Intro

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/13/2006 9:16:11 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

jchabot@... writes:

I don't think any of us fit into an EXACT pattern. All of our kids are the

same in a way, and different in others. My 9 yr old dd sounds very much like

your son. she has ocd as well as many other anxiety disorders, sensory issues,

and bipolar. She also is very intelligent.I don't think any of us fit into

an EXACT

I have the Explosive Child also, and I use the basket method for my dd also.

Welcome to the group!

Thanks Judy - it is comforting to find a group where there is much in common!

Liz

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/13/2006 12:07:12 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

dinosaurkidsmom@... writes:

- Welcome to the group! Have you looked into Asperger

Syndrome at all? A good place to read is the message boards at

OASIS: _http://www.udel.http://www.http://ww_

(http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/) I'd really want this

ruled out - based on your description.

Thanks Khris - it's been talked of, and not totally ruled out ... I will

check out that link!

Appreciate it,

Liz

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/13/2006 2:26:24 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

autumn71A@... writes:

I'm sure many here do fit many things - for us it never " clicked "

or became an issue until dd couldn't stop hand washing then I thought

back and a lot seemed to fit - so it's so tough to tell - I think a lot

of us on here are still confused - hang in there!

Thank Eileen - glad I am not the only confused one (!)

Appreciate the support-

Liz

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/13/2006 6:31:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

@... writes:

Some of the obsessiveness reminded me of autism; that can be a

trait. On the other hand (yes, the opposite), with OCD, there might

a need in that same way. It was sort of simple with me to decide

with if something was Aspergers (AS) related or OCD.

's OCD gave him a feeling that something bad would happen to

him if he didn't " find that something " for instance, lots of anxiety,

etc.; if it was his AS, then it was more a stubborness,

relentlessness, obsessiveness.relentlessness, obsessiveness.<WBR>..to it

as he can't find it and refuses to quit until he does. With OCD, the

anxiety would have been there from the first.

says that with OCD you HAVE to find it; with Aspergers you

WANT to find it. Aspergers is more of a personality quirk.

VERY interesting description .... hmmm, that has me thinking - I will have

to mull it over. I can't pinpoint which seems to fit more? A great

distinction and way of thinking of it!

You could read the criteria for autism and/or Aspergers Syndrome.

Some things might fit, others not. With anyone, you have to remember

that each person is an individual, that some traits can be stronger

in one person than another, and personality itself can come into

play. For instance, is very caring about others, reads my

emotions well, where you might read those with autism have a problem

with this. Now - they actually might with a complete

stranger/someone they don't know well.

Again, interesting, thanks ... yes, my son also presents " atypically " in

whichever diagnosis is being discussed - does make it more confusing!

There is also Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD or NVLD) that is very

similar to Aspergers. I couldn't decide which fit better

they were so similar.

So - I'm not trying to steer you away from OCD, but these others

crossed my mind. And, as I said, you can work on the OCD-type

problems the same way usually. I think the difference will be in the

perspective the child is coming from with their behavior.

I've been interrupted a bit replying to this so forgive any confusion!

Here are a few links (of the many!!) I have saved if you want to look

at them, on AS and NLD:

_http://www.autism-http://www.ahttp://www.autishttp://wwhttp://ww_

(http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Aspergers)

_http://www.udel.http://www.http://ww_ (http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/)

_http://www.nldonthehttp://w_ (http://www.nldontheweb.org/)

Hope to hear more from you! You can get lots of suggestions on how

to work with some of the behaviors and even sensory areas. Has he

been to an occupational therapist for any sensory issues?

We are planning to get an OT eval for the sensory stuff - have been promised

a recommendation from someone in this area and hoping to get started in that

direction soon. That should be an interesting piece of the puzzle.

Thanks for the welcome, I will check out those links!

Liz

[Guest guest]

wow - you poor thing! and you're right I often wonder about the affects

on the younger ones - they're so good backing off if there's an episode

but who knows what the future holds - somehow I think they'll all get

therapy as adults and all blame us - LOL!!!!!!

