Deedee

Well as usual it all seems to have gone t*ts up M came out purple with rage wouldn't bring his swimstuff out so I had to wait while someone found it while he was headbutting a wall and throwing a goalpost and nets around He said he was underwater and nearly dead !!! Kicked off all the way home and finally came out with 'they made me put my head in water and the lady pushed it under' Cue volcanic eruption from me... He absolutely hated it had no help to change,only the teacher went,noone in the pool,had to walk into the deep end and 'drownded' and to cap it all off who was it that said he would keep his pants on????? Yup you were right he's been sat all afternoon in wet trousers and pants and noone even noticed.... Phoned school and spoke to his teacher and she said nothing happened and he was fine... M doesn't lie if he even tries to avoid telling the truth, he comes out with a steven spielberg epic not just one sentence...so what do I do now????

Aw poor thing <'> I'm glad you got her seen Pingu the penicillin usually works really well but if it doesn't start to clear it up do take her back Hope she starts to feel better soon <'>

Well done Summer!!! Now if you just let us know where to put our kids names on the waiting list we'll all be happy

mmm does it feel hot to the touch?? M is renowned for getting infections in even the minutist of scrapes so I would definately get it looked at by GP just to be on the safe side,especially if its been accompanied by sickness etc.Hope she feels better soon <'> Dee X

Thats great news Bid I hope your first session goes really well

Hi Mel M is much the same when it comes to writing.At our review last week it was discussed how to help with his writing as he just won't do it at all given half a chance! This may (or may not lol) be of some help to you. The 'professionals' think its because he has such a problem processing his thoughts,organising them into sequence then remembering what he wants to write and on top of this he has trouble also gripping his pencil!! They came up with a few ideas to inspire him like writing it onto a whiteboard rather than paper as he 'doesn't think he's writing' another idea would be to use a dictaphone/pc programme on laptop to dictate into and get him to write it out with support later. Bear in mind M is still at primary so not sure if these strategies would be of use or allowed at highschool?? Hope you get something sorted out for Jay its such a shame when they really enjoy a subject that it has to be 'ruined' by them having to write things down (thats what my M thinks anyway!!!) Dee X

Hi Shamu although I've accepted M's dx I don't honestly think I'll ever actually come to terms with it..I just seem to cope better on some days rather than others IYKWIM? I think as our kids get older and we get more used to their little ways it does get easier in some ways.I now know (vaguely!) what sets M off,what situations to avoid,where not to go,when not to speak to him etc etc..M is 8 and it really struck a chord with me what you are feeling and how I feel as I also see his peers growing up.I always try to look for the positive in things although at times its soooo hard to find one but my positive thought about the peer group is my special son is still so innocent and unspoiled by life in general,he doesn't get involved in all this peer pressure stuff.He's just happy chugging along and being himself,my little enigma Things WILL improve hun I hope you find some lovely new friends in time I'm sure you will <'> Dee X

Best of luck Summertime from what I've read of your posts and your understanding of our kids I think any parents having you looking after their child will be very very lucky

Thats great news Jen Hopefully it will ease some of the pressure knowing you'll have them there supporting you Dee X

Hi Liz know how you're feeling we had ours last week <'> Do you know what the SALT package is at present? The top one in our LEA is a visit every week by the actual SALT with practise constantly daily through his LSA.The next package down is 3 SALT visits halftermly (every 2 weeks),then the lower one is 3 SALT visits per term.

So glad it went well for you and Steve Hev

Sending all the positive vibes we can muster here for you all Its so good to read of our kids acheiving like this

Found it its in the resource section its called Kidspiration (sorry too techno challenged to do a link!!)Heading is 'while working I found this'...

Hi Lisa my M when he was 6 charted on the 99th centile for visual memory but on the 14th for auditory memory.This is now presenting as one of his most troublesome things to overcome as the processing of language etc is involved in every bit of life..However we are in the fortunate position of having a wonderful SALT who works tirelessly to use his visual strengths to try to 'balance' his auditory deficits.At his annual review it was mentioned how even his maths (which has been one of his good subjects) is starting to become troubling to him due to the use of a lot more language in the questions some of these verbal instructions...What input do you get from the SALT to help with this? Our EP suggested Kids*something or other* (think its been suggested on here already will find out the proper name for you) to help him sequence his thoughts visually. We use tons of visual strategies for M at home and at school,he can remeber stuff much easier that way and the strategy the SALT came up with to help him organise what he wants to say is to make a picture in his head then describe it and so far it has worked really well. This is a really relevant thing to address so you need to push for some strategies to be put in place to help if they aren't there already.HTH Dee X

They were probably the ones I was looking at Karen tell her they look great!! I know how much work goes into something like that. If she needs any good fabric suppliers I have a *ahem* just a few on my favourites lol...I'm a bit of a fabric addict

Well done Lisa and J

M was finally Dx at 6 although I knew at 2 that he had some form of autism Gettin anyone to listen was a different story,much the same as everyone elses on here sadly..BUT things do seem to be looking up now for younger kids by the look of it so many now have a diagnosis early and it does often help make a difference I treated M as if he was and did all the early intervention stuff I could (most people round here thought I was nuts INCLUDING the school ) I even have a letter from the Headmaster for M's statement assess stating 'Mrs X states that M has autism but there is no evidence submitted to back up this 'theory' ' LOL did I wave my Dx at him when we finally got it!!!!!!!!

