jo4themo

We borrowed this from Lovefilm a few weeks ago and we all (me, hubby and two kiddies) loved it. N (AS) was on the PC at the start and even though she didn't come and sit on the sofa to watch it she kept laughing at it and asked to watch it again. Amazon have got it quite cheap at the mo - word of warning tho, one of the special features is alternate endings...one of them is OK but the other I am glad the girls didn't see as it's quite gory and upsetting.

Poor you! It's not just commuters. When I was about 7 months pregnant with my middle child I had gone into town on the bus. After I had done some shopping I caught the bus home. Got to my bus stop, waited until the bus was completely stopped before I stood up, got halfway to the door and slipped (it had been raining and the floor was wet). I couldn't put my hands out to stop me as I had shopping in both hands so I went down hard (luckily I managed to turn slightly so I landed more on my side than my bump. I was a bit dazed and lay there for a little bit but the bus driver and passengers just sat there. After a minute or so a lovely lady came to help me even though it meant she had to leave her little boy (age about 3) on his own on the seat. What really got me was the bus driver never even asked if I was OK as I got off the bus

We finally got to see this today (the 2D version)- we moved house at the end of July and we never take Niamh in the first week or so after a film comes out as it's just too busy for her. It was perfect as there was only about 4 or 5 other families in there and we were not sat near any of them so Niamh could bounce and head-roll without disturbing anybody. We all thoroughy enjoyed it - esp Niamh who reminded me last night she has been waiting about 730 days to watch it since she first heard they were making it. All three kiddies were fab and they were glued to it - it is just as good as the first two.

Niamh has wanted to watch this since she first heard about it - over a year ago! We (even my hubby who normally hates the cinema) are going to take them in a couple of weeks time as I never take her in the first week of a film opening as it's just too busy for her plus we are moving house in a week. I took her and her brother and sister to see Shrek 4 a couple of weekends ago and we got there nice and early so it wasn't too full when we wnet into the cinema. Niamh loved it, although I didn't think it was as funny as the other Shreks. Glad Shaun enjoyed it!

I grew up with Sylvester McCoy as Dr Who and must have watched most of his when I was little. When they brought it back with Christopher Eccleston I watched it and Niamh enjoyed it. When they made David Tennent the Dr I wasn't sure about him and it took me about 4 or 5 episodes to get used to him. When it was announced he was leaving Ciara was upset as she was too young when Eccleston was the Dr but had really got into it. I honestly thought I wouldn't like Matt Smith, but thought I would give the new series a go.... well I ate my words as from the start of the first episode I was hooked - Niamh also loves him and as for Ciara it's David who?? LOL. Have to agree about the Daleks though, they weren't as scary this time.

Niamh has been using school taxis for the last 5 (almost) years since she started at her special school. Her first taxi company's driver and escort came and introduced themselves to us and Niamh during the summer holidays before she started. I also let her take a book to start with (books are her thing) so she wouldn't get bored as its a journey of approx 35 mins each way. Luckily Niamh has always travelled well and hardly ever complains of being bored unless it's a really long journey (even so, I worried the whole of the first day she went to school , partly due to it being a new school but mainly the taxi ride!) When they changed taxi companies the new driver and escort didn't get the chance to introduce themselves due to lack of time (I never did find out why the first company was dropped by County) but Niamh was fine with it and soon got used to them. She doesn't take a book now and is fine. Like earlier posts I suggest he takes something to keep him occupied and get them to introduce themselves before he is due to start.

Niamh (age 11) has been waiting for it for over a year - she told me last summer she couldn't wait for Christmas as it would be almost 2010 and Toy Story 3!! LOL! She loves the first two (esp the first one) and spent her Christmas money on Toy Story Lego. I will probably do what i always do and wait for a few weeks after it comes out before I take them as otherwise it's just too busy and noisy for her.

As far as I know (I currently work in a playgroup and looked into becoming a childminder last year) a childminder can only care for children age under 8 if they are registered with OFSTED. If they are just going to be caring for children age over 8 they do not have to be registered. I looked into it as my friend needed childcare for her daughter age 8, but she would only be able to claim childcare benefit from Tax Credit if I was registered. Hope this helps!

My youngest two love Horrible Histories (as do I and hubby!)ks around for the theme song then leaves the room (she says its beacuse it is too disgusting - I think she would be fine if it was cartoon rather than "real-life". She has lots of the books (and some of the Science ones) and she loves reading them. They all love Big Babies, although I am yet to watch a full episode), plus ciara loves Deadly 60. All three of them also like Mission 2110 - lots of robots in it which appeals to both Niamh and Thomas.

