Ride a bike?

[Gillian Roberts]

Gillian, try not to be too hard on yourself. My lad was diagnosed at 5 so I've had nearly ten years to learn about AS and about how my lad's head works and what makes him tick, we all have to start somewhere. If you're very new to this then give yourself some time to come to terms with the diagnosis and to learn as much as you can, it won't happen overnight. I hope your lad finds the understanding and support that he needs at his new school. In the meantime, my advice would be read as much as you can and give yourself lots of space and time to absorb all the new and, sometimes, daunting information. <'>

 

~ Mel ~

 

Thank you again Mel

 

We went into Lancaster on Saturday to get his new uniform and his biggest fear at the moment is teenagers. I ahve never seen him get so upset before just by seeign them carry on in the market square. covered his face with his jacket hood, started swearign at me and calling me a f***in ###### (which I know he doesnt mean, jsut his frustration) but it was this need to get home straight away, away from the situation. I struggle because I would like to go places and look in shops but this constant looking over his shoulder means that I dont get to enjoy my free time. He never used to have this problem, just suddenly came to teh surface ion teh last 7 months of going to a large busy high school.

 

We both had an open cry on Sunday night, he sort of knows that his condition could be passed down via hi genetics, his ager over his dad reflects on his moods and therefore he jsut told me that he is not like his dad and his dad will never be the great wee lddie that he is. Begging me never to leave him like his dad did.

 

Yes, I have read alot about it, but it still is very difficult to connect it all with your own.

 

Cheers, Gillian

[Juney]

My son is 12 years old with HFA. he can't ride a bike and can't do shoelaces. he's a size 5 so its now difficult to get velcro straps, so I use these elastically pully lace things that you can get from sports shops. He can do a very loose lace if pushed - very stressful, and its too loose to be practical. This way he has a sense of autonomy as he knows he can manage his shoes and trainers without help and much less stressful before school for us all.

[Tenhands]

Hi,

 

48 years old with Aspergers and still can't tie shoelaces very well. If I can get it tied, I never loosen them and just slip shoes on / off. Tend to buy slip-on shoes but find it slightly easier to get velcro fastenings as I have quite small feet.

 

Can't easily tell which is the correct shoe for each foot

 

I still remember the humiliation at school in the infants class.

 

They started one of those charts where you get a star for doing something. Instead of something useful like maths, they did one for tying shoelaces. Had to go and show teacher when you tied laces after P.E. class (we were 6-7 year olds). By the time I managed some attempt at a knot that stayed in long enough to get as far as teachers desk, the chart was behind the cupboard, on the floor and very scruffy. I was the only one not to do it and everyone had forgotten about it. She did give me a star and put the chart back for no-one to see.

 

Even after 41 years I have a very distinct and bad memory about this. It will never go away. It is only since my formal diagnosis that I have become more accepting of the problems I have with day to day tasks that the outside world find so easy.

 

I do hope that those of you with children who have recieved a diagnosis at an early age do not experience some of the problems I have had (and still have).

 

Don't like shoes. try not to wear them, even at work (understanding workplace), psoriasis on soles of feet permitting.

 

Can't knit either and buttons present their own challenge. Ride a a bike, I can just about manage but very slowly. Again, used to get ridiculed for riding so slow (didn't want to fall off, a car might go past...)or for trying to apply every rule of the highway code, albeit on a bike. Taking one hand off to signal, not good. All those kids who could ride withough holding on at all really used to bug me - bet they had well tied laces as well.

 

Apolgies for the rant and verbosity. I have had my meds increased recently and that makes me more communicative.

Edited May 5, 2008 by Tenhands

[kellyanne]

My DS will be 9 in june, he can ride a bike but can't tie shoelaces we have tried lots of times but he just gets so upset and annoyed that he ends up throwing the shoe across the room. He does have a pair of lace up trainers but even when asked if he wants me to do them up he refuses and prefers to tuck the laces in.

[sesley]

some progress on riding a bike today, over the week i ahve been suppoting him on a bike,me holding while he gets the feel and learn how to pedal and balance, well he has been very reliant on me to hold him when i lessen the hold he lets the bike fall,so today i took him to a grassy space with little bumps/hills and got him to sit and i said i,m going to push you a bit,then you have to pedal, i letting go,so the first try i let go the bike falls and him off, next try he's pedalling and stays up longer and each time repeating the process until he was pedalling quite a distance by himself,so i thought we could try on the way home, he doesn't understand how to steer so he ends up in bushe's but hes staying on longer and pedalling, so with patience and determination i think we can't crack thios challenge over the next week and then we can cycle home from school watch this space.

[jon79]

Stationary mounted bike on frame and spinning bike is the business...Can cycle for an hour..do.sprinting flat out for 1 min burst 2 mins easy coast sessions or variations. like 15 sec maximal sprint from rolling start....rest repeat x 10

Never have to to worry about bike control issuesor muscle fatigue and lattate levels now as cant crash or get run over. Restriction and inhintion is gone, no holding back.

Only limiting fator now is how much power muslces can deliver and sustain into the machine...

[sesley]

1 Members: sesley

 

 

Fast Reply well we are making progress ,he can ride along reasonably well,but he's wobbly and not in full control,so we had a argument he wanted to go down a hill solo no way i said, you will crash,you aren't in full control of the bkie,you wobble and don;t understand about brakes so he sat down with a and because i wouldn't let him have his way, when iwas satisfied he was reasonably safe ,he cycled solo along the path a bit wobbly,but not listening to me telling him to stop so more then he carried on to home we will make some more progress tomorrow and hopefully he can soon learn to push himslef off we aslo have sports day tomorrow

Edited May 27, 2008 by sesley

[pookie170]

Do you know, we wnt for the loooongest time with Cal refusing to get on his bike- he had tried to ride it without stabilisers and had fallen off, ergo that was that.

Then last year, we got him a new bike as we had to get the smallster one as well, due to the outgroing of their old ones. Cal fell in love with the one we got him,and decided ha HAD to learn to ride it. So we strapped all 4 bikes onto the car, set off to Callander Park and kitted up into helmets and gloves- much better if they tend to fall,less dmage and screaming!!

Lij pedalled off, stabilisers whirring merrily,and Phil and I held our breath as we watched Cal gingerly prepare. To our complete and total surprise, he pushed off and started without a hiccup!!

I started whooping and jumping around, roaring praise after him and punching the air, blissed out for him-it was that sudden!!

Having said that, his bike riding still rather Bambi-ish- quite wobbly and jittery- but he can do it!

Dont ask me how, Im clueless, it seemed as if something clicked for him that day- gosh, I must've looked like a total maniac!!!

 

So you never know, I thought Cal would never manage this, and what a surprise I got!

 

....but...........

 

......we've now moved onto the perils of skates!!!! Eek!!!!.......................

 

Esther x

[bikemad]

My lad is 8-he can almost ride a bike and cant do his laces at all-he can barely dress himself!!!!

[JamesG]

Tried for ages with my older daughter (11) but she got nowhere due to balance problems.

Bought a trike for her recently and she went out on 4 rides in the first weekend, adding pedal clips really helped as her feet kept slipping off the pedals. She has done her off road cycle course at school and is doing the on road one soon.

Trike is a mission trilogy which I can recommend. Also as mission design the trikes with disabilities in mind they can be VAT zero rated if supplied to a disabled child / adult saving 17.5%

 

Have even got my wife back on a bike, she hasn't ridden since she left school for a family ride.

[sesley]

we are progressing gradually, he can't push himself off yet, he still wobbles and trys to go through solid objects and he is still needing more brake practice but other than that we are getting there he is a