Eileen

Quoting boblizjack@...:

> In a message dated 8/13/2006 5:27:51 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

> adelem@... writes:

>

> And do you know when we had to check out they told us that we had

> picked the wrong car and it wasn't available. My husband about died, they

> had no clue as to what it took to get my son in this car. They brought us

> another car and had to transfer all of our stuff with my son to the new one.

> Oh, DP ... in a twisted way, you just made my night! I can absolutely

> picture all of this - and am chuckling with sympathy. The incidents

> you described

> are exactly like what we go through here - I thought we must be the only

> ones, no one else seemed to fit our profile.

> My son is SO similar - out of the blue, getting stuck on some unforeseen

> thing. Some other 'fun' (!!) examples include -

> while on vacation at the beach, we (regrettably!) gave him the choice of

> whether we'd go to the bay or the ocean beach that day ... assured him either

> was fine, it was our last day and he could choose. OH MY GOD - it

> turned into

> WW3 ... he picked one, then en route got worried and unsure, and switched

> back to the other .. and on and on. We pulled over, were all

> sweltering packed

> in the van, little girls starting to lose it as well since we were stalled

> out and going nowhere -- and Jack ended up in a full blown tantrum,

> unable to

> decide, and unable to let us choose then ... etc etc. (for the record, we

> finally ended up deciding for him to go to the ocean beach ... where he

> persisted in being unhappy and tantrum-y the whole time ... niiice)

> And I also had a similar van 'kidnapping', LOL -- Jack got 'stuck' at our

> pool a couple of weeks ago after swim team, refusing to put on his usual

> sunscreen before I took him to camp. It escalated in the parking lot

> -- all of my

> calm tactics were to no avail, I wanted to just get him IN the car, and

> figure it out from there. Well-l-l, he would not get in the car, was

> completely

> stuck, making a scene in the parking lot .... we were boiling hot, and I

> finally got in the car, acted like I was starting to leave - he came near, I

> swooped him into the open van door, closed the door, and DROVE OFF with him

> screaming on the van floor! (just to outside of the parking lot, so

> we could

> decompress in private) Oh man, my two and four year olds will end up

> in therapy

> themselves someday after living through all of this chaos! :o/

>

>

>

> My son also like yours is highly gifted/ADD, extremely creative and

> imagitative which I think is what is really creating all his fears. My son

> does not have rituals or compusions that I know of. He isn't the typical

> hand washer, hoarder, checker, etc. He just seems to get stuck all the time.

> So interesting - they sound like there are many similarities. Wish there

> was more written (or maybe there is, and I haven't found it yet!) about this

> specific feature - getting 'stuck'!

>

> Thanks so much for your reply ... makes me feel like I am not losing my

> mind. Sorry that others are going through this as well, but glad to

> find some

> company!

>

> Liz

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Liz,

Kind of funny to listen to your post also. I think we all could use some

humor and it does help so much to realize we aren't alone and that it isn't

that we are horrible disciplinarians. I remember when my son was 3 I went

into a panic because I felt like I just totally was loosing control of him,

nothing I did would work with discipline. He has never any cares what so

ever about what others thought of him which made it all that much harder to

discipline. I have beaten myself up so many times thinking I am failing. Its

good to finally learn that there really is a reason for all this nonsence.

Thanks again for your post!

DP

_____

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of boblizjack@...

Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2006 10:10 PM

Subject: Re: intro

In a message dated 8/13/2006 5:27:51 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

adelemcarolina (DOT) <mailto:adelem%40carolina.rr.com> rr.com writes:

And do you know when we had to check out they told us that we had

picked the wrong car and it wasn't available. My husband about died, they

had no clue as to what it took to get my son in this car. They brought us

another car and had to transfer all of our stuff with my son to the new one.

Oh, DP ... in a twisted way, you just made my night! I can absolutely

picture all of this - and am chuckling with sympathy. The incidents you

described

are exactly like what we go through here - I thought we must be the only

ones, no one else seemed to fit our profile.

