mbrown

I was 38 when my son was born - I thought I was getting on a bit at the time, lol. Of all the parents that I know, I only know a very few that would have been considered 'old' when their kids were born. I don't doubt the research findings as being accurate but are they relevant. Next month it will be fathers or mothers that smoke (they've done that already haven't they?). Then it will be fathers or mothers that drink. What next? what you eat? I don't think it brings us any closer to finding out the 'real cause' of autism. It won't be long before the next theory is put out. Mike

I would have thought bi-carb would be your best bet for now. For future use - you don't see many 'urine odour' removal products on our cleaning products shelves but you can get umpteen - Pet urine odour removers from pet shops. Maybe that would help. Mike

Hi Kathryn, I think we all have come across teachers like that along the way. They can completely and utterly ruin the whole school year. Our last teacher wasn't a harridan as such but she just didn't 'get it' at all. Thelast year was the worst of his primary school life and almost undid everything that went before. He is now happily settled into high school and getting on great. You say that there are more than one class per year. Can you not ask, or insist would be better to get one of the different classes? School life is bad enough without any added pressures and stresses. Good luck Mike

Glad you enjoyed the concert. My SIL was there too. Only one hour to settle? What's MIL's secret?? It's a shame she's taken it badly. Ask her how she would feel if it was like that everynight? Mike

My 12 year old boy watches his programmes and DVDs with the subtitles on, and he too often has the foreign subtitles up instead of english. he also displays the time counter. I don't actually know if he is reading them or not. he doesn't mind not having subtitles on when we are viewing something together. He can't explain why he likes to watch TV this way. Hyperlexia sounds interesting. I will look into that more. Here is an extract from Wikipedia re: Hyperlexia. Mike Hyperlexia often coexists with high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. Hyperlexia is not seen as a separate diagnosis; however, with current fMRI research revealing that hyperlexia affects the brain in a way completely opposite to that of dyslexia, a separate diagnosis may be on the horizon.

Hi Bid, We all need a break now and again. Glad you aren't disappearing completely. Mike

This page lists all the stockists of Doves Farm products and where you can do online ordering. http://www.dovesfarm-glutenfree.co.uk/stockists.htm

My boy's GF cereal is Chocolate Stars by Doves Farms. I have seen them in the past in a couple of stores but more recently only available in my area at Morrisons. http://www.dovesfarm-glutenfree.co.uk/glut...ee-biscuits.htm That is the link for Dove's 'Biscuit & Breakfast cereal' page. Curiously no Chocolate Stars!!, lol Mike

When in primary school my son had his own 'space' I guess that would be his workstation. He was free to come and go from it when he chose, rather than being sent there for particular work. He could decorate it as he liked and this arrangement worked very well for all concerned. Giving him the freedom of choice worked better than being told when he should be at his own work station. Latterly he spent more time working in the group evenwhen he had his own space. I found that often when a child had his or her own space it was used when the teacher needed a break not the other way about. Karen, I woul dcertainly bring it up at the IEP meeting. Better to discuss it even if it doesn't go ahead than trying to do so into the year. Everyone is different but properly managed individual workstations can acheive very positive results. Good Luck Mike

Our school's are back already here in Scotland. Added to that is that it is my boy's first year at high school - very scarey. I wouldn't say we were actually dreading it - mildly panicking maybe, lol. The first week is now over and I must say I should give it 9.5 out of 10. A minor hiccup but apart from that everything went well. The traveling, dinner times, class changes etc. The school has a top class support unit within it and th edifference between them and primary school is like night and day. This is of course on the back of some very prolonged and intensive preparation on everyone's part - The high school, primary school & ourselves. The hard work is certainly paying off so far. Good luck to all the children starting school, starting a new year or moving up to high school, and to all parents too of course. Mike[/size]

Snowcake has been doing the rounds of the film festivals for a while now but they just can't give us a general release date. I have discussed it in other groups and have seen a very good trailer for the film. I for one will be rushing to see it on it's release. If I can dig out the link for the movie trailer, I'll let you know. Mike

Good Luck DooDay, We have visited Diggerland by Durham a couple of times and our AS lad loved it. It's great fun for adults too so I hope that you get the chance to enjoy the day also. Mike

Hi Jools, It is a pain when our close family members just don't 'get it'. I think you and Hubby have to take the firmest of stances with your mil, and lay down the law. What the two of you say goes. This is even more important as your boy is now on medication, she will be required to administer it. Maybe too late for next week but does your boy really need to stay with her? Are there any more accomodating relatives nearby like an aunt? How about a staying in babysitter/carer? It is sometimes possible to get Direct Payments from Social Services which can be used to pay for carers. Maybe something to think about for the future. Enjoy the concert you lucky people!! Mike

Thanks KW, That looks pretty good to me. I'll run it by my boy later. Mike

My 12 year old boy who has Asperger's is keen to make contact with others around his own age with the condition. He does not have a wide circle of friends and would like to become aprt of an online group or forum. Do any of you know of any suitable sites where he would be able to participate in dic#scussions or chat with other kids around his own age? Thanks Mike

Hello All, We had been prescribed both Melatonin and Risperidone by our boy's consultant, He transferred the prescription to our GP and it is through our GP that we continue to get both items. Mike