Hi Donna I just had a look at the ones on ebay.I'm a machinist and I actually used to trade on Ebay pre ASD days!! I've reckoned up how much it would cost to actually make one of these and to be honest it actually works out cheaper to buy one off there I ship all my fabric in from the States but by the time I get say 4yds of cotton and fleece (approx $20 + shipping) plus batting,plus pellets its not worth it... That said M LOVES his quilts I've made him and they are quite weighty so going on our experience Reece may enjoy having one.You could always look for a lap quilt as they are sometimes cheaper to buy and if you're going for a lightweight say 2-6oz they will have the same effect.If buying from the states watch the customs charges think if its over $30 you get charged excise duty.HTH Dee X

Thanks so much everyone Summertime,I've spoken to his LSA this morning and she said its a new thing they are trying.He'll be using a small local schools pool which will be great as its not too noisy/hectic.Only half the class is going at a time so thats approx 14 kids and they are asking for advice on how to prepare him too.They seem to be making such an effort now (its only took me 5 years to get 'em in shape lol) so I am chuffed to bits we seem to be communicating again at last!! M will be supported by his LSA,there will also be a swimming instructor in the water.I'm really pleased as once he gets there I'm sure he'll enjoy it.Thanks everyone for putting my mind at rest.You are so right he needs to have these trips to broaden his experiences as,as a family we are like so many others on here very isolated.... Kate I know that feeling well its happened to me before too!!! WW thats a great tip re the visual planner M is very much a visual learner and I've managed to find a pic of the pool on the schools site so will do him a little social story.I have got my indelible marker out too *must remember to hide it again tho!!!!*

LOL I'd be tempted to go with your version Jen I've got to pop out soon but will be back by lunchtime so if noones helped out by then I'll see if I can come up with something *shuffles off to put thinking cap on*

Thats it.... I was well and truly welling up reading this thread but now my eyes seem to be leaking!!!! Thankyou so much Pearl My boy is 9 now and you are so right sometimes we get so caught up in the daily 'fight' just to get through the day we don't take time to look at the positives.When my boy was younger I really felt there was no hope but as he has grown older yes he has achieved so much I never thought he would My family is much the same as everyone elses apart from my dear old mum...she didn't really 'get it' at first BUT in recent years she has made such a huge effort to read as much as she can about ASD and finally now understands.The only problem with this is she now worries about M as much as me!!!

<'> <'> Now then firstly noone here is a terrible parent.Dear llisa you are like all of us we are on here because we care deeply about our children and are searching for answers and support for them,as well as ourselves.By posting on here it helps so many other people wether they are lurkers or posters.We all have days when they just push the right buttons I recently had a similar accident to Venus but I threw a video at the garden wall in temper only to realise it was one of M's favourites cue panic attack (me that is!!) Ebay is truly a godsend sometimes I hope you feel better today DXX

Ooh more good news Jen thats fantastic its about time you had a bit less stress to deal with <'> So pleased its all coming together *fingers crossed still*

M came out tonight and he was really agitated.Halfway home he says,'next day, Tuesday the after time (?) I'm going swimming'...When we got in I rang the school and they said yes he is going swimming next week.(Fancy telling him now!!!!!)He's yr3 and they don't usually do it til yr4 so not sure why he's going til tomorrow.I wish they hadn't said anything really as we had a MAJOR meltdown tonight,his poor tutor arrived and we spent over 30 mins trying to stop him pulverising me and his brother!! I don't think he wants to go really but if we do manage to get it sorted do you think I should ask for extra provision while he's there??He can't dress/undress himself,wouldn't dry himself either. He can't swim although he does sometimes enjoy going..usually when its really quiet due to noise levels,he throws himself into the water anywhere he feels like it and runs around like a maniac School said there's someone in the water teaching but I don't really think thats enough for my 'Kamikaze Pete'!!!! Anyone else have any tips to share please??

We haven't had a problem with questions about dying as such.My dear MIL passed away suddenly 2 years ago and when we tried to explain it to M he casually said 'Oh she's moved to Spain!' although when he looks at her picture he says 'She's dead now,she died..' We also took the broken toy approach as it seemed to fit better with M's level of understanding as he now knows if a toy is broken it has to go. M usually comes out with 'when I'm borned again will you still be my mum?' It breaks my heart even thinking about this sort of thing really..Some days he is so unaware of life in general and with no empathy for anyone or anything then we suddenly get a real emotion seep through so I do think his understanding of this sort of thing is growing..