My son is SO similar - out of the blue, getting stuck on some unforeseen

thing. Some other 'fun' (!!) examples include -

while on vacation at the beach, we (regrettably!) gave him the choice of

whether we'd go to the bay or the ocean beach that day ... assured him

either

was fine, it was our last day and he could choose. OH MY GOD - it turned

into

WW3 ... he picked one, then en route got worried and unsure, and switched

back to the other .. and on and on. We pulled over, were all sweltering

packed

in the van, little girls starting to lose it as well since we were stalled

out and going nowhere -- and Jack ended up in a full blown tantrum, unable

to

decide, and unable to let us choose then ... etc etc. (for the record, we

finally ended up deciding for him to go to the ocean beach ... where he

persisted in being unhappy and tantrum-y the whole time ... niiice)

And I also had a similar van 'kidnapping', LOL -- Jack got 'stuck' at our

pool a couple of weeks ago after swim team, refusing to put on his usual

sunscreen before I took him to camp. It escalated in the parking lot -- all

of my

calm tactics were to no avail, I wanted to just get him IN the car, and

figure it out from there. Well-l-l, he would not get in the car, was

completely

stuck, making a scene in the parking lot .... we were boiling hot, and I

finally got in the car, acted like I was starting to leave - he came near, I

swooped him into the open van door, closed the door, and DROVE OFF with him

screaming on the van floor! (just to outside of the parking lot, so we could

decompress in private) Oh man, my two and four year olds will end up in

therapy

themselves someday after living through all of this chaos! :o/

My son also like yours is highly gifted/ADD, extremely creative and

imagitative which I think is what is really creating all his fears. My son

does not have rituals or compusions that I know of. He isn't the typical

hand washer, hoarder, checker, etc. He just seems to get stuck all the time.

So interesting - they sound like there are many similarities. Wish there

was more written (or maybe there is, and I haven't found it yet!) about this

specific feature - getting 'stuck'!

Thanks so much for your reply ... makes me feel like I am not losing my

mind. Sorry that others are going through this as well, but glad to find

some

company!

Liz

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/14/2006 1:05:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

adelem@... writes:

I think we all could use some

humor and it does help so much to realize we aren't alone and that it isn't

that we are horrible disciplinarians.

Absolutely!

It's hard, because the assumption when you see a kid

out-of-control/misbehaving, is that it must be a parenting issue, etc. Plus

things like this are

less understood/accepted publicly - the stigma, vs if they were sick with

something else ... if Jack had cancer, everyone would rally around, we'd have

no

qualms telling people, etc.

I'm grateful to have found this group, that's for sure!

Liz

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/14/2006 8:02:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

ssn_friedman@... writes:

You may want to try and find a good CBT therapist who can help teach you and

your son stratagies for coping when he gets " stuck " .

Appreciate the thoughts, Sue - good advice. How have any of you found CBT

therapists? And are most of you all having insurance covering your various

treatments? We spent over a year enduring the run-around with military

healthcare and are now 100% private/solo - hoping for better care, but

$$OUCH$$.

:o/

Liz

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/14/2006 11:29:25 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

cward_ri@... writes:

We are in the military also (Tricare is our insurance) and they have paid

for all of our providers - 100%. In fact, they just preapproved an additional

24 psychologist visits. If you are not pleased with the military healthcare

system, they should grant you permission to go to civilian providers. Are you

having problems with that?

We are just starting to navigate the system .... we've had testing and a

couple of psych. app'ts. We thought we would hopefully get some coverage under

the POS (point of service) option, and my husband got confusing/mixed info

when he talked with a Tricare rep. on the phone. We are submitting our bills,

but not confident about reimbursement based on what he was told - since we

are within the MTF " catchment " area. I am thinking he should go in person to

talk with a Tricare person at the MTF.

I am happy to know that coverage should be provided - appreciate the input,

we will pursue reimbursement (did you need prior authorization? or to see a

participating provider?)

Thanks for your input!

Liz in MD

[Guest guest]

Liz-

My 12 year old daughter also gets " stuck " on things. When she gets an idea in

her mind, it is difficult to sway her and often results in meltdowns. She has

had many late homework nights completing a project until it is exactly they way

she envisioned it. She is also a gifted student. Ross Greene's book is always

on my nightstand. Our CBT therapist is just now starting a program Ross Greene

has recently devised for therapists to teach their patients. It is supposed to

help teach parents and their child to help problem solve together. There is a

system involved that will take time and effort to put into place. We are at the

beginning stages so don't have any feedback at the moment.