Thanks Justine I think the decision has been made for us as this afternoon Niamh was out in the garden bug hunting when some "flying stones" as she called them came over from next door just missing her. Of course, she never thought to tell me this until a while later - normally I keep an eye on them if they are outside but I was busy doing tea. Luckily none of them hit her and she never threw any back. She is still not keen on the idea, but I think she will like it once we are there as even though we will still have a neighbour on each side of us hopefully they will have better-behaved kids!

We currently live in a 3 bed Housing Association house but have been looking to swap for just under a year. The reasons we want to move is so that he girls will get their own room as N is very messy and takes ages to get to sleep which is unfair on her younger sister, although they get on really well. Also we have had some problems with our neighbous kids (the ones each side of us) with them throwing things in our garden, teasing of n's sister and throwing stones at the windows. Each time I have caught them I have told their parents with mixed results - one will tell her child off the other couldnt really care less and within days they are doing it again. We hjave had no probs over the winter but now the better weather is here I cannot let my kids out to play in the back garden unless I am there as well. The new place is in a small village about 3 miles from where we currently live. None of the kids would have to change schools as my hubby would be able to take them in the mornings and our childminder would be able to bring them home in the afternoons. I do not drive and the bus service to this village is virtually non-existent so I would be reliant on my hubby and taxis to get me home from work until I pass my test. It will up our living costs if we do move, what with extra childcare, extra fuel etc but we think it would be better for our kids. However, when we asked the kids what they thought the younger two (both NT) said they wanted to move but N said she doesn't want to. When I asked her why she just said because she doesn't want to. She finds change a struggle at school (changing classes, new children, Sports Day etc) but is normally fine with changes at home providing she is told about them beforehand. We have to decide soon as they are other people interested in this house - any advice please?

If you are not happy with your paed you can ask for a second opinion. When N was first referred to one (by our fantastic health visitor) the paed was more interested in Ns large head than the fact she wasn't walking, or even "crusing" around the furniture at 2 and a half! After 3 sessions with her - she measured Ns head every time although I had told her that both me and my dad have large heads - we asked our Health Visitor if we could have a 2nd opinion. We were then referred to a fab paed in another area who actively started looking for a reason for her delayed mobility (back then this was the only real sign something was wrong although she did have various stims, albeit quite mild ones). 2 years later, after several blood tests, an MRI and x-rays I asked him if he thought she was ASD - her behavior had deteriorated by then and her stims were way more obvious - (after I had seen a boy on TV who displayed a lot of characteristics similar to N) and he agreed and arranged for her to be seen by the assessment panel, and 6 months later she was dx with AS.

Hi there My daughter, N, went to mainstream playgroup (she was dx with AS a few months before her 6th birthday but had mobility problems from a young age eg didnt walk unaided until she was 3) and coped OK, although she never played with the other children and spent a lot of time in the book corner she would join in with art activities and would play with construction toys at the tables. She went to our local primary school until the end of Year 2, when rather than going onto the junior school she went to a special school. Socially she really struggled at mainstream , she never had any friends although several of the other children tried to be friends with her, she spent every playtime reading on a bench, she was very anxious and her behavior deteriorated (she would pinch, hit etc). She started at her special school on the understanding that she would maintain links with the local mainstream school, and at the end of Year 2 she went there once a week. It was meant to build up a whole morning once a week but she never lasted more than an hour before her LSA took her back to her special school as she wasn't coping. Now she is special school all the time and is much more settled - she has a few friends, will play some games with them in the playground, albeit on her terms, and her behavior has got a lot better. She entered mainstream school a very bright girl but hardly learnt a thing whilst she was there as I think she was just too anxious., whereas at he current school she is ahead academically of all the other children in her class. As her parents we spent many hours wondering where would suit her the best, but decided on special school as even though she may do better academically at mainstream, in all honesty we don't think she would as she would be so stressed and anxious. Her happiness is what matters and she is def more happy at special school, although she is never goignt o love school - she was recently asked as part of her Statement Review what she enjoyed about schoola nd she said "When it's lunchtime and when we play outside and I can hunt for bugs"!! LOL However, I have a friend who has a son who is a year older than N who also has AS and he has gone to mainstream all his life and managed to cope with it and make a few good friends - he is now at mainstream secondary.

N was almost 6 when she was diagnosed, but we knew she was most likely on the spectrum from just after her 5th birthday when I saw a boy on TV who had Aspergers and acted just like her! We knew that something wasn't quite right from the age of 4 on, and looking back she showed ASD symptoms from as young as 6 months.

Thank you for your replies. We have decided to leave it at the moment as what we would gain with Carer's we would pretty much loose with TC, plus my hubby may be changing jobs soon so that will just complicate things.