zaman

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/201...rupert-isaacson 'A healing, not a cure'. Hmmm, I'm trying hard to work on my prejudices having read this. What do other people think?

Or when the information board shows the train time as coming in 5 minutes, then when that time is up it shifts back another 5 minutes, etc, so you never really know whether to give up on that train or not. And why does everyone use the term 'adverse weather conditions'? Why can't they just say snow - perhaps because it doesn't sound dramatic enough to have caused all the schools to close? We were in the supermarket yesterday and an announcement came over that due to the adverse weather conditions the lottery machine was not available. Someone piped up 'couldn't it get into work because of the snow then?'

I was dead against using Makaton for my son as I was concerned that it would replace his limited speech. I was proved wrong. The pre-school SALT unit that he attended once a week really did demonstrate to me, in the way that it was practiced, that it supported his speech. I went along to evening classes so that I could learn it as well. He is now nearly nine and we haven't used it for years. The analogy that helped me understand why it was being pushed at us was it was like putting stabalisers on a bike, which you eventually take off when that extra support is no longer needed. Interesting point about your sign being discouraged from using sign language with his mum. My husband is from the middle east and we have brought our kids up bi-lingually, which was largely frowned upon. Most of the 'experts' felt that it would be too much for an autistic child to deal with. All but the SALT who was extremely supportive, and could see the bigger picture re how communication worked within the family.

My kids were watching this tonight - not me honest, guv - and there was a 10 year old autistic boy called James who got through to the next round. He was a star.

Headaches are often a sign of a high temperature, so it might be worth dosing on Ibopofen alternated with paracetamol.

That's what I love about this forum, there is always a helping hand when you need it.

Thanks for the support everyone. I know in my brain that it is to do with her getting control over one of the few situations that she has control over (she's gone up to senior school this year, etc). But I am a feminist who has - or who thought I had - brought my kids up to love themselves and their bodies as they are. It is heartbreaking.

This is so true of my son as well, and the thing that I find really hard to deal with as a parent.

My 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with this eating disorder last week. I have been really gutted in trying to come to terms with it. I know things haven't been right with her eating for a while, and I have tried, and failed, not to turn it into a battle. So now we are waiting on a referral to CAHMS. I so hope that they know a bit more about that than they did about autism when they diagnosed my son. I feel like such a screw up.

Surely those aspects of Sherlock Holmes are better attributed to his opium intake?

Thanks everyone for such thoughtful and insightful comments. I'm going to find out about the football course for Oct half term as he said he would be interested in it. His teacher spoke to the class that afternoon about inclusion in playground games. Sometimes everything seems to be going along ok, and then you see your son stood on his own and crying in the middle of the playground, and it brings it all home again. I would hope that as he gets older and more verbally skilled, that he is able to explain to the people around him what his being autistic means. My daughter has just started senior school and there is a boy in her class who spoke to the class about his (what my daughter thought was) 'Asparagus syndrome' and how it affects him (I use the word autism so she didn't get the connection). And it has affected the way that the other kids view his behaviour. Thanks again. Z

My son had an incident in the playground this morning, a repeat of a similar one that has been going on for ages. Basically his group of friends are football mad. He doesn't like it (doesn't cope when the ball hits him), and he has no interest in getting better at it. Because his friends like to play it, he either feels excluded, or tries to join in and gets stuck in goal, where he is essentially excluded. Upset all round. I've offered to take him on a short course on football skills for kids, but he's not interested. I've raised it with the SENCo and she has been very supportive about it. During break times only one year per day is allowed to play football, other sports equipment has been introduced. A softer ball has been introduced. However before school is a different matter. This morning he got upset over being excluded from the match, and ended up stood in the playground crying. I spoke to the Head and asked her if there was anything else that could be done to support him - a big ask I know. She said that she understood I found it upsetting, but that was the nature of autism, and that from her experience it'll only get worse as he gets older. My questions are: can anyone think of something else to do to resolve the football problem? Excuse my ignorance on my next question please. But my grasp on autism is not so much that it 'gets worse' but that perhaps the differences between autistic and NT people become more pronounced. But is it not also true that autistic people can 'learn by rote' social interactions, like what to do if your mates want to play football but you don't? Having said that, I know a lot of NT adults who find it hard to excuse themselves from things. The comment on top of the incident left me quite upset.

Here's a link to it on IPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mw...ts_With_Autism/

Here's a link to YouTube:

Scott. His autism led him not to leave the house for 7 years. I also had to wipe a tear away. I felt so proud of him. I hope that he gets treated decently as he goes into the next round.

If you are a member of a union it would be worth asking for their input.

<'> I don't know about you, but when other kids behave that way I always want to wallop them. My kids were in playscheme this week and day 1 my son tells me 3 other boys were being mean to him and calling him names, swearing as he hadn't understood the rules of the game they were playing. I hardly slept with the anxiety of it all. I took the playscheme leader aside and explained what had happened, so she read the boys the riot act. She took me aside later in the week and asked me what else she could do to support him. Do you know, I think that is the first time someone has asked me that. I didn't blub. (But I nearly did . . . ) I'm so used to being warrior mum that all it takes is an act of kindness and I come unhinged!

It was a very long time ago that I studied the Highway Code, but I'm fairly sure it is illegal for cyclists to ride on the pavement - because it is dangerous. We have narrowly avoided injury in the past when my kids were small and would not necessarily walk in a straight line, only to have a cyclist zoom up, missing a child by inches.

Whenever I see adults cycling on the pavement I point out that it is for pedestrians. They are the rude (and dangerous) ones, not us.

Ghengis

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/j...igher-education If I read this right, a mum spent £600,000 to to open a school in Reading that would meet her son's needs (autism/ADHD, etc)

The papers today were speculating on whether the government will keep the schools closed for an extra four weeks at the end of the summer holidays in order to beat the swine flu. I suspect many parents will march on Downing Street if that is the case!

Thank goodness - I thought it was a swine flu symptom!

Sorry to be dim - but what does that mean?

Welcome back.