Another thing that helps at times is trying to re-direct her thoughts to

something calming - for her it is her bunny rabbit. Public places are the

hardest, of course, since reasoning rarely works. We do ask her to try and stay

calm and stay in control. It can work at times or at least keep it to a low

roar instead of a meltdown.

You may want to try and find a good CBT therapist who can help teach you and

your son stratagies for coping when he gets " stuck " .

Good luck!

Sue

boblizjack@... wrote:

Hi all-

I just found/joined this site and have been reading with interest. I am

still not sure if we completely 'belong' here, but nowhere else seems to fit

either ... I welcome any input and sharing with others going through similar

things!

My 8 year old son has had issues (!) for a couple of years now, and we got

formal testing this summer, which confirmed he has " features " of OCD, among

other things. (including likely mood disorder, major sensory issues, and a

highly gifted/LD profile)

His biggest symptom is inflexibility/explosiveness (we know Ross Greene's

book from cover to cover), plus getting 'stuck' as we call it ... which seems to

be the feature of OCD, as the doc attributes it. He has totally rigid

thinking, and gets locked on ideas - can't function til whatever it is is

done/etc. to his satisfaction. (often unreasonable or impossible - ugh!)

He's not into rituals or some of the typical OCD headliners ... his stuff is

more subtle, and debatable is it's in fact OCD? It seems to be more a

problem of obsessive thinking. Everyday examples abound - a typical one is if he

can't find some obscure thing. The other night, for example, he out of the

blue decided he needed to find a story he'd written about 6 months ago .. for a

summer writing assignment he wanted to continue the story, and he *had* to

find the original story to continue. Started out casually, we helped him look

initially, and things escalated as it became apparent it was not to be

found. He tantrumed and was overcome with anxiety - he HAD to have it, couldn't

think of anything else, would sit in one spot til it was found, we must drop

everything and continue to look for him ... he was virtually bouncing off the

walls with stress. No amount of reassurance or ideas about how to move on

were accepted (let's start a sequel to the story ... we can add a transition

chapter when we do find it ... Daddy lost his cell phone recently and it turned

up out of the blue .... trying to shift gears and find a distraction, all to

no avail). For the record the story has still not been found, and he still

persists on asking me throughout the day if I've found it, etc. These kind

of examples pop up multiple times a day.

Anyway - I could ramble on and on, but I guess I am curious about how

specifically your kids fit the profile of the OCD diagnosis? Is something as

fringe as what my son struggles with perhaps truly OCD, or more likely a facet

of

his other issues? Obviously no one is here to diagnose/etc - just mostly

curious about the various ways OCD can present. He doesn't fit the exact

criteria I find in searching/reading online.

Currently my son has started some new meds (we'd tried Zoloft - relatively

low dosage, compared to what I see referred to here - for a period last year

for his 'anxiety' diagnosis at the time - didn't see improvement) ... he is

now taking .5 mg Risperdal (for the mood disorder, apparently) and 5 mg of

Lexapro for some other symptoms, including some of the obsessive thinking. Not

quite a month since starting, and improvement is hard to measure -- sometimes

he seems more 'himself' and easier to deal with, then we encounter an episode

like from the past and it seems hopeless. Ugh.

I look forward to learning from everyone here - thanks for bearing with me,

this is so overwhelming. :o/

Liz

dh Bob

mom to Jack (8), (4), and Kate (2)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/15/2006 10:08:33 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

cward_ri@... writes:

Yes, I would GO IN to the Tricare Office, speak with a " real " representative

and get the information you need. I don't know what luck you will have with

getting reimbursed, but you shouldn't need to have much more out of pocket

expense.

Thanks .... having to navigate the insurance end of things just adds

to the " fun " !?!

I appreciate the pointers, I will set my husband on this task. )

Liz in MD

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/15/2006 12:37:41 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

ssn_friedman@... writes:

We found our CBT therapist through word of mouth. But, check with your

pediatrician, local children's hospitals, phonebook, ect. It took us 5 years of

various therapists before we found this awesome CBT therapist. And, we have a

seperate psychiatrist for meds (if needed) and a psychologist she goes to

from time to time who offers group classes for children. It's hard to keep up -

but looking back - she has made a ton of progress.

