New here

[Guest guest]

Hi, Anne!

Welcome to the group. My name is Jackie. I have four girls, Liz

(14), Leanne (3), and and Amber (DS) (17 months). I did not

know that Amber had DS until she was born. However, I did suspect

something was not quite right about 2 weeks before they were born.

(They came at just shy of 34 weeks.) Amber was not moving much.

Only half of my very big tummy kicked and squirmed. I became

concerned and went to the hospital. Everything checked out okay

except that Amber did not respond to sugar stimulation with a rise in

her heart rate. I guess I should have pressed for more information,

but I was just relieved that the babies were not in distress.

My delivery (C-section) went picture perfect. The girls did fine at

34 weeks.

I am glad that you found this group. You will find a lot of support

from all of us. Good luck with the remainder of your pregnancy. Get

lots of rest because those little ones will keep you busy snuggling

with them (not to mention feeding and changing them too!) I would

not give it up for the world!! There is nothing like having

multiples - more hugs and kisses than you could ever imagine! Oh and

when then crawl, run, creep, etc. to you full of excitement to see

you again after you have been gone for a few hours -- there are no

words to describe the wonderful feeling of seeing those loving faces

joyful that you are their mom!

Keep in touch through the rest of your pregnancy as you can. Ask

questions, most of us have been where you are now and may be able to

help with suggestions/answers.

Congratulations on being a (soon to be) new mom of twins!!

Jackie

Mom to Liz, Leanne, and Amber (DS)

[Guest guest]

WElcome Anne, you're at the right place, and I think lucky to be here

soo soon! I'm Gail, Mom to four, Bobby 7, Jillian 4 1/2, and my boy/girl

twins, and Tara, Tara has Ds, doesn't, they just turned two in

March. I didn't know during my pregnancy, so we had a great shock at

birth, which I feel, at the time took away from .........If you know

what I mean.......anyway, Tara is doing well, started crawling at 12

months and started walking at 23 months, she does mostly everything

does, just a little slower, they eat-drink-and sleep together, I believe

that helps her along, she's a better eater that .........anyway, we

are from New Jersey......you'll find a great group of loving Mom's{and

other's} here on this list, so fire away with your questions........

Gail

[Guest guest]

Welcome to ALL new members! This list grows and grows

everytime I get on here. This list is a great group of

people!

My name is and I have 3 year old boy/girl twins.

(DS) and Sloan.

I have not been around too much lately. We are

battling the sinus problems with Vinnie again, he has

an ear infection this time. He gets sick about every

three months. I spoke with the Dr. about allergies and

they won't do anything until he turns 4. I forgot to

ask about tonsils and adnoids, I will when we go back

June 1st for a re check on his ears.

I look forward to hearing more about all the new

members and their families.

~

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Welcome back !!

Sorry to hear about Vinnie! I hope he's feeling better soon! What was the

reason for waiting on the allergy testing until Vinnie is 4??

Cheers!

Sara

--On Tuesday, May 15, 2001, 12:31 PM -0700 <marystwins@...>

wrote:

> Welcome to ALL new members! This list grows and grows

> everytime I get on here. This list is a great group of

> people!

>

> My name is and I have 3 year old boy/girl twins.

> (DS) and Sloan.

>

> I have not been around too much lately. We are

> battling the sinus problems with Vinnie again, he has

> an ear infection this time. He gets sick about every

> three months. I spoke with the Dr. about allergies and

> they won't do anything until he turns 4. I forgot to

> ask about tonsils and adnoids, I will when we go back

> June 1st for a re check on his ears.

>

> I look forward to hearing more about all the new

> members and their families.

>

> ~

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/25/2001 8:07:49 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

sawalter@... writes:

> Right now with his behavior I spend my days trying to at least keep up with

> him to keep him from getting hurt! He is very very active and becomes very

> very angry. He will not eat except he does love green beans and potato

> chips.

