Pippin

What did you make of the ASD student??? I think they didn't do a bad job of it (but I'm prepared to be shot down if need be!!). Especially the way other people percieved him. It cant be easy portraying someone on the spectrum as (as we're all too aware) Joe Public only knows "Rainman" or one or 2 people. They'll say "Oh, that can't be right cos the person I know with ASD doesn't do it like that". I have to say the actor's portrayal was pretty close to how I imagine P will be when he grows up (except P will be MUCH louder!!) Opinions please!!!!!!

P loves to hug everyone (including the Tesco delivery man!!). We now use a chart of "social circles" which shows who he can touch, and how, in the form of a target shape. he is the centre circle, his family are next....and so on. The Tesco man is in the outer circle, by the way!!

I'd be demanding that the LEA recoup the money they gave him for an escort as well as removing his contract. He has commited fraud, and has also endangered his charges.

P is another one with a high pain tolerance. His tooth abscess last week only got noticed by me when his face swelled up. His behaviour had "gone off" but he hadnt mentioned any pain. He's been far better at school since the tooth came out. I hate having to watch for odd changes in behaviour to see if anything is physically wrong with him. It scares me that he wont report anything badly wrong.

Hi all, he's been brilliant. I'm sure he doesn't actually feel pain much.....he just feels "wrong" and his behaviour goes downhill. The dentist took out the tooth. He didnt like the injection but was so fascinated with the xray equipment in the surgery he didnt even notice the tooth coming out!!! (who needs a special needs dentist when there are gadgets to investigate eh??) He had an afternoon slobbing in front of discovery channel and eating ice-cream and went to bed like a darling. His face is already nearly its normal shape! It's a long and slow road, learning to read his signals....but a vital one for him and us. Thanks for all your good wishes. sue

Poor old P came home from school yesterday with the side of his face all swollen. A bit of investigation showed his gum all red and swollen inside too. He's off at the dentist with his dad now. (He's very prone to gum abscesses, despite all our efforts to clean his teeth well). He hasnt complained of pain at all but his behaviour has been awful for the last few days. I went into school to tell them he wouldnt be in and his LSA said "Oh, maybe that explains why hes been so badly behaved for the last week". I just wish she'd said something earlier and maybe I'd have put 2 and 2 together a bit sooner. I keep telling everyone he doesnt react to pain like other kids but they dont really believe me. It worries me what would happen if he gets something serious , like appendicitis. I'm just as much at fault for not spotting it earlier but better communication between school and us would make things so much easier!!! Rant over!!! Off to prepare to comfort small boy on his return!!

"At times i wish we all (family) had Tshirts with "Yes, he's noisy, Yes he Autistic, No i don't care what you think!" on them" now, that's a Tshirt I want!!!

mine have industrial quantities of tesco value plain black socks....and nothing else. there's no patterns and no pairing!!!

It's also wrong of the school to consider a GP as inferior to a Hospital specialist. They are both equally qualified...just in different fields. A GPs opinion is just as valid as a hospital doctor's. You could turn it on them by quoting the people who think primary school teachers are inferior to secondary school teachers, and just waiting for promotion. The sicknote is a legal document and they have no choice but to accept it.

My in-laws are forever saying "I wouldnt let him behave like that" or suchlike. But when he went to stay with them for a few days they wimped out after 2 and said he wanted to come home...we soon got the truth out of him.........but it doesn't stop them blaming us. My parents were both so understanding about him but they're both dead now and all we have is the ******** in-laws!

Mine don't go back until tomorrow!! sob!!! Someone pass the Gin!!

Our school are barking mad on this one. They tell parents off if they send chocolate in a lunch box and run a fruit tuck shop....great, I hear you say. They then run a chocolate tuck shop so that kids can buy expensive chocolate pressies for their families for Christmas and raise money for the school.....they run it every day for a whole term and refuse to accept the little darlings are raiding their piggy banks, buying up said expensive choccies...and eating the lot before they get out of school. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

Thankyou all, we're all doing OK here. The post mortem showed it was a heart attack and we have the funeral arranged for next Thursday. The kids are coping well. P is miffed`cos they wont let him watch the actual cremation!!! And I've just discovered our 2 female rabbits have somehow had babies this morning....so that'll keep the kids minds occupied for a wee while i think!! Take care all

Hi all. My Mum died suddenly last night. She was ill and disabled, but it's still taken the wind out of me. We have so much to organise (right down to the police as it was a sudden death) and the kids have taken it badly, so I'm going to be offline until the new year in order to gather myself back together. Here's hoping you all have a peaceful Christmas and new year (as much as is possible with our special kids!!). See you all in 2008 Pippin

Hi. P had his first EdPsych review in 3 years at school last week and we just got the report (Shame they didnt tell us it was happening int he first place though!! ). Out of the blue they've decided he's dyslexic (funny how we've been telling them that for 4 years and they've been disagreeing with us!!), and has auditory processing problems. I've tried googling, and all my old optometry notes but cant find much other than adverts for various dodgy looking "programs" in the US. Has anyone any experience of APD and ideas on where to look for specific advice? Ta

P's been on it for 5 years now and still only needs 1mg. It made a huge difference to our lives....and his. When the Paed first advocated it melatonin was not available on prescription here so we bought it off the internet. We still do (with the GPs agreement) as he didnt suit the NHS`brand so well. We take a break at weekends and holidays, but it really shows that he still needs it then. His little brother is also showing some signs of long term sleep problems (though he is NT) and we occasionally give him 0.5mg with amazing effect.