Thanks Sue ... we will likely be having a slew of professionals involved as

well. We have a psychiatrist for meds, and are in the market for a therapist

for individual counseling, plus social skills group, plus an OT for

eval/sensory disorder help.

I'd love to find a support group in this area ... I found a couple that are

a ways away, but might be worth checking out.

Liz in MD

[Guest guest]

Sounds like you are on the right track, Liz. Good luck with everthing!

Sue

boblizjack@... wrote:

In a message dated 8/15/2006 12:37:41 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

ssn_friedman@... writes:

We found our CBT therapist through word of mouth. But, check with your

pediatrician, local children's hospitals, phonebook, ect. It took us 5 years of

various therapists before we found this awesome CBT therapist. And, we have a

seperate psychiatrist for meds (if needed) and a psychologist she goes to

from time to time who offers group classes for children. It's hard to keep up -

but looking back - she has made a ton of progress.

Thanks Sue ... we will likely be having a slew of professionals involved as

well. We have a psychiatrist for meds, and are in the market for a therapist

for individual counseling, plus social skills group, plus an OT for

eval/sensory disorder help.

I'd love to find a support group in this area ... I found a couple that are

a ways away, but might be worth checking out.

Liz in MD

[Guest guest]

WOW!

I was just reading about your kids...

and it sounds SO similar to things that happen around here. Especially

the " having to find " lost things!My son just turned 10. He is obsessed

with Pokemon, way more than any of his friends. The obsessive thoughts

are unbelievable. My son, Ethan, also doesn't really have to washing

or hoarding (compulsions), so it's hard for people to believe he is

really OCD, and not just a discipline problem. It is really hard for

him to make friends also. He just totally misses social cues, although

I think he is very intuitive about people in a lot of ways.

But I know for a fact, Ethan doesn't WANT to act the way he does, and

melt down over things. He gets SO stuck on the same thoughts, and

nothing can distract him/ get him over them.

Anyway, I'm going to look through more old posts to see if I can find

some more tips on dealing with this. It's just amazing how similar

some of your situations are to mine. Although I don't want my son to

have OCD, at least I know what it is now. In a way, it's a relief to

know that other people are going through similar situations.

Anyway, thanks for listening!

Rita

>

> Liz,

>

> Your son sounds a lot like my son who is 9. We just got the

diagnoses after

> working with my son for 6 months over his fear of storms. My

husbands family

> has many of these traits of fear and anxiety and I use to kind of

joke that

> they were OCD because they obsess on everything, even the fun

things. We had

> gone to therapy last fall to try and help my son with his fear of

storms.

> Went through full recovery in like 4 sessions, which was amazing to

me. Did

> great through the winter and then his fear of storms returned worse

with 4

> other fears. What triggered my psychologist to think he had OCD was

the way

> these fears kept coming back around with others. I was struggling

with this

> diagnoses thinking it was just GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

which in

> some ways fit the profile better. The doctor and I read over and

over the

> exact wording in his Dr. book about OCD to see if it fit my son.

> Interestingly, one of the words quoted was " apprehensive expectations "

> meaning fearful of the future, act of the expecting. When he read the 6

> things listed that you must have to have OCD my son answered yes to

5 out of

> 6. I keep coming back with doubt that he really has OCD because he

doesn't

> seem to have the compulsions the way you hear from many others. The

doctor

> explained that you don't have to have compulsions and he could get

some of

> those later.

>

>

>

> My son like yours has these terrible tantrams where he just gets stuck.

> Someone described it to me like a tire getting stuck in the mud and

> spinning. When I look back on my son the last 6 years he has always been

> extremely hard to discipline, very inflexable and rigid and he does get

> stuck all the time. When he started to play Pokemon cards he would

play for

> hours and days and not ever want to do anything else. His friends

would get

> so bored and tired of playing that they would stop playing with him

and he

> still couldn't shake it off.