Lee Ann:

This is a problem we have faced with Ray for years even before the

autism symptoms occurred. Ray was on medication for ADHD

(hyperactivity) and it needed to be in his system before he could calm down

enough to eat. On the other hand, it could effect his appetite. I took his

meds with me to wake him up in the a.m. and gave him Boost which comes in

many flavors, he liked Strawberry. I would also put string cheese and/or a

danish that he could munch on between movement. I then gave him breakfast

about a half hour or more. Sometimes he got that in school.

He was underweight until puberty and then I could not keep him in clothes.

He went up to around 140 between 14 and 16 and has now come back to 124.

I am going to try to think about some of the other ideas we tried. If I

remember more I will post for you.

Peggy

[Guest guest]

the vaccination mmr issue is a tuff one, nathan has

had all of his immunizations and plus some others reg

kids dont usually get. I attribute his autism more to

virus and antibiotic areas of concern. But i may be

way off, its usually individual, but as a parent you

are the only one who can make the choice for your

child and that choice is whats best for you and her.

As for the bed issue we got a vailbed, my son nathan

9yrs w/ds, pdd, add/hd, ocd, has been ruff on it but

unable to brake it and we've had it for around 5yrs

now.It was a real life saver. As for the behaviors one

can use behavior management or meds or as many of us a

combo of the two. is a headbanger, biter,

himself and others, spitter, breaks valuables, door

slammer repeatedly and light switch flipper. But with

great behavior management team and the right meds he

does these things only on seldom occasion anymore. We

have a lot of eating issues too, mainly to do with

textures,causing him to gag often and choke some or

spit up , very finike, and then will indulge in huge

quanities too, (siety issues) causing him to gain too

mauch weight in short intervals, His current meds seem

to help greatly in the appetite area. Its great

meeting you, look forward to hearing more. shawna, mom

to nathan 9yrs w/ds, pdd, add/hd, ocd, and nicholas

8yrs, about to pass level 3 swimming lessons, yaaa.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Lee Ann and welcome!

was born prematurely and he had a duodenal atresia which had to be

repaired surgically. He had an NEC (necrotizing entero-colitits) infection post

surgery and it took him some time to recover so he was underweight for the first

several months. After that, he actually gained pretty well and was probably at

least average, if not above average, for the DS growth chart. Although he

always was a " spitter-upper " (he was diagnosed with reflux at about 6 months),

it gradually got a lot worse and he started actually vomiting all the time by

the time he was about 15 mos. By the time he was 20 months, he looked emaciated

and was admitted to Childrens Hospital. He was there for almost 2 months and

had three surgeries. When he was released, he had a g-tube, a j-tube and was on

a high-nitrogen formula by enteral feeds only 21/24 hours per day. By the time

he was 3, we were able to use the g-tube for feedings only and eventually we

were able to switch him to Pediasure. One of the reasons I bring all this up is

that you mentioned that is small even for the DS growth chart. I'm

wondering if his doctor has ruled out any gi problems? In addition to the

vomiting/reflux issues, has chronic constipation from the time he was a

baby. The doctors ruled out Hirschsprung's when he was 2. The other question

was regarding the MMR. did have the MMR when he was 15 months. Whether

it added to his problems, I don't know. As I look back, did have some

autistic behaviors and tendencies from the time he was a baby. He did start to

develop speech and was doing ok developmentally, given the DS. He started to

regress obviously after he was 2. Coincidentally, his hospital stay was right

before his 2nd birthday and we assumed (and the doctors agreed) that his

regression was due more to trauma from the multiple surgeries and various

procedures.........it wasn't until he was about 6 and had REALLY regressed (lost

speech entirely, had self-injurious & aggressive behaviors, self-stimmed all the

time, etc) that we finally got the autism dx. I have thought for years that at

least part of the regression was related to nutritional issues with respect to

the high-nitrogen formula that he was on. There is no question that it was a

life-saver, literally, but I think it was lacking in what he needed

developmentally. If I had it to do over again, I would probably go ahead and

give him the MMR. By the way, one of 's missions in life is to knock my

lamps over! We buy lamp shades every few months and my touch lamps don't come

on when you touch them anymore! LOL

Terry

new here

Hello,

I am new here. I am the mom of 5 children. Our youngest 3 are adopted.

will be 18 soon, Krystle is 16, Caleb is 4, is 4 and has DS,

is 34 months and has DS, F.A.S., was born addicted to crack and had

meth in his system, possible Autism. We have suspected he was not a

" normal " DS kid because of his behavior so we did the E2 and he came back

with a +8 which put him into the Autistic category. I was somewhat

surprised by that. I knew he had issues but did not know to what extent.

