mossgrove

Kathryn, Wecome to the forum, I am father to four children, the eldest two (4 and 6) are both on the Autistic Spectrum. Good luck with the SENCO. On the issue of a tatement, go with your instincts. As we are discovering, It's a sad fact of life that many SENCO's will advise parents that a statement is not necessary when a statement is very necessary. Many (most?) SENCO's have less knowledge and experience of dealing with children with Austistic Spectrum disorders than the children's parents do. So come here, join a local support group, join the National Autistic Society, get loads of advice, speak to your GP and consultant, and never ever be afraid to challenge any advice you are given as YOU are the expert. Simon

Our eldest (6)has been doagnosed with Aspergers. His behaviour/development was a cause for concern from quite an early age but I couldn't say that there was a regression. Most of the males in my family (Including myself) have aspie-ish tendencies so I am pretty sure the root cause is genetic. Anecdotally, there doesn't seem to be a clear link established between MMR and Aspergers and related (so-called) 'Higher Functioning' Autistic Spectrum Disorders. I don't really know of many cases where a child with Asperegers has 'regressed' at all,whether or not the child has had MMR. It seems that the issues are there from the outset. There is overwhelming evidence that MMR can trigger a severe regression in some children. What we don't know for certain is whether the regression was 'caused' or 'triggered', which is where more research is certainly needed. Simon

Curra Your sons poor co-ordinationis typical of many ASD kids. The specialist who should deal with this issue is an Occupational Therapist. When we applied for Jack's statement we insisted that an Occupational Therapy assessment formed part of the assessment, and problems were identified and strategies put in place. I belive you can also get a referral via your GP Simon

Curra Welcome to the forum! I have often used our cats names as usernames online so we have something in common. It can be a confusing and bewildering time coming to terms with a diagnosis, especially if it was not expected. Talking to people in a similar position (on or off-line) is a good way to start as it's important to understand that you are not alone. You may wish to spend some time browsing the National Autistic Society's website at National Autistic Society or find out about the support groups in your area. Similarly Tony Attwoods Guide to Aspergers Syndrome (From Amazon and elsewhere) is a must-read book for all parents. For a positive look at raising children with Autistic Spectrum disorders you may wish to read 'Multicolored Mayhem' by Jacqui Jackson who is a single parent of 7 children with four boys onthe Autistic Spectrum. Her 14-year old son Luke Jackson has written a book called 'Freaks, Geeks and Aspergers Syndrome'which would be a good book for you and your son to read. You'll find lot's of support here. Simon

The OASIS message board in the US is a good place to read opinions on different medicaation as medication seems to be much more routine over there. Personally I agree woth most of the other posters. I would never be comfortable about medication, but I wouldn't rule it out absolutely if the situation was serious enough, e.g. medication needed to control violence. Simon

Blimey! I drop off the introductions thread for a couple of days and loads of new people join! Welcome one and all! You'll find loads of support here. Simon

As far as I can tell it is a complete lottery as to whether or not you application is accepted. Two more or less identical applications could be submitted, one may succeed, the other fail. I suspect it is because the decsion will be made by non-medical staff based on a subjective assessment of time spent rather than an understanding of Autistic Spectrum disorders, so I am sure that the DWP region you live in and whoever picks upthe form on the day can have a huge impact on your chances of success. It also means it's worth appealing as it will cause someone else to have another look. Simon

That could be me talking ! I have been watching this thread for and while there is a temptation to something that could 'make it all go away', if Jack took such a pill he would be someone else after taking it and no longer Jack. And, despite the issues, I wouldn't swap him for anyone else, so I would have to say no. Simon

Welcome Vastsarah. We can't quite match you on the four children under 9, but do have four children six and under so our household can be quite busy too. (2 with special needs) Forums like this are especially useful for people with larger families as it can be especially hard to get babysitters etc. I am sure you will find plenty of support here! Simon

Wecome Gita! As you can see, you will find loads of support here, so there's no need to feel alone. Simon

Esther Eye-Q isn't really a unique product. It's very high quality and seems to have less aftertaste than some products, but the concept is not new, despite the clever marketing. Fish oil or linseed oil capsules would have a very similar nutritional effect for much less money. Superdrug is probably a good place to start. Simon

I don't read the Daily Mail so I haven't read the article, but would be interesting to see what the original research is actually saying. I would certainly not want to rush to any kind of judgement based upon the Daily Mail's 'spin' on a piece of Research, all the stuff about screening for and, by implication, aborting foetuses *might* have come from the research, but it is equally likely that the emphasis comes from a journalists need for an 'Angle'. Simon

