a copy of my report before a final draft was made. In order for me to get diagnosed as an adult I've been told I would have to pay £400 and since the autism tends to overlap with the dyslexic symptoms it makes it even more complicated. i know my spelling is worse when i attempt to type on a white lettered keyboard and that my reading comprehension is better when i read upside down! Also i tend to get opposite words muddled up for example whilst writing this post, the italicised word was written as "lenses" which is what I've used for my dyslexia! Alexis

Your welcome, even though I've only been here a few months i love this place already. So im going to say a big thanks to sciencegeek! It's great to have a place where autistics and parents of autistics can interact. I am learning what my mum has to go through with trying to help me as well as hopefully teaching parents how it feels to be autistic.

I remember that program and I doubt much has improved since. Although I didn't experience near death, one of my mates was sectioned and sent to prison because they had no mental health wards at the time to take him! Being beaten up every day for at least 9 months just because he reacted badly to an antidepressant medication. If that wasn't enough when he ended up in casualty on a sunday he was in so much pain from glass in his eye that he had to take it out himself! That's Sunday A&E for you. Oh and mental health services for autistics in my area? You have got to be kidding me, i keep being told "your autistic we don't treat that" when I present myself with obvious mental health difficulties. Alexis

Hello Sally Im pleased your ordeal is over but im also upset that you had to go through this. i would seriously consider making a complaint via PALS http://www.pals.nhs.uk/officemapsearch.aspx if necessary this shouldn't happen in todays NHS!

Hello I went to my doctor the other day asking to be given a script for amyltriptiline ironically for my pain not the depression. Unfortunately it contains milk so i am wondering what other medication options i can try next? Rather than go through the list of all the possible meds and get worked up at what i cant take.....i decided to come here and ask what i could take. Here's the issue i have with medications. The safest forms of meds for me generally are the gelatin capsule forms, I don't like taking them (possible future boyfriend going veggie). But I have little option but to try these forms of meds sometimes. Liquid medications 9/10 contain benzoates which are very dangerous for me. i started loosing it really severely on liquid risperidone due to the benzoate content in them. i couldn't take the tablet form due to the milk! Most tablets contain milk in some form or another. i have tried a TENS machine with limited success but i was wondering (apart from cutting back on nightshade family foods again!) what my options were? The pain is so bad it distracts me from sleeping and is with me almost 24/7. i think it is the main trigger for some of my depression. It was an unfortunate side effect of going gf/cf sometime ago (having a severe fibro flare), i wish i could afford to live in the canaries sometimes as i get a break. Heres hoping the 10 day break there is going to give me more than 5 hours pain relief (which i got last summer). Sorry for the angry face Alexis

Anything in particular we can help you with? ive also got a confidence issue at the moment due to this annoying pain related depression!

As a dyslexic student that would wind me up no end to attempt to work it out. i can work it out now but im 30! If they used pictorial symbols with the questions instead of just the words as least they would have a chance. Sounds like national tests gone too far which is why a relative of mine resigned her commission. The national curriculum came into force with the government telling the teachers how to teach! i do wonder how many of them used to be teachers? Alexis

For those not run by the NAS, if you suspect foul play please report it to the NAS until they do something. A group not connected with the NAS allowed 4 lads to make a fool of themselves before the leaders said "oh btw we cant date you". Wish they had stated those boundaries to begin with! At the same time they claimed "to be in constant contact with the NAS" which is why I complained to the NAS about the group. I later discovered that they "had no involvement with the NAS" so now something is being done by our Autism officer. As a result of the treatment at this group I refuse to advertise it as IMHO it is NOT autistic friendly. Alexis

Thanks James http://www.autism.org.uk/socialgroups for details of NAS social groups and what the NAS offers. Alexis

Excellent idea, also you could try emailing your regional officer at the NAS for details. If they aren't running a group then see if your local autism society can set one up in your area. Alexis

You have the right approach there, the more pressure im given to eat anything the less able i am to manage it. The anxiety and time pressure is just too much for me. Some parents have encouraged their kids to lick something 1st ,then put in their mouth the next time, then bite a bit off, then chew and swallow. If people had clapped for me when i ate something it would put me off eating it as the pan of the applause would be too much. Now that is interesting, maybe its because everyone else is eating so the focus is less on him? At home also there could be other distractions around something you might not notice like a lawnmower next door or the buzz of the fridge. Could be because it is made to look yummy in a cafe and the mixture of colours and their symmetrical arrangements encourage the kid to eat the food? Alexis

Hello "Cant eat wont eat" describes the condition as selective eating. Only none neurodiverse folk should be labelled as faddy or fussy eaters. The reason for this is either sensory stimulation or it gives them a high. I've always had a fairly varied diet and only after being gluten and milk free for a number of years was i able to tolerate garden peas. They used to remind me of eating grass and used to taste gritty, now for some reason I am able to eat them. Good that hes able to eat other stuff apart from his cravings, maybe some grated carrot or veggies on the side of the plate could be the next step. Alexis (DipHE diet and health, final paper "diet and autism: is there a link?")