Because he is so young I have had a difficult time getting the doctor to

listen.

We are having a difficult time right now. His growth has fallen completely

off of the normal growth chart and has fallen from the 50% curve on the DS

chart to 25% and below on the DS chart this past year. He is getting sick a

lot too. I have added Pedia Sure to his diet. At least that is something

he will drink. I am really worried. We are trying to get into the DS

clinic here in our state but they are booked into September. I gave our

Pediatrician a call, one we used to see, they are going to try to get him

in. I am really struggling with what is going on here. Trying to find the

help he needs.

The other issue I have to deal with is the MMR vaccination issue. I do not

want him to have that vaccination. He tests in the Autistic range already

and I do not want to take a chance with the MMR. Any help, thoughts, or

ideas?

Right now with his behavior I spend my days trying to at least keep up with

him to keep him from getting hurt! He is very very active and becomes very

very angry. He will not eat except he does love green beans and potato

chips. He will eat meat, especially salty meat like sausage or hot dogs.

He has a bed with a crib tent on it but he is destroying it. He is 33 1/2

inches tall and 24 pounds but he is strong enough to open doors and climb 5

foot high gates! He says NO, DON'T, MORE, and BOB (Bob the tomato in Veggie

Tales) He has also found a new activity of hitting himself in the head. He

thinks it is very funny. I always wondered why he would knock my lamps off

of the end table over and over again. I guess I know why now!

Lee Ann

[Guest guest]

thanks Peggy,

Any ideas will help. Is anger a common thing with kids who have Autism? I

am very sure it is not a DS thing. At least I have not seen it in our

daughter who also has DS.

Lee Ann

[Guest guest]

Hi Terry,

Sounds like had a rough start. was 6 weeks early and was in

the hospital for 3 weeks. He started out on a respirator. He was in really

bad shape. But he did progress and did well for the first year. He did go

through with draw. The doctors did not expect him to live let alone do

fairly well.

One of the reasons I bring all

> this up is that you mentioned that is small even for the

> DS growth chart. I'm wondering if his doctor has ruled out any

> gi problems? In addition to the vomiting/reflux issues,

> has chronic constipation from the time he was a baby. The

> doctors ruled out Hirschsprung's when he was 2. <

We are checking for Celiac. has pretty chronic diarrhea. Reflux has

not been a problem for Josh.

> The other

> question was regarding the MMR. did have the MMR when he

> was 15 months. Whether it added to his problems, I don't know.

> As I look back, did have some autistic behaviors and

> tendencies from the time he was a baby. He did start to develop

> speech and was doing ok developmentally, given the DS. He

> started to regress obviously after he was 2. <<

The vaccination issue is a very frustrating one for me. I see reasons to

give the MMR and reasons not to give the MMR. Ugh!

> Coincidentally, his hospital stay was right before his 2nd birthday and

we assumed

> (and the doctors agreed) that his regression was due more to

> trauma from the multiple surgeries and various

> procedures.........it wasn't until he was about 6 and had REALLY

> regressed (lost speech entirely, had self-injurious & aggressive

> behaviors, self-stimmed all the time, etc) that we finally got

> the autism dx. I have thought for years that at least part of

> the regression was related to nutritional issues with respect to

> the high-nitrogen formula that he was on. There is no question

> that it was a life-saver, literally, but I think it was lacking

> in what he needed developmentally. <<

I was shocked to find out that things like Failure to Thrive and Autism are

things that appear as the child leaves infancy. I just assumed you would

see these problems early on.

