TuX

there is a more visual way to do it, go to: Start>all programs>acccessories>system tools>character map

Mumble and Pearl... have both tried the national autistics' buddy service? http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=344 Not sure if it's exactly what is wanted though.

is it this one: http://www.jordanseyes.com/ Found it through wikipedia.

krystaltps, put blog link in signature-it'll convert even more people to Beagleism. http://www.imageshack.us/ or http://www.imgspot.com/ are both good for uploading photos/avatars.. as they don't need registering an account to use.

it's a good free program,better than ms paint. There have been a lot of free graphics programs-try GIMP,Viper- http://www.gimp.org/ it's as close to photoshop will get,for free program. There used to be a great program called ArtRage a few years back that was easy for anyone to use but can't seem to find it anymore. ......found it- http://www.ambientdesign.com/artragedown.html -the starter version is free,dont know how different it is now though.

Both visit GP-give them list of problems he has,ask if he could be referred to a pysch. who is experienced in ASD [make sure he is not referred to someone in general mental health as ASD is not their experience,in some areas there is no choice though-it's an easier way to end up misdiagnosed]. with ASD,especially when it's very mild and HF-it can be harder to diagnose in adults,because of improvement with age and better coping skills learned,it's also harder if they have got other conditions to,but all this will mean is the need for either longer appointments,or more of them. the pysch will want to know his developmental history. A diagnosis [whether he's given AS,classic/kanner or pddnos] should give him the chance to use the various adult autism services available-some areas are better than others with this,but a good place to start is with the NAS,they have day centres which he could attend if he wanted [but will require funding awarded first from SS/council],they have social/support groups which don't require funding but might only run once a month or once every week,he could get a free travel pass,DLA if have support needs [and via DLA-he can get access to schemes like Ring And Ride bus services]. Before forget........he could also be diagnosed privately,it's a lot easier to get an ASD specialist this way,if am remember correctly,the NAS can help with finding a private ASD pysch,they also have their own diagnostic services.

Adopt them.

Stretford>Manchester

was told before it was late,had had a MD earlier and was asleep for a while,so have come onto laptop later than normal,have been listening to music for a while,only "All I Need" and "Videotape" [Radiohead] on loop,out of all bands would have expected some sedative effect from them. Anyone else with getting to sleep/stopping use of laptop/pc problem should install windows vista,and use realplayer for music,delete any other music player- make sure to play music in realplayer constantly,it'll crash and shutdown realplayer making the person more likely to turn off or become more aware of what is going on outside computer. For the luckier ones,it'll even give a "blue screen of death",likely to make the person turn off computer immediately. Unfortunately,this will not work on all vista with realplayer computers-and asome do it more than others,and running realplayer manually in administrator mode [right click realplayer logo] removes this insomnia cure completely.

They probably do it because of funding for the escort,they will put the person with whom they consider need it more. exactly the same thing happens in residential homes,tends to rarely happen in this home as both night staff are needed,but it happens in other houses a lot. they [as well as whoever is in charge of sorting the taxis] don't seem to realise that this switching about at short notice is agonising for a lot of autistics. their excuses will likely be the same as well-'not everything can be helped and always prepared for',had it off them many times. funding means more to those in charge of it,than clients,they won't start to respect the situation of what this causes,unless make a lot of complaint about it,if they don't do anything,what about getting an advocacy group in? Has DS ever had a risk assessment for being in taxis? eg,would he be likely to have a meltdown with no escort there,or try to escape? the more reasons there should be an escort in there [including with the other boy] the better.

Is there no way can avoid them? Any other supermarkets nearby?

The people who live near parents' in Stretford can beat that-they have had theirs up all year-they never even take them down. it's a little like a mini version of the Blackpool lights display outside their house when they are all switched on. On subject of trees,had a little one of own for bedroom and every year after getting used to it being out,had a fight over it with dad because didn't want to see it go. This year,am going to get one of those trees that look like they've got frost on the tips,they look very nice.

If earplugs don't help completely,combo them with a pair of ear defenders. This is what am do [also go to tesco on tuesday],nevermind people on the spectrum,it's surprising NTs aren't meltdowning at the end of it,extremely long cues [want to be anywhere but there due to surrounding noise],everyone using credit cards for any little thing slowing the rest down,people who set the security alarm off-walking back in,then walking out to set it off again-and some of them repeat it,screaming children....people who leave their packed trolleys piled up across the isle whilst they're off somewhere else so makes it very difficult to get past,those who treat the shop as an unofficial creche whilst their off doing their shopping leaving their children running everywhere screaming........ It's like something off the Jeremy Kyle show. Science Geek, what type of tesco is it? Is it one of the huge warehouse type tescos? or small low ceiling tesco? warehouse type ones are the worst for people with hypersensitivity to noise/sound processing problems due to their maximum space for echoeing,the smaller lower ceiling ones are better.

