Tez

I agree with Carole, I don't want a cure for my son's autism because it's what makes him him, but I do want to make life easier for him. I asked my son whether he would want a cure and he said no.

I initially gave my son Melatonin without a prescription from the Doctor. I was a bit nervous so started off on 1.5mg. When I told his psychiatrist what I had done, she told me that she would give it to him on prescription but that her minimum starting dose was 6mg and she raised this as necessary. I've spoken to other people who have been started by their doctors on 3mg but nearly always this has been increased. I would always start on a low dose and only increase if it wasn't having the desired effect. With regard to it losing its effectiveness, the medical advice on this is not to increase the dose if it had previously been working but to stop it completely for a while and then restart. As an aside I asked her whether she disapproved of me giving it to my son without medical advice. She told me that she had researched it extensively and felt that it should be licensed for over the counter use by children in this country.

The research I've done suggest that there are relatively few risks although in some children it seems to delay puberty. It is generally promoted as safe because it is a hormone produced naturally by our body but there has been insufficient research done to confirm this so it is still unlicensed in this country for use on children.

Just to update. My son has now been taking the slow release melatonin for about a month. He found at first that it didn't get into his system fast enough and it was taking him hours again to get to sleep. However, once asleep he found it easier to stay asleep. Had a word with his psychiatrist and she told me that he was still on a relatively low dosage so to give him a normal melatonin tablet and a slow release one together, so will be trying the two together from tonight.

Hello Auriel, I also think my son was trying to wind me up a bit. But he does collect rubber bands and he does like the feel of cotton wool and uses it to calm himself down.

My AS son was looking through this site the other night and he viewed Auriel's details. He had listed his hobbies as Computers and Cheese. My son asked whether I thought that Auriel would understand that his hobbies were Computers, rubber bands and cotton wool!! I would say that my son's current obssessions other than those listed above are:- Stones Bronze coins Any form of video game Using his feet to perform tasks instead of his hands How do I deal with his obssessions? As someone else says I ignore those that do no harm and try to divert him away from those that could get him into trouble.

My son has been taking Melatonin for a while now and it has helped tremendously in getting him to sleep. He used to still be awake at 2 or 3 in the morning before taking it, now he is usually asleep by midnight. Not a miracle but every little helps. However, he still has problems staying asleep and will wake on numerous occasions, although since taking the melatonin he is much less agitated when he wakes. His psychiatrist promised me that she would research the matter and see if she could find anything to help. I've received a letter from her today saying that she has discovered a "longer lasting form of melatonin", presumably slow release and if I would like my son to try it she will send me a prescription. I think we will be giving it a go. Will let you know how we get on.

Yes, I have a continuously hungry son. When he was born the nurses were amazed at how much he needed to consume. According to my husband, it was the talk of the ward. Things haven't changed, he's nearly 13 now but he still seems to eat a very limited range of foods continuously. I've stopped worrying, he's the correct height and weight for his age, he's rarely ill, so I figure he must be getting what he needs.