There are many books about behaviour and autism. One general book on aspergers which IMO is the best starting point is "A complete guide to asperger syndrome". Your wife could attend the asperger social groups if you have one in your area? Alexis

Ah yes the autistic me, it did sound like the program and it was on bbc1 the other day. I found Toms parents very suffocating. They never had a good word to say about their son and the letter they wrote him made me cringe. Too much pressure for a teenage boy. I loved Ollie attitude and his mum was very supportive of her son telling him when he was doing something right as well as wrong. What he said at the end after seeking work for 7 years really stuck in my mind. "It might take me longer than other people to learn something but I'm going to get there in the end", cheered up my depressing day when I 1st saw it. The cool looking aspie seems to have picked up a bad habit from his peers. Asking someone if they are gay because they asked if he was happy is not logical. Alexis

Sounds like your hubby could be autistic as well? Could you see if any other kid in the ASD unit could walk home with your son? Strength in numbers. Alexis

Hello Oops didn't notice he was a secondary school kid but will leave the school train part in. Agreed we are vulnerable and in a sense some of the verbal autistics can be more vulnerable due to our naivety. Is there someone else walking home that way from your school that could walk with him? In some areas of the country a walk to school program is in operation, (i think its called a school 'train') 1, a parent starts at one end of town and walks to the 1st house and calls for the 2nd kid 2, then they move onto the next house and child 3, there are also some other parent volunteers that walk with the child 4, the end point is the school. At secondary school level, there should be a few kids from the train that he could walk with to school. Being a concerned parent isn't over reacting. When i was at school my aspergers wasn't recognised i had to cross a busy road to get home from my primary school and i had a subway from my secondary school. This was the late 80s early 90s but i was scared of the dark and had no one to walk home with from secondary school. i dont wish to scare you anymore than you already are and im sorry in advance if this upsets you i was attacked outside my secondary school on my way home one day no charges were ever made against the perpetrator and they went to the same school at me. He then attacked another lass a few years later something i felt guilty about when i heard what happened. Autistics are more vulnerable to bullying and teasing and i also have the asperger walk. i have insoles in my shoes as it hurts to walk and can only cope with trainers due to sensory issues on my feet. It literally hurts to walk and this wasn't recognised until i had developed fibromyalgia at age 14 (diagnosed 14 years later) If you can team up with another parent walking the same way or ask at your local autism group. PM me with your location before friday and i will see if i can find a NAS one in your area you could ask. Good luck Alexis

If she appears to get worse on the diet it is the withdrawal stage. Keep us updated in the "diet and vitamins" section so we can help you through this. Some parents have to remove msg and aspartame as well. Dont forget to take all of this (gluten, casein etc) out of everything she comes into contact with, whether it be kitchen cleaner (as she eats off the worktop after using it) or shampoo it can still affect them. Its possible your kids will at 1st refuse the food put in front of them, persevere and its not a reflection on you just their addiction cravings happening. Im wondering how you are going to manage with requesting it happens at the school as well. i hope you get an understanding response from the school. If you like we can look at what your kids are eating and suggest some alternatives? Good luck and remember you are a good mother with very challenging kids to bring up, not your fault but you can be part of the solution. Alexis

Sounds like IBS to me. Can you take something for anxiety? supplements or medicine wise. Alexis

Hello Has he ever met another autistic? Wondering if your local out of schools club could be of help? If you phone the NAS Filton office and ask for Amy shes the lovely childrens and young peoples officer. According to "a complete guide to asperger syndrome" "anger might be displayed when in fact the child is depressed". This is especially true of me and i seem to be very snappy with others at the moment. A lot has been going on in my life recently including facing my anxiety/depression with a dummies workbook. Sounds like hes lacking serotonin which is why (speaking as an ex cutter) we tend to cut ourselves. It gives us a rush of serotonin when we are depressed and we can become addicted to this behaviour as the only way to calm down. i found 5htp was the best treatment for my depression. Taurine helps with anxiety and so does gaba.

i didnt see it so i hope its on iplayer?

i remember phoning them up and asking the question "are your products gluten free or not". i kept getting back the same answer "yes to celiac standards" but i didnt ask about celiac standards (i think i attempted to explain it to them at the time). After a couple of attempts of getting a straight answer to a straight question, they sent me a letter full of typos. i havent purchased anything from them since.

How about having regional threads in the therapies and interventions part? Then you can PM someone who writes about gf/cf diet in your area for example?

it just sounded like OP kid. If hes not obsessive or literal he could be ADHD. There are 6 forms of ADHD according to one site What are these different types of ADHD? * "Inattentive": Just like Winnie the Pooh * "Classic Hyperactive": Tiggers like to bounce... * "Over-Focused": Rabbit tends his garden * "With Anxiety": Piglet is nervous and worries... * "With Depression": Eeyore says, "Thanks for noticing me..." http://newideas.net/adhd/different-types-adhd i guess you need to keep an eye on his school reports and see if the symptoms of ODD/ADHD come up a lot. Alexis