Bid, am looking for a new kitten soon to [although won't have problems with having to introduce him to another cat],new residential home am moving to has allowed to get a cat,there is a breeder of Maine Coons on the next street here,and am hoping they've got plans for new litter in near future/soon. An idea for introducing them-get a completely new cloth,and wipe it all over one of them,now let the other smell it,and do the same for the other,do this often so they get used to the scent. this helped sisters cats be reintroduced when the mum ran off for a bit and her kitten didn't recognise her.

Tally, have a look at this page: http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/bach/floweran.html cat world magazine used to write about a lot of this stuff working on cats behavior. And torties are great [and tortie and whites to].

am probably one of the lucky few who doesn't get this treatment off strangers-get the opposite,sometimes get strangers coming up asking about whether am have autism,strangers asking if need any help,but more often get abuse,it does not bother-recently,was walking through stretford mall with support staff going out the door when a group of teenage girls coming in,started the abuse,didn't turn around but gave them the v sign with fingers,actually heard them all shut up in an instant,learnt that one from sisters' boyfriend which he uses on people when they say how bad his football team are [norwich city]. on public transport,if am show pass,they usually let support staff on with am for free but they've all got their own passes anyway. do get times when people sat on the buses try to force eye contact,when they see am using the 'free' pass,because am do not have a wheel chair,hearing aid or cane,but it is normal to be expected as a lot of people still have that belief about disability. they have probably come across loads of people with disabilities [inc. developmental,pyschiatric,learning and health] never noticed,it would be nice if some had more understanding though,people do not need to have the knowledge to have the understanding.

Mumble, sorry for being off topic,but have been wondering this for a long time. what was it like being near the plane/getting on the plane/being on the plane/getting off the plane etc in terms of noise? have never been on or near a plane before and it is dream to go to Canada [anywhere there is a lot of snow] have got so many different ideas of what it's like off people who do not have sensory problems it's confusing. an NT [staff] said it's extremely loud on take off and landing and am would probably need sedation. how bad is it?

Hello Krystaltips, sorry for not replying yet. Did the neighbours know about the problem fireworks would cause? It is another reason why they should be banned from being used in towns where people live,there are too many houses together and it is giving more rights to fireworks users than it is to those who are left in agony from them. People should not be allowed to force it on others like this,if they want to see fireworks,they should go to the big firework shows,or to a country where there is a war on. Are the fireworks still going off there? They are still going off here,but not as bad as they were. wait till around new years eve and they will be doing it all again. wish they could all just see it the same way as those affected by them see it. re.fireworks. Had a review meeting recently with the managers,social worker,autism speech therapist,key worker,sister and dad. they all argued to the managers how can they even think of sending am out on the street when the other lady who lives here has got her hair dryer on,because the fireworks are a major risk,the managers said it was okay am could go out in staffs' cars and could go to KFC or just for a drive to get away from the fireworks. some time afterwards,one of the staff said she almost lost her job for taking am out in car,and she said the manager was saying she had never said was allowed to go out in staff cars at all and that staff had heard her wrong. so the first time after going out after the stopping of going in cars,and having to stand at the wall with no protection from noise whatsoever [was wearing earplugs and eardefenders but they are not going to help with this] would anything other than this have happened-it was like a war zone-ended up meltdowning there and then,skull was dented in,was bloodied and restrained on the floor by the two staff who were with am,but everytime another firework went off,it just started off again. Next day,got sister to phone the manager to ask about why going in cars was taken away-why she was suddenly okay with allowing am into a major risk but won't let the rest of us have sharp knives or scissors or glass in the house because they don't want the other lady who lives here to harm herself with it. The excuse given was am should not have just been using the staff for going to KFC,they were not doing it for that,so that is why they took it away. The managers were the ones actually recommending am go to KFC and the ones promising sister and dad was not going to come to any harm.

in the inst. residential complex am used to live in ,the respite unit part of it had auties staying over regulary and some aspies,they're closing down the rest of it but the respite unit is still open and run privately now,if in manchester,might be worth finding out about getting a place there,although they are knocking the unit down to,and moving the respite somewhere else. Edited by Summertime to remove the name of the unit but anyone in the Manchester area could Pm TuX for more details. thanks Summer