> If I had it to do over again, I would probably go ahead and give him the

MMR. By the way, one

> of 's missions in life is to knock my lamps over! We buy

> lamp shades every few months and my touch lamps don't come on

> when you touch them anymore! LOL

Oh my! I now just what you mean. I had to put a gate around a lamp we have

so would not ruin it. I have lost 3 lamp shades and one whole lamp.

He has broken the gates that keep him where I want him............. I am

finally adjusting to the fact that this is my life. I have given up hope

that things will change any time soon.

Lee Ann

[Guest guest]

> the vaccination mmr issue is a tuff one, nathan has

> had all of his immunizations and plus some others reg

> kids dont usually get.<

We have done all of them up to the MMR with . Even the Chicken Pox

and flu. I am just learning of the MMR-Autism possibility.

> I attribute his autism more to

> virus and antibiotic areas of concern. But i may be

> way off, its usually individual, but as a parent you

> are the only one who can make the choice for your

> child and that choice is whats best for you and her.

> As for the bed issue we got a vailbed, my son nathan

> 9yrs w/ds, pdd, add/hd, ocd, has been ruff on it but

> unable to brake it and we've had it for around 5yrs

> now.It was a real life saver. <<

We are working on getting a bed for . Our insurance said it considers

it a piece of " furniture " . Well, I am not sure who decorates the insurance

persons home but I for one do not consider an enclosed bed a piece of

" furniture " Is there certain wording to use with the insurance company to

get them to cover it? Rather than " bed " ?

>As for the behaviors one

> can use behavior management or meds or as many of us a

> combo of the two. is a headbanger, biter,

> himself and others, spitter, breaks valuables, door

> slammer repeatedly and light switch flipper. But with

> great behavior management team and the right meds he

> does these things only on seldom occasion anymore. We

> have a lot of eating issues too, mainly to do with

> textures,causing him to gag often and choke some or

> spit up , very finike, and then will indulge in huge

> quanities too, (siety issues) causing him to gain too

> mauch weight in short intervals, His current meds seem

> to help greatly in the appetite area. Its great

> meeting you, look forward to hearing more. shawna, mom

> to nathan 9yrs w/ds, pdd, add/hd, ocd, and nicholas

> 8yrs, about to pass level 3 swimming lessons, yaaa. <<

Some of this sounds familiar. Especially the light flipper. Off-on

off-on.........Our daughter who also has DS really gets upset with

him!

Lee Ann

[Guest guest]

It took over a year to finally get our insurance to

pay for nathan's vailbed,they kept saying denied

pending further info,our specialty peds wrote them a

nasty letter and that was the real kicker,lol, Its

considered medical equipment not furniture, it is

mainly used to prevent all the nighttime wanderings,

and they can special make any of the vail for feeding

or iv tubeing ect, it even has a slot on both sides

for a foley bag, also its padded everywehre, so he can

head bang all he wants or if has seizures whatever he

is safe in there, he just would get netting marks on

his head and upper back occasionally if did this alot,

we are down to needing the bed with the side rails,

with years of wander management he did learn not to

wander around or leave the house at night so we

removed the vail, but do have it in safe keeping in

rubbermaid for any future needs. You may even be able

to go through a medical loan closet they may have a

similair type of bed to use, or check around for any

grants you may be able to receive for it. shawna.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Does any one know where I can find a double stroller that can handle over

100 pounds? We have a double stroller with who has DS at around 40

pounds

and who has DS at 24 pounds, the wheels are bending. It is not a

huge problem

right now but by next summer I am sure we will need something that can

handle some weight. I know I could get a special single stroller but I have

not seen any in the double style. I anticipate having to have both kids in

strollers for a while. Especially when we go out to a place like Cedar

Point or to the zoo or even shopping at the mall. For some reason they love

to RUN!

Lee Ann

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/25/01 8:08:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

sawalter@... writes:

<< Hello,

I am new here. I am the mom of 5 children. Our youngest 3 are adopted.

will be 18 soon, Krystle is 16, Caleb is 4, is 4 and has DS,

is 34 months and has DS, F.A.S., was born addicted to crack and had

meth in his system, possible Autism. We have suspected he was not a

" normal " DS kid because of his behavior so we did the E2 and he came back

with a +8 which put him into the Autistic category. I was somewhat

surprised by that. I knew he had issues but did not know to what extent.

