mossgrove

Noetic I think the way they display the postage costs on the email listing is a bit confusing. The bottom two postage options are to worldwide destinations. Best thing to do is drop an email on the address given to clear the matter up. Simon

If you go to ebay and type in weighted blankets you will fing some matches, all in the US though. I think many of them are being sold by the same people as on Nellie's link. Simon

Kerry Melatonin's effect is about regulating the sleep cycle so the child falls asleep at an approriate time, rather than ensuring the child stays asleep. Some people report that it also enables the child to sleep through, but the research is inconclusive, the only clinically proven effect is to regulate the sleep cycle. You can by slow-release melatonin, which may work for you. Our son gets his melatatonin on prescription. After discussing his dose we doubled it from 2mg to 4mg as it seemed to be having less effect after the first few days. On 4mg he consistently falls alseep after about an hour, and sleeps through, but sleeping through was not a major issue before. Simon

Woo Hooo!!!! That's brilliant news. Simon

Carole Pesonally, I think the Ed Psych is going s little to far in taking her own personl opinion and including it in a report as if it were established fact, especially as I'd guess making that distinction isn't going to be helpful interms of the support you get. To backtrack quite a few years, once Autism had been identified, people like Hans Asperger identified children who had some of the traits of Autism but were also able to converse, learn at school, have friendships and relationships etc., albeit often with more difficulties that were faced by typically developing children, this ultimately led to the concept of Adpergers Sysndrome and also of an Autistic Spectrum of abilities and impairments which is part of mainstream thinking to this day. Debate has continued all along about whether or not such children are 'Autistic', or whether the issues are simply an observed set of behaviours, so in that sense what your Ed Psych is saying is not new. Current mainstream thinking is that all such conditions come under the umbrella of Autistic Spectrum disporders. In terms of the practical day-to-day issues it doesn't matter whether or not the diagnosis is one of Autism, the child has needs which must be met, and it is the Ed Psych's job to identify what those needs are, which is why adding a piece of theory to the report is not helpful, as it may be used later on to argue that certain interventions are not required because the child is not autistic, even if that was not the Ed Psych's intention. Simon

This is a massive issue for us at the moment. In the majority of cases a child who does not wish to leave his parents is fine after a few mins. One of the things that can distinguish an autistic child from his/her peers is that they are not fine after 20 mins, but it can be a problem persuading teachers of this. Our 5 yo is massively stressed by the school environment, to the point where he refuses to go, and does not cope with the school environment when he gets there (or ANY environment with more than a handful of people). Our 7yo just about gets through the day with the help of his 1:1 but does not cope at all when she is not there. Having spoken at length to our 7yo about it, I have come to realise that he really doesn't understand what is going on a lot of the time, and his stress levels are sky high for much of the day. He also gets teased a lot due to his social awkwardness/inaproppriateness and has no understanding of why people can be horrible to him. Specific advice needs to be tailored to the individual child, but things like social stories and visual timetables do help a lot. Please do not assume that this is purely a 'dropping off' issue, and that the problem can be solved by changing the dropping off routine. The refusal of many autistic children to leave their parents is based on a well-founded fear of an environment they do not fully understand, and in many cases the environment does not understand them either, which is why much of the thinking needs to be devoted to ways of making the school environment less stressful. Simon

LouLou We have not been using Melatonin for long with Jack, but according to reports I have read, with the effect of the melatonin can reduce over time, not for all children, but some. The effect can restored by taking a break for a week or two and then resuming as normal. Probably too soon to worry about it this Christmas. Just enjoy your new-found time to yourself. Simon

Kathryn I am outraged on your behalf. They are a shower of b*st*rds! Simon

Lisa There is plenty of stuff on the web,but not sure how much weightyiur doctor would attach to it. Might be worth getting in touch with CAMHS in your area as it is very likely that they will be aware of the issues, it was a consultant from CAMHS that prescribed melatonin to our 7 yo. Simon

Congratulations Helen, you must be very relieved. Just remember not to get carried away with the euphoria and let them get away with murder in the small print. Read it very carefully before you sign anything! Simon

Elaine I'm glad things are starting to happen for you. It is amazing how finding even one professional who understands can lift the spirits! Simon

We have been using melatonin for our 7yo for about the last two weeks as he was lying awake later and later into the evening (about 11.30 - 12.00) and kept getting up and saying he couldn't sleep because his mind wouldn't switch off. It was becoming increasingly difficult to rouse him for school in the morning as he does need his sleep. The effects have been subltle rather tha spectacular but he is a little easier to coax into bed in the first place, and will usually fall asleep after a few minutes, so he us usually asleep by about 10.15. Simon

Barefoot Can't comment on the medication issue, but there is no relationship between IQ and eligibility for a statement. If your son has been presctibed these drugs he must have special needs that are not being met in the school environment. I would strongly recommend applying for a statement in your own right. The school does not have to do it for you, nor do they have the final say on whether or not he get's one. Simon

Good luck! Simon

Bid It must be a very strange mix of emotions for you, but I am glad it is working out well! Simon

Lisa I am not at all sure about the notion that ADHD can be ruled out because she focused well on the day. It a child with ADHD finds the tests very stimulating they will be able to sustain concerntration well. For this reason many kids with ADHD will play on a Playstation or similar for hours. It is conerntration on 'normal' activities that is the issue. Simon

That's great news! Simon

I get mine from the same place as Tez. Despite the .co.uk web site and the prices in pounds, the melatonin will be posted from california, and will take about 5-7 days to arrive. 180 3mg tablets will set you back about �20-25 including the postage, depending on the brand. Simon

Kathryn, Have you tried Melatonin? It seems to have far fewer side effects. Simon Earlier thread on Melatonin

Kathryn Good luck with the forms. Best advice we were given was, remember you are NOT trying to give a balanced assessment of youir childs strengths and weaknesses, you are highlighting needs that you want help with, so think of the worst day you have ever had with your daughter and then exaggerate a little! It's not pleasant, but it is worth it. Simon

It doesn't have that effect on me, and AFAIK it's not one of the known side-effects. Simon

Research suggests that melatonin is most useful in regulating sleep cycles so that people drop off atthe 'right' time. I use it myself for that reason, but have yet to use it wit any of our children, even though our doctor has prescribed it. Simon

Welcome back Jackie. You may wish to look atthe following thread: Discussion on Melatonin Simon

Nellie Does your son see not sleeping until 4 a.m. as a problem? It is possible that the wee small hours when nobody else is awake is a time he enjoys as there will be few, if any demands made upon him. If this is the case, then taking melatonin to get him to sleep earlier will seem irrational to him. Simon

Kathryn Hopefully Nellie will be along in a minute as she is the resident expert on such things. In order to get a statement, you will need some evidence of interventions tried by the school (IEP's etc.) or your clai is likely to get 'bounced' by the Education Authority, so make sure your SENCO documents everything at the meeting, produces a plan of action. follows it up and documents any interventions made. Not sure if some time away from school wpuld harm your case or not. If it's written into the action plan that she needs to have periods away from school it may well help. Sorry if this sounds cynical, but I can't help feeling that some teachers get given the SENCO job in much the same way as one person does first aid, another volunteers to be fire marshall, and someone else looks after the tea kitty. Some SENCO's are wonderful people who do a very good job, others don't seem to have a clue what the job entails,let alone how to do it well, so be prepared to be assertive and specific, and don't be fobbed off. Good luck! Simon