Suze

Hi Emma, welcome xx have you told those close to you about how you feel ?........your friends and family ?

Jeanne xxx .......my fingers are crossed for you, having him closer would give you so much more oppurtunities and hopefully it will help Glenn also.I,m hoping all goes well on the visit , good news about the meds and anxiety being better , lets hope its all a turn in the right direction for you all xxx

As a mum of an AS son thats exactly how my son sees his diagnosis/disability............he would and never has told anyone or claimed to be disabled.At school he would use the term "special needs ".........but now he has left he no longer uses this.I still see his AS in him he gets very dismayed if his plans change, he does,nt have a social life like most 18 yr olds.However he fills his life with other stuff and is out cycling most weekends.My feelings as a mum are how the ASD can impact when you guys become depressed , then I feel it becomes much more disabling , my son can become embroiled in over thinking and analyising stuff if you factor depression into that you also double or treble the disability factor...........hope that made sense .

Hi Jo , a first port of call would be your GP I would suggest a referral to a physch for assessment.Take your mum with you as she will be able to talk about your younger years etc , and she can support you sometimes its difficult to convey your concerns /worries without support .Best of luck x

its a sensory thing , my son used to chew objects.I read the book sensory perceptions in autism by olga bogdashina and this really helped me understand my son more.

5 out of twenty.................not sure what any of this means lol

I,m 60 % 12 out of twenty .

I,m really chuffed Sally is joining the moderating team, she is one of the forums best advisors regarding educational issues, welcome Sally xx

Did special not already do this ?........surely the web link is enough ?

love it down there my dream would be to live in Thurlstone , hope to have my ashes thrown off the coastal path there its beautiful.

Running is brill do you have a local parkrun? www.parkrun.com

OOOH love cornwall and devon too, did,nt realise you were down there skimrande ..........where abouts ? Welcome Taranta..........when my son was young I made alot of friends by joining mother and baby type groups.We used to do a library activity where by the local library did a story and music time, we also did tumbletots.My son even at the age of 2 found some situations very difficult due to his autism , but we always did stuff within his comfort zone.Have you tried a mother and baby group ..sometimes you can find a good local one on your local council website.

Smiley I,m a keen runner I do about 25/30 miles a week and I try not to run everyday ........I would if I could as I love the "me" time it gives me.......so I try to have at least 2 days off a week so my body can recover .I know that restless feeling well. Why are you not going to the gym at the moment ?

Hi Alex , don,t try too hard and don,t over think your behaviour , try to relax and be yourself.Have you told any of your trusted friends of your AS?.........they maybe able to give you some clues as to how girls are around you and if they are interested in you, if you are having trouble picking these social cues up.Also alot of attraction initially is physical so if you have clean clothes, teeth and hair this will help ..........lol............I only say this as my son needs reminding to comb his hair and wash !!.........girls will always like someone who smells nice ..oh and wears trendy shoes !!!........music is a good interest to meet girls ...there are many forums aimed at bands, I,m a mahoosive Muse fan and when not on this forum I,m usually on muse.mu

Hopefully that won,t happen Skimrande , welcome Lynda really pleased xx

Sometimes NT is used as a term so posters can discern between those with a diagnosis and those that are not.....however the terms NT, diagnosed and awaiting/seeking diagnosis , are just 3 general categories that make posting easier , without the need for a long explanation. ............talking about the word normal I guess in very general terms it describes a majority ,but as Justine says I don,t like the term and agree with her views on its use .

Sorry Sally ...............hate doing this .... but your comment on feeding kids from autism units to mainstream..........I have to disagree with you as far as my sons experience goes .My son was in a unit and went from constant 1;1support in yr 7 to only support in english and maths for dyslexia ..he was also mentoring younger kids , his experience was hugely positive............however it should be noted he had the same key worker throughout this time who was absolutely brilliant and he is still in contact with her 2 yrs later..........so maybe the key here for Lisas son is the importance of a constant and experienced TA who your son is happy with.Sometimes these people are more important that the educational placement.

Your sons school obviously don,t know much about autism do they .I would be very upset also.If it were me I would be penning a letter to the head and copying the governors into it also.32.5 hrs a week is alot so your son obviously has a very good statement.I would request an autism advisor go in and do a managed hand over of the old teaching assistant and the new one.Had this been my son he would have regressed from this episode .

Excellent adviceyou,ve been given Smiley , you need to take on board the help offered ,,,hugs suzex

Gosh ...........never felt like that or dealt with that.For me autism is part of my son and makes him who he is.I never felt anger and rage ......there were times when depression struck me but that was usually due to dealing with the experts not dealing with my son. The link is very Americanised .........and it leaves me feeling uncomfortable to me ranting at somebody else makes me no better than them.They are the person with the problem, not the parent or the child with autism... ............only my view I know all kids are different and all parents face different challenges as do their kids xx

I,m really pleased xx

Hi nic, my son had petit mal type seizures at high school, he used to switch off and shut down with all the sensory stuff going on.Your son may benefit from a quiet area during break and dinner where he can go to relax and recharge himself.My son used the SEN zone at school.Also stress can be reduced by letting him leave classes early to avoind the crush in the corridoors etc.If you can ask the senco at school to get the local authorities autism advisor in to offer some guidance in making school easier for him.Write all your worries and key points down to take to the meeting with you and take another adult for support, don,t go on your own........also olga bogdashinas book sensory perceptions in autism is brill and worth a read, your son sounds as if he has alot of sensory issues .Best wishes suzex

I agree with Mel, the autism changes and manifests differently.........it certainly has for my son.I think things may change when they are able to control their environment more and are not forced into scenarios they find uncomfortable.

No I feel how you do, I,m quite a sensitive person and dislike confrontation and anger in particular.For me I feel it comes from childhood and having a father who when angry would shout.To this day I hate raised voices.My AS son rarely gets angry now (he did when younger )......if he ever loses his temper its more as a result of stress and anxiety.I think its very important to learn to apologise.We all can get angry, its also about learning to say sorry aswell after .

Its a bit much when the guys at hospital are,nt giving you any info.Is he focusing on these voices when he is anxious or stressed as a way of coping.Perhaps when very anxious he becomes confused and is focusing on his internal thoughts etc.