Because he is so young I have had a difficult time getting the doctor to

listen. >>

Welcome Lee Ann. Hang in there. I know tis much easier said than done.

:-) You have found all of us, so vent away until help arrives for you. I

know what you mean about being a mighty might and such a small size. LOL

Seth isn't forty pounds yet, but sure is hard to hold him down when he

doesn't want to be held down. Sure is a lot of strength packed into that pea

sized body.

Gail

[Guest guest]

Hello Angie

I am so glad you joined the list and hope you gain a lot from it. This list has very nice supportive people so feel free to vent anytime.

:-)

Colleen

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie!!! Welcome to the group!!! I'm Helen from Ohio-USA... We have others on here with your diagnosis too... You have come to the right place!!! Write whenever you are up to it!!!

{{{ Welcome Hugs }}}

Helen

Hello everyone,I'm new here and I'd like to introduce myself just a bit.My name is Angie, I'm 30 years old, married and I live in the Netherlands. I joined this group because I suffer from a depression that has lasted for over 5 years now, and I probably won't get rid of it, so I've been told. Hope I'll be able to get to know some of you !ttyl,

I may never see tomorrow; there's no written guarantee, And things that happened yesterday

belong to history!!!

[Guest guest]

Hello Angie

I'm sure you'll get plenty of email welcoming you to the group soon. Why don't

you tell us some of the things you've done to fight being depressed?

Meanwhile, cheer up.

Regards,

Angelique wrote:

> Hello everyone,

>

> I'm new here and I'd like to introduce myself just a bit.

> My name is Angie, I'm 30 years old, married and I live in the

> Netherlands. I joined this group because I suffer from a depression

> that has lasted for over 5 years now, and I probably won't get rid of

> it, so I've been told. Hope I'll be able to get to know some of you !

>

> ttyl, Angie

>

> ...

[Guest guest]

hi angie-I am carol, also new and have a liver disease and throat cancer

and have no voice but a whisper-hope to get to know everyone here. carol

________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Welcome, Angie! sorry for my slow reply... been very busy lately.

Ling

new here

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and I'd like to introduce myself just a bit.

My name is Angie, I'm 30 years old, married and I live in the

Netherlands. I joined this group because I suffer from a depression

that has lasted for over 5 years now, and I probably won't get rid of

it, so I've been told. Hope I'll be able to get to know some of you !

ttyl, Angie

[Guest guest]

Welcome -b to our group. I think there is someone else here with the same problem as you. Glad you found us, but not glad you are ill (

I'm Helen from Ohio. Already sent ya links. Hope you find some help in there some where. Post anytime... The more the merrier. It's kind of quiet tonight. But it is the weekend when spouses are home or people are busy.

Hopefully they are back to chattering tomorrow!!!

{{{ Welcoming Hugs }}}

Helen

Hi. I just discovered this group and thought I'd introduce myself. I'm from west-central Wisconsin and just found out on Wednesday that I have what looks like a cyst on my pituitary gland. Up until now doctors have been telling me there's nothing wrong with me, but I was persistent and now I can hopefully start feeling better. I'm sure it will take a while, but I am hopeful that fixing this will make a number of my health problems minimize. If anyone has any tips, feel free to email. -b

Please Remember my Girls in

Your Prayers !!!

          When you are your weakest, remember, God is always strong. No burden is too great, when you rely on Him.

[Guest guest]

,

Hi, did you go through the usual check list....any changes in food/med/supplements,

is this a new school, class situation (ie from special ed to inclusion), how well trained is his aide, I think lack of training maybe part of why my son is acting up at school right now. Also what type of behavior training has the school pscychologist had? Have you been able to track whtat the antecedent behavior is, which means the action which happened right before the agressive behavior? I know it's hard to do, especially at home, but it's necessary to aiding in figuring out what's causing the behaviors. I'm in process of doing this with my son right now.

In a message dated 10/12/2001 1:29:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, uanyoc@... writes:

I was so happy to see this group information.