Welcome Esther, Nikki and Lynn I am sure you will find this forum useful. The great thing about it is there are plenty of other people going through the same kinds of thoughts and feelings, so there is no need to feel alone. Simon

Welcome Noetic I hope you enjoy your time here. Are you the same Noetic that posts to the Oasis message board on Delphi? Simon

Lisa Melatonin is available on prescription in this country. Our consultant pediatrician has offered to prescribe it for our son, which is why I asked the question. I have heard that some Health Authorities will not fund melatonin prescriptions, so you may need a private prescription. (Not sure why as it isn't all that expensive) If all else fails, it is easily available mail order from the USA where it is freely available 'over the counter', but this should only be done with the knowledge of your doctor. Simon

We had an appointment with the Consultant Pediatrician yesterday. One of the things that was discussed is Jack's inability to get to sleep until late at night, which is leaving him very tired during the school day and affecting his behaviour. She suggested that we consider giving him Melatonin to help him get to sleep. Has anyone out there used it with a child with an Autistic Spectrum disorder, and did it help? Thanks in anticipation Simon

Nelly Thanks for the support! Your encylopaedic knowledge of all the Special Needs rules and regulations and willing support are part of the foundations of this site. Lee, welcome to the site! One sobering thought about all this is that one of the reasons that there are so few fathers here is that a significant proportion of fathers are no longer at home with their children, as many relationships don't survive the strain of children wirh special needs Hopefully sites like this can help redress the balance by providing the advice and support needed to help families realise they are not alone and stay together in the face of all the pressures. Simon

Welcome to the site Jackie! There are a few of us here he found our way from the Delphi Forum. One thing you can do is read as much as possible. The Tony Attwood guide to Aspergers Syndrome is available from Amazon and is as good a book as any for getting started. There are other ecommended processes on this site Any specific questions you may have will be readily answered here. You may also wish to locate any support groups that exist locally to you as they are an invaluable source of information about what is available in your area. One thing you will have learned already is that most of the support has to be asked for, it's rarely volunteered. Simon

By coincidence we bought some at the weekend. Unfortunatey we were unable to get Jack to swallow the capsules (They are too big for him), even though he was willing to try. Does anyone know if you can buy it as a liquid? Simon

We are still at the form-filling stage but others have claimed the allowance successfully. Whether you get the allowance or not seems to depend on pot luck! There is a thread in 'parent to parent' on this forum entitled 'benefits' which gives a little more insight. http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=95 Your local autistic society would be an excellent place to start. Simon

Elanor I have no personal experience to pass on, but if you do a keywordsearch on risperdal at the Oasis forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/AspergerOasis You will find several threads referencing it. The consensus is that it can have very positive efects, but that weight gain can be a serious problem, and it doesn't always mix well with other drugs. Simon

Welcome Sandra! My name is Simon, we have four children and our eldest (6) has Aspergers Syndrome. He is at amainstream Primary School with 1:1 support. We live on the Wirral. You may find discussions are a little quite at the moment as many of the regular contributors seem to be taking a break for Christmas.

I saw the program and hav taken an interest in this for a while. Readingup on the issue suggests that it can have excellent results wit some cghildren and littel or no effect with others. We haven't tried it yet, mainy because our AS son (6) is very fussy about food, and if we took away all bread, pasta etc. there would be very little left. It's something we would like to try in the future though. Simon

I am sorry if I caused upset with my remarks, all I was trying to do was get across the thought that Austistic Spectrum disorders are behavioural in nature, and could have one of several causes (or no clear cause). So I guess what I was trying to say was that I am not comfortable with a poll that asks us to pick the 'cause' from a list of single causes, which is where we came in. I am as convinced that my son's aspergers was NOT caused by the MMR vaccine as you are convinced that it was. (To be frank, we never really had the placid, verbal stage ) I am perfectly ready to accept that we are both right. What we can agree on is that there is a pressing need for further research so that we can all understand the cause(s) of Autism. Simon

'Autistic Spectrum disorder' is a name given to a collection of behaviours, rather than a physical condition. I suspect that there can be one or many underlying causes. I am sure there is a genetic component as several members of my family (myself included) who have some AS traits. Equally my ASD son had a slightly premature, long and diffcult birth and this may have contributed as well. I am sure we will find out more as research continues, but it's premature to rush to conclusions such as an increase in ASD's being 'caused'by MMR. Simon