Hello All, Like all parents we felt reluctant to go down the medication road. We didn't mind using melatonin because we believe by all we have learned that it is completely harmless and specifically targetted and dealt with our boy's sleep problems. Going on to 'harder' meds took a little more getting used to but thanks in part to a few people from this forum we decided to agree to use Risperdol. I can honestly say we have never looked back. His attitude, and work progress at school and home has improved immensely. Tantrums and such are almost non-existant. There was a bit of weight gain at first and this has proved to be the most difficult aspect of the meds. We just have to keep a very close eye on what he eats. Encouraging him to eat healthy foods at least if he is going to eat. I believe my boys improvement in school is not down to the meds alone. I think that it merely makes him more receptive to the strategies adopted by the school and staff to make him get on with his work and other pupils. So, medications should not be used as the only tool to achieve certain goals. Used responsibly they are a great aid. Good luck. Mike

Hi Rach, I have used amitriptyline myself for depression in the past but I have never heard of it being prescribed for children. It made me very drowsy at the time. Seemed to 'calm' everything down while taking it and no ill side-effects except for breathlesness during exercise. I would have thought any results would show quicker than 4 weeks tho. Good Luck Mike

To Whom It May Concern, I have just received a phone call from someone in my lea, informing me that they have been told that school reports regarding my son have appeared on the 'web'. With the limited information I have been given I realise that the 'report' in question is actually a message that I posted on 24 Novermber 2004. This post was regarding my son's behaviour at school before and after taking risperdol. I was careful not to use my son's, school's or teacher's name. Incredibly someone from this site must have managed to work out all three from my post. If the person was concerned about school reports being put online and was able to identify my son?, could that person not have contacted me about the matter? If on the other hand reporting this report was an attempt to discredit the school or teacher I would like to set the record straight. The 'report' was not an official educational report. It was a letter written on my behalf for my son's doctor. The teacher chose to write it in a report style. Perhaps I should have omitted the words 'report' and 'principal teacher ' in my message. I posted it for the sole reason of informing other parents with concerns about the use of risperdol, my own experiences. While I would say that I would not be happy if someone other than me posted personal information about my son on-line, I will continue to post any information on these boards that I think may help any other parent in his or her struggle to bring up their child. I assume the person who knows me has am autistic child, being on the forum, so whoever you are feel free to contact me and maybe we can share tips on bringing up our children. If you are just into points scoring against th eschool or teacher, don't bother. Mike

Hello All, Our family GP prescribes Melatonin for our 10 year old, following the instructions of our consultant paediatrician. So a GP is capable of ordering Melatonin. Whether he/she would do so for an adult might be a different matter. There is no harm in asking your GP first. You may get a prescription or might just be told to buy it yourself. There are many companies selling melatonin oniline. I have used BIOVEA myself, and buying melatonin itself isn't prohibitively expensive. Sweet Dreams and all that. Mike

Hello again Leasam, If I were you I would stress the importance of the situation to the school and how concerend you are. I can't see any reason why your lad cannot be allowed to be given more time to eat and his own space to eat his lunch. Like most things concerning our kids, eating fads or lack of eating seem to bother us a lot more than them. Keep him happy but keep an eye on things. Stay calm Mike

Hi Leasam, I'm really sorry to hear about your son's eating problem. Does he drink? If so , would it be possible to get those liquid meals that people with digestive problems receive from their GP? But you say that somedays he eats and eats so he isnt actually starving himself. Fixed regular mealtimes. Letting him choose his own meals & foods. Try not to turn it into a big issue with him. If he hasn't become ill he surely is getting enough, maybe not on the same timescale as we would consume it. I woul dmake a note of everything he is eating and times etc. you may be surprised at how much he actually eats. If after doing this you still think that overall he isnt eating enough then maybe you should have a word with the doc. Good luck. Mike

Good luck with your statement review. I would agree that you should always have someone with you when attending these meetings. You say that the school don't communicate with you regarding your boys progress. They cant stop you from asking and arranging regular meetings. You are entitled to ask to see his teacher as often as you see fit, short of stalking & harrassment, lol. It obviously suits the school to have as little contact with you as possible, but you really should be pressing them for regular updates. We have regular meetings with the teacher, head ed-psychologist throughout the year to discuss our boys progress and work out strategies that can help him in class. Once again , Good luck Mike

Hi Stevesmum, Have you actually been to the school that you want your son to attend to see what they have to offer him? Also have you been to the other school for the same reason? You are entitled to visit any school you want to learn about it. This is beneficial when placing your request in that you can make a comparison and explain why you are choosing one school over another. My boy is 10 and a half and we have just visited our local high school. The have a special education unit withing the school and it is extremely well funded and staffed. It appears to be the ideal place fo rour AS lad. His primary school teacher who came with us to the school said if He was her child she would choose this school. We do have to enquire at least to the other two possible schools to see what they can offer but I am pretty certain that we shall be choosing the first. I suggest that your LEA may just be putting your lads name to another school with no regard to his educational needs. As far as choosing a school goes I would go for the one that has the best support unit for your boy. Good luck Mike

Our 10 year old has AS. We introduced a gluten free diet last a year ago. Unfortunately this meant cutting out all his favourite foods. I used to worry that he wasn't eating enough. He wasn't fading away just we weren't sure if he was getting enough to see him through the day at school etc. He has been taking Risperdol since last October and his appetite has grown hugely. He wants to eat non-stop now. One good thing is that he will eat almost anything we give him so he is getting lots of fruit now. If we are around, he will ask if he can have anything to eat and we can usually put him off until later if we think he has had enough. We also try to encourage him to take more exercise, trampolining, he even comes walking with me more than he used to. Mike