New here..

Mom of a 6 year old dx with PDDNOS.

Just moving into behavior situations....

He is in a classroom of 18....regular first grade setting...with a one-to-one aid. Expressive language delays.

He began physically acosting me in August...but not realizing what he has done...

now, he is doing this to his aid...pinching, spitting & slapping her..then kickign his desk. Then stops...says "Sorry".. she tells him to use his words..."he says he is mad"... when asked why...he does not know.

School psychologist is a nim-rod (pardon my bluntness)...who says Mrs. S...we have told Jake.."this is not happening bud..no more". I then asked him if it worked...the psyche said Yes... then I snapped back with "and at 3pm...when Jake melted down at home...do you think it had to do with your "ChumBud" approach?"

We got a new school psyche...who I do not agree with for any child.

I do not do that Good boy, pal routine.... that may work with 18 year olds...but not children..and not children on the spectrum.

Upset...new things happening here in NY...

My son NEVER hurt anyone... he used to hurt himself from age 2-3... but he is almost 7...

[Guest guest]

-,

Great ideas! Do you have any tips for biters?

Janelle

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

My name is and I am a Behavior Analyst. I work in a center in Dallas which "caters" to the children with autism and behavior problems. Basically we get the kids who the school district does not want to deal with anymore. With my experience with pinching, we have kept the individuals nails really short and also used a heavy pair of gloves so they are not able to pinch. This may seem silly but it helps to extinguish the pinching behavior. You can eventually fade the gloves out.

As far as the other behaviors go, you need to put them on extinction. This is hard, especially when the individual catches you off guard with the slapping or spitting. As far as the aide goes for making him say "sorry" and what is the matter...well...if our kids really knew how to communicate that, they would not be autistic would they? With the spitting, I would have a sponge and cleaning substance handy and have him wipe it up if it is on the surface of something. I would say "Clean it up" and Hand over hand if you need to. The less verbal interaction you give him during the cleanup the better. As far as slapping, put it on extinction. No Reaction is the better action to take.

Lastly, tell the idiotic school psych that you want a formal behavior intervention plan drawn up to address these issues. That way every person on your child's team addresses them the same way. Consistency is key. If you can get someone in the school to do a functional analyses that would be great. These behaviors are obviously serving some kind of function for him. You just need to find out what that function is and then you can reinforce behaviors that are incompatible with those inappropriate behaviors.

Most importantly, we want to extinguish inappropriate behaviors NOT ignore the individual. Often times teachers and paraprofessionals confuse ignoring with extinction and the child is left to their own devices. Make sure they understand the difference.

I hope this helps.

Fryer, BCABA

[autism] New Here

I was so happy to see this group information.New here..Mom of a 6 year old dx with PDDNOS. Just moving into behavior situations....He is in a classroom of 18....regular first grade setting...with a one-to-one aid. Expressive language delays.He began physically acosting me in August...but not realizing what he has done...now, he is doing this to his aid...pinching, spitting & slapping her..then kickign his desk. Then stops...says "Sorry".. she tells him to use his words..."he says he is mad"... when asked why...he does not know.School psychologist is a nim-rod (pardon my bluntness)...who says Mrs. S...we have told Jake.."this is not happening bud..no more". I then asked him if it worked...the psyche said Yes... then I snapped back with "and at 3pm...when Jake melted down at home...do you think it had to do with your "ChumBud" approach?"We got a new school psyche...who I do not agree with for any child. I do not do that Good boy, pal routine.... that may work with 18 year olds...but not children..and not children on the spectrum.Upset...new things happening here in NY...My son NEVER hurt anyone... he used to hurt himself from age 2-3... but he is almost 7...