Tally, could it be about wanting to make sense of it all? or is she very experienced on it already? if it helps her to learn anything she did not know about self and asd,then it could help long term. she could be one of those mums' who completely denie the ASD exists,because they might see admitting that as meaning it's their fault. it's good that she's accepting it in this way? ps.beautiful tortie in av.

wondering what is everyones opinions on them,and does anyone here have them? what are they like as pets? are they autie/or aspie friendly,eg,noise issues? have read some of the wikipedia article about them [says they don't like noise,they prefer to be up at night etc],and it also says they dont like being held,but have been told by night staff who's friend owns a pet shop that his chinchillas like all the rubs and attention,and from what have seen on some chinchilla videos on the internet,they seem to be the same as well. is it something that depends on the amount of time given to taming and being nice to them? am finally being allowed to get a pet here [they are cattist and won't allow cats in the house,had a beautiful old cat called fluffybum whom lived outside and had took over the parenting of him a long while ago but found him dead the other week],so they have said can get a caged type pet,and am really like the idea of getting a chinchilla. have an old cage back at parents home [the marchioro TOM rat cage- http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/rodents/cages/rat_cage/13280 ] as the rats used to live in that before getting them the ferret kingdom,would that be any good/big/suitable enough for a chinchilla if it had some wooden shelves attatched [dad would do this]?

weirdness is or should be a required trait for being a cat. biscuit [in avatar] eats plain spaghetti,quarter pounders,chips and fried eggs,she was never actually fed these things,but would grab them off peoples' plates when they weren't looking. had a cat called billy years ago who ate peas,and Blackies' favourite was quavers,fluffybums' was sirloin steak. Bid, do have any photos of her?

http://en.mapleeurope.com/Landing.aspx -----might have issues with vista,at least version am tried did,one for runescape type fans especially. http://www.americasarmy.com/ -------need quite a good computer spec. for this. both have to be downloaded rather than played online.

also agree with Lucas,people who do not meet enough aspergers criteria,but are definitely on the spectrum would be classed under pddnos not 'borderline aspergers' as minimum criteria is required at least for an official label diagnosis. question is,would want to apply an asd label to self officially anyway,if do not have support needs or impairments beyond social difficulty [as help can be gained for that without specific diagnosis]-the labels automatically stereotype the person with disability and has the association with autism [which is always seen as the most severe lf with mr case]-this can affect everything in the persons' daily life, and can result in the ss threatening to take away an asd parents child,and discrimination. the benefit of a diagnosis,should be bigger than the risk,write down or think of all the benefits that will have,and see if they are more important than the risks. diagnosis.. general mental health pyschs are probably the worst to go to because they are not specialised in ASDs,their expertise is in mental and pyschiatric illness,the best are pyschs who are experienced with ASDs in adults [and not paed. specialists who might sometimes work with adults but are experienced with children] as they will understand that auties and aspies can and do improve over the years however minimal,whereas the least experienced or paed. pyschs often use child criteria to diagnose.

to krystaltips [Tally,Caroline and jb], the manager said wasn't allowed to have the helmet at first as staff are supposed to so this,but then said she was going to speak to one of the specialists [who know what they are talking about,unlike the managers]. she also said she was adding more to support plan and guidelines,and is sending all staff on more training about am. Krystaltips, make sure before he is an adult,that he can still get access to melatonin as adult,as adult services in uk are useless with it,especially GPs. why do they not sell it in holland and barrat type shops? mum asked them if they had it once,and they had never heard of it. in the inst. am used to live in,there was a sensory room-it was great to use.....but then trafford council took everything out of it including the flooring and put a pc in there for the managers and staff to use [they had a whole floor full of rooms to use for themselves already?]. the home am in now,is big,but has no where for a sensory room,am also going to be eventually moved out-they're speaking to the ss about getting funding for a NAS home place,wonder do their homes have sensory rooms? the website doesn't say much about them. have got a lot of sensory stuff in bedroom already [touch and visual],but no way near enough as would like. they probably won't fund for anymore as they already fund for a NAS day centre,one to one support and are trying to swap funding to a NAS res. home,the managers argued about getting funding just for that one,they said it wouldn't be possible,not what the nas website says-will see what social worker says about that when she speaks back to them. Anna, if meds would be good for him,are there no types available that would not cause problems? Kathryn,suzy27,Mumble and anyone else who has firework noise problems], would sedation [at least on bonfire night] help? have been told gps will give it,can't remember what it's called or whether it is any good. thought fireworks were banned from being used at anything but organised places this year? why should it be forced on other people,such as in streets/where people live? better to have them in organised places somewhere,where at least those who want them can go there,and those who don't aren't put through as much pain. suzy27, how do manage to escape fireworks? are there places that don't have them?