Pingu, you certainly need to find a solicitor ASAP...and make a written note of everything that happened now as well, for reference later. Contemporaneous notes are vitally important as people's recollections change over time. We are in the middle of a similar situation at the moment (cant say too much but hubby was similarly arrested last year when someone made a complaint about an entirely innocent action. We are fortunate that the incident happened when we were on holiday and the only place we will have to face these people is in court as we are suing them.) I would also recommend you see your GP over the stress it has caused as he will then have it in writing. Good luck, and try to keep as calm as you can.

It gets me so mad when schools go overboard on the politically correct stuff, yet ignore the underlying problem. Tell them they're guilty of disability discrimination by accusing him of racism....that'll confuse them!! I've never met a 7 year old who understands what racism is...NT or ASD. They may repeat stuff they hear, but all that proves is that their hearing works!! And as for the primary school which threatened to involve the Police........I'm truly gobsmacked. I'd bet a lot of money they wouldn't call the police if an ASD child was hit!!!

"So I told her not to worry, just take the homework to the teacher and tell her you couldn't understand it and could she go through it again. Did the teacher do this?....no, she just took the book and wrote "Homework Unfinished" and didn't even explain it to her. When I was at school if you got stuck the teacher showed you what to do grrrrrrrrr." Last year we had a real issue with P's teacher doing this, so i started replying in his homework book. Every time she wrote "not finished" I wrote "not compulsory". She hated me!. He's changed teachers this year and it's sooooo different. It'll be a different matter when he hits secondary school though as homework IS compulsory there.

Thanks Flora, it's good to hear from others in the same situation. My gut feeling is NOT to have her assessed unless and until she wants it. I'm doing some reading up on girls and AS and I think we'll just work out some startegies from those.

Hi, as you know my son has HFA and we've found the diagnosis very useful in getting him help. My eldest daughter (11)has many of the traits and struggles with friendships quite badly. I just wonder whether an AS diagnosis would be helpful or harmful. Her school arent too bad with her but social clubs such as guides are a nightmare as she is expected to "just get on with it" socially and all the adults see is when she responds in kind to the bullying and she ends up in trouble. She's come back from guide camp in tears this weekend. Would having a "label" help others give her a little leaway or cause more problems??Has anyone else been through this with a girl??

"I was excellent at goal keeper in Lacrosse" Now THAT'S a dangerous place to be Mumble!! I was fine in Lacrosse until a ball came anywhere near me....after that I was usually in the medical centre covered in blood. I wimped out at Parent's evening as the teacher was so sweet about both the girls and I didnt want to burst the bubble. I'll go in after half term and take it up with the HT.

"cross country is hardly an exciting option for primary age children" You're so right Karen. It just happens to be the personal interest of this particular teacher (who is brilliant otherwise, incidentally - apart from preferring non-clever kids). Her son runs for the county and she just loves the sport. The school seem to be so disorganised on the sporting front. There is no "policy" to speak of. They just seem to have a go at anything they can find a volunteer for. We've got Parents evening in a couple of weeks so I think I might save it up for that.

OK, so this involves my 2 NT (alledgedly!) girls but you lot are so good at knowing what to do that I thought I'd try here. Now, If a child is not naturally good at, say, Maths or reading, it's not normal policy to shout at them, humiliate them in front of their classmates and tell them it's their own fault they're no good and they'll only improve by practicing, is it?. Of course, this practice must take place with the best other children in the class...and be the same standard work the cleverer ones are doing. No, they get help with others of the same ability. So WHY do they insist on doing it in sport??? My girls are not unfit, not overweight and eat healthily....but they're ###### at running, and other sports too. They dont breathe correctly and get stitches. They are active girls and do modern dance twice a week so they're NOT unfit. I wouldnt want to label them dyspraxic, but they're not far off. The teacher makes them run with the first cross country team and yells at them that they're "not fit" when they get in trouble. ...and this is primary school, by the way. They're getting to hate sport....which I really dont want to happen. This teacher is absolutely adamant that they need to be doing this, and doing it her way. She refuses to teach any form of breathing control....she says it will come naturally as they "get more fit". I suspect she's just relishing the chance to have a go at them as they always come top in anything accademic and she doesn't like bright kids, but how can we stop her??

Mind you, being the Arsembly, they might just do something different just to stick 2 fingers up at Westminster. They've done it with prescription costs and elderly nursing funding. I'm not holding my breath but......Nye Bevan WAS Welsh and they still worship him out here