[Guest guest]

Hey everyone, my 6yr old has this problem lately. We live in a condo and there are alot of kids around here with very nasty mouths. He heard one kid say a bad word, a very bad one. Now when he tantrums, he just starts screaming this word over and over. The more we tell him to stop, the more he does it. He even gets louder. At home we try to ignore it, but when we are out in public, it's harder to ignore. can be calm and very loving one minute and then he gets this wild look and he gets really hyper, running, screaming etc. When he takes these spells, as we call them, he will not listen at all, he's destructive, spits, bites, pinches. It's not all day he acts this way. It's certain times of the day. One minute he's hugging you and the next he's smacking you and spitting. He laughs, and then all of a sudden he's sorry. It's hard to understand. When we are out he starts screaming for no reason.He recently started this gasping and was having trouble getting words out. It was like he had trouble breathing. I took him to the emergency twice and after tests, they found nothing. The doctor thinks it's just a behavior, not medical. We have a big dog, who puts up with alot, and is very gentle. We also have a small dog who is more nervous. gets in the little dogs face and blows and she hates that. She snarls at him. She doesn't bite and don't think she would, but who knows. She's older and doesn't like to be messed with. We try to get him to stop, but he laughs and spits. So we are open to any ideas. Time outs don't seem to work, and he doesn't care what you take away. He can be so calm and loving at times, but when he takes these spells, he's like a different kid. Sorry so long, but I am open to any ideas, thanks, God bless, Sharon

[Guest guest]

Great Ideas ! Thanks so much for the imput.

Im right here with you . I am seeing a side to my son that I

have NEVER seen in him before moving here to NY. Tommy was diagnosed

in California at the age of 3.. and has been in early intervention

since 2.5. Up until a year ago, our biggest concern with tommy, was

his lack of language/comprehension, and his sensory issues. We then

moved from California, to NH, and thats when the behaviors started.

It took us the duration of the summer, to set up what I thought was

an APPROPRIATE IEP for tommy in NH. During that time, he was only

going to school Part Time, and was receiving very LITTLE speech and

OT. He began getting HIGHLY abusive to his younger sister, and also,

to anyone near him in general. First it was pinching, then

scratching.. eventually upgraded to biting. And its never

consistant. We had a really good behavior therapist in NH that put

together a GREAT behavior plan, for school and also in home.

However, the techniques are NOT working here in NY. Tommy is having

a HELL of a time adjusting to this new school. I cant blame him

either because I REALLY DONT CARE for the people that are working

with him as well. They act like this is the first time they have

ever HEARD of autism, let alone, they act like morons on how to deal

with him. I thought moving to NY, would be a great thing for TOmmy.

Its actually become my worse nightmare. He's now graduated to

physically abusing the other kids, which is something new for him.

Also, throwing desks, chairs, knocking over tables. Completely out

of control. Im at my whits end with what to do next.

Outta my mind!

Rhonda Logan

Long Island, NY

> Dear ,

> My name is and I am a Behavior Analyst. I work in a center

in Dallas which " caters " to the children with autism and behavior

problems. Basically we get the kids who the school district does not

want to deal with anymore. With my experience with pinching, we have

kept the individuals nails really short and also used a heavy pair of

gloves so they are not able to pinch. This may seem silly but it

helps to extinguish the pinching behavior. You can eventually fade

the gloves out.

>

> As far as the other behaviors go, you need to put them on

extinction. This is hard, especially when the individual catches you

off guard with the slapping or spitting. As far as the aide goes for

making him say " sorry " and what is the matter...well...if our kids

really knew how to communicate that, they would not be autistic would

they? With the spitting, I would have a sponge and cleaning

substance handy and have him wipe it up if it is on the surface of

something. I would say " Clean it up " and Hand over hand if you need

to. The less verbal interaction you give him during the cleanup the

better. As far as slapping, put it on extinction. No Reaction is

the better action to take.

>

> Lastly, tell the idiotic school psych that you want a formal

behavior intervention plan drawn up to address these issues. That

way every person on your child's team addresses them the same way.

Consistency is key. If you can get someone in the school to do a

functional analyses that would be great. These behaviors are

obviously serving some kind of function for him. You just need to

find out what that function is and then you can reinforce behaviors

that are incompatible with those inappropriate behaviors.

>

> Most importantly, we want to extinguish inappropriate behaviors NOT

ignore the individual. Often times teachers and paraprofessionals

confuse ignoring with extinction and the child is left to their own

devices. Make sure they understand the difference.