>

>

>

> We had a couple of things recently that sounded like your son. We

went to a

> restaurant and he ordered chicken strips to eat. After we sat down he

> realized that this restaurant had cheese sticks which is what he really

> wanted and liked best. Wanted to change order but it was too late. He

> started having the most incredible fit in the restaurant, screeming

like a

> two year old. He could not shake it off, nothing we said or did made a

> difference. Everyone around us was looking at us like do something about

> this what a spoiled brat. Our whole dinner was a disaster, my poor

17 year

> old teen was mortified. We finally gave up and dashed out of the

restaurant

> as fast as possible. My OCD son ended up refusing to eat anything

that night

> and went to bed without dinner. He was stuck!

>

>

>

> We had another situation at a airport where we had gotten a rental

car and

> they told us to pick one out. My son wanted the blue one which was

not one

> available and could not let it go. We were in Arizona, 105 degrees in a

> parking garage, ready to start a fun vacation. My son screemed for 20

> minutes, would not get in the car, would not move from the blue car

to the

> white car. Once again he was stuck! His screems were soo loud due to

being

> in a parking garage, we were all burning up there like being in a

oven. We

> are standing there with all of our luggage and stuff. Finally my husband

> loaded the white car up, we got in and acted like we were going to leave

> him. My son ran after us, my husband grabbed him while he was

screaming at

> the top of his lungs and forced him in the car. Ugg!! What a way to

start

> vacation. And do you know when we had to check out they told us that

we had

> picked the wrong car and it wasn't available. My husband about died,

they

> had no clue as to what it took to get my son in this car. They

brought us

> another car and had to transfer all of our stuff with my son to the

new one.

>

>

>

>

> My son also like yours is highly gifted/ADD, extremely creative and

> imagitative which I think is what is really creating all his fears.

My son

> does not have rituals or compusions that I know of. He isn't the typical

> hand washer, hoarder, checker, etc. He just seems to get stuck all

the time.

> What I have read also is that there might be a lot more going on in

his mind

> then we even know. He could have a compulsion in his mind like

praying over

> and over that we don't even know about.

>

>

>

> I really wish someone would write a book just about the obsessions

and not

> the compulsions. Good luck on your track of trying to figure this

all out,

> it can drive mom crazy to know the exact truth.

>

> DP

>

> _____

>

> From:

> [mailto: ] On Behalf Of boblizjack@...

> Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2006 10:48 PM

>

> Subject: intro

>

>

>

> Hi all-

>

> I just found/joined this site and have been reading with interest. I am

> still not sure if we completely 'belong' here, but nowhere else

seems to fit

>

> either ... I welcome any input and sharing with others going through

similar

>

> things!

>

> My 8 year old son has had issues (!) for a couple of years now, and

we got

> formal testing this summer, which confirmed he has " features " of

OCD, among

> other things. (including likely mood disorder, major sensory issues,

and a

> highly gifted/LD profile)

>

> His biggest symptom is inflexibility/explosiveness (we know Ross

Greene's

> book from cover to cover), plus getting 'stuck' as we call it ... which

> seems to

> be the feature of OCD, as the doc attributes it. He has totally rigid

> thinking, and gets locked on ideas - can't function til whatever it

is is

> done/etc. to his satisfaction. (often unreasonable or impossible - ugh!)

>

> He's not into rituals or some of the typical OCD headliners ... his

stuff is

>

> more subtle, and debatable is it's in fact OCD? It seems to be more a

> problem of obsessive thinking. Everyday examples abound - a typical

one is

> if he

> can't find some obscure thing. The other night, for example, he out

of the

> blue decided he needed to find a story he'd written about 6 months

ago ..

> for a

> summer writing assignment he wanted to continue the story, and he

*had* to

> find the original story to continue. Started out casually, we helped him

> look

> initially, and things escalated as it became apparent it was not to be

> found. He tantrumed and was overcome with anxiety - he HAD to have it,

> couldn't

> think of anything else, would sit in one spot til it was found, we

must drop

>

> everything and continue to look for him ... he was virtually

bouncing off

> the

> walls with stress. No amount of reassurance or ideas about how to

move on

> were accepted (let's start a sequel to the story ... we can add a

transition

>

> chapter when we do find it ... Daddy lost his cell phone recently and it

> turned

> up out of the blue .... trying to shift gears and find a

distraction, all to

>

> no avail). For the record the story has still not been found, and he

still

> persists on asking me throughout the day if I've found it, etc.

These kind

> of examples pop up multiple times a day.

>

> Anyway - I could ramble on and on, but I guess I am curious about how

> specifically your kids fit the profile of the OCD diagnosis? Is

something as

>

> fringe as what my son struggles with perhaps truly OCD, or more likely a

> facet of

> his other issues? Obviously no one is here to diagnose/etc - just

mostly

> curious about the various ways OCD can present. He doesn't fit the

exact

> criteria I find in searching/reading online.

> Currently my son has started some new meds (we'd tried Zoloft -

relatively

> low dosage, compared to what I see referred to here - for a period

last year

>

> for his 'anxiety' diagnosis at the time - didn't see improvement)

.... he is

> now taking .5 mg Risperdal (for the mood disorder, apparently) and 5

mg of

> Lexapro for some other symptoms, including some of the obsessive

thinking.

> Not

> quite a month since starting, and improvement is hard to measure --

> sometimes

> he seems more 'himself' and easier to deal with, then we encounter an

> episode

> like from the past and it seems hopeless. Ugh.

>

> I look forward to learning from everyone here - thanks for bearing

with me,

> this is so overwhelming. :o/

>

> Liz

> dh Bob

> mom to Jack (8), (4), and Kate (2)

>

>

[Guest guest]

Rita,

It does feel so much better in some ways to finally get a diagnoses. I have

found I can now talk to others about his problem more open and have a name

for it. They now see him with a medical problem and have sympathy vs before

it was just a lack of discipline or annoying. For us it has really helped

for me to go to a therapist and work on ways to help him. There is lots mom

can do to learn to handle all this. I'm sure you will learn a lot from this

group also.

Good luck,

Adele

_____

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of flipkrause

Sent: Monday, October 16, 2006 4:53 PM

Subject: Re: intro

WOW!

I was just reading about your kids...

and it sounds SO similar to things that happen around here. Especially

the " having to find " lost things!My son just turned 10. He is obsessed

with Pokemon, way more than any of his friends. The obsessive thoughts

are unbelievable. My son, Ethan, also doesn't really have to washing

or hoarding (compulsions), so it's hard for people to believe he is

really OCD, and not just a discipline problem. It is really hard for

him to make friends also. He just totally misses social cues, although

I think he is very intuitive about people in a lot of ways.

But I know for a fact, Ethan doesn't WANT to act the way he does, and

melt down over things. He gets SO stuck on the same thoughts, and

nothing can distract him/ get him over them.

Anyway, I'm going to look through more old posts to see if I can find

some more tips on dealing with this. It's just amazing how similar

some of your situations are to mine. Although I don't want my son to

have OCD, at least I know what it is now. In a way, it's a relief to

know that other people are going through similar situations.

Anyway, thanks for listening!

Rita

>

> Liz,

>

> Your son sounds a lot like my son who is 9. We just got the

diagnoses after

> working with my son for 6 months over his fear of storms. My

husbands family

> has many of these traits of fear and anxiety and I use to kind of

joke that

> they were OCD because they obsess on everything, even the fun

things. We had

> gone to therapy last fall to try and help my son with his fear of

storms.

> Went through full recovery in like 4 sessions, which was amazing to

me. Did

> great through the winter and then his fear of storms returned worse

with 4

> other fears. What triggered my psychologist to think he had OCD was

the way

> these fears kept coming back around with others. I was struggling

with this

> diagnoses thinking it was just GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

which in

> some ways fit the profile better. The doctor and I read over and

over the

> exact wording in his Dr. book about OCD to see if it fit my son.

> Interestingly, one of the words quoted was " apprehensive expectations "

> meaning fearful of the future, act of the expecting. When he read the 6

> things listed that you must have to have OCD my son answered yes to

5 out of

> 6. I keep coming back with doubt that he really has OCD because he

doesn't

> seem to have the compulsions the way you hear from many others. The

doctor

> explained that you don't have to have compulsions and he could get

some of

> those later.

>

>

>

> My son like yours has these terrible tantrams where he just gets stuck.

> Someone described it to me like a tire getting stuck in the mud and

> spinning. When I look back on my son the last 6 years he has always been

> extremely hard to discipline, very