>

> I hope this helps.

>

> Fryer, BCABA

> [autism] New Here

>

>

> I was so happy to see this group information.

> New here..

> Mom of a 6 year old dx with PDDNOS.

> Just moving into behavior situations....

> He is in a classroom of 18....regular first grade setting...with

a

> one-to-one aid. Expressive language delays.

> He began physically acosting me in August...but not realizing

what he

> has done...

> now, he is doing this to his aid...pinching, spitting & slapping

> her..then kickign his desk. Then stops...says " Sorry " .. she

tells

> him to use his words... " he says he is mad " ... when asked why...he

> does not know.

>

> School psychologist is a nim-rod (pardon my bluntness)...who says

> Mrs. S...we have told Jake.. " this is not happening bud..no

more " . I

> then asked him if it worked...the psyche said Yes... then I

snapped

> back with " and at 3pm...when Jake melted down at home...do you

think

> it had to do with your " ChumBud " approach? "

>

> We got a new school psyche...who I do not agree with for any

child.

> I do not do that Good boy, pal routine.... that may work with 18

year

> olds...but not children..and not children on the spectrum.

>

> Upset...new things happening here in NY...

> My son NEVER hurt anyone... he used to hurt himself from age 2-

3...

> but he is almost 7...

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

School staff just doesn't get it sometimes! Before started school

this year I typed for the new teachers ALL his behaviors that I could think

of...good and inappropriate!!! I told them he does..... this and that....

when this happens first etc......also furnished them with what works best

with him for positive results!!! I also gave them as much information on

PDD-NOS. I assumed that they knew all about it because they were teachers

dealing with children for some 20 years...I was wrong, I was told by his

Grade K teacher what is PDD-NOS????? That was a bad year, I planned all

summer how to educate this years teachers as much as I could. Sometimes I

feel once they understand, these children are cared for better. This year he

is in special ed, but I took not a chance that these teachers understood what

PDD-NOS was....I was very professional and displayed a goal for ALL to have a

better year if the knowledge was there!

I stayed positive throughout last year while was being tested, I

cried alot, wanted to choke the teacher (but didn't), it was just a bad time.

One thing his teachers said this year was how much they appreciated my

parental imput and also the info. It also gave me a edge on the repeated

daily phone calls I got last year.....Mrs. K ..... is doing this or

that today......This year is so much better. I sent in a composition book and

asked that she documents daily behaviors etc.... that I read everyday, she

agreed and it has worked out better. I guess I kinda took a lead this year in

how I wanted to be treated by the school, instead of last year had no

control!

I confronted school staff last year asking them if they knew what PDD-NOS

was????? If they didn't I offered information.

This year I have a cafeteria worker at my son's school that is a neighbor,

for years she told me how some kids came in the cafeteria line and had some

odd behaviors, holding up lines, unable to make decisions on food....she and

her coworkers thought of these kids as just BAD........I discussed with her

how some kids display behaviors because of some diabilities. I also contacted

her manager regarding these issues. They have all changed their attitudes

towards these children and from what I have seen look at them differently and

help them much more. I think ignorance was the evil here........

I am learning daily about my son and his diability, I have hundreds of

questions.....but this is personally how I made things alot better for me.

I could ramble on forever about my experiences with the school but this is

long enough for now. Maybe some of these ideas can help others.

Debbie in Pa

Mom/OrangeCty NY wrote:

> School psychologist is a nim-rod (pardon my bluntness)...who says

> Mrs. S...we have told Jake.. " this is not happening bud..no more " . I

> then asked him if it worked...the psyche said Yes... then I snapped

> back with " and at 3pm...when Jake melted down at home...do you think

> it had to do with your " ChumBud " approach? "

>

> We got a new school psyche...who I do not agree with for any child.

> I do not do that Good boy, pal routine.... that may work with 18 year

> olds...but not children..and not children on the spectrum.

>

> Upset...new things happening here in NY...

> My son NEVER hurt anyone... he used to hurt himself from age 2-3...

> but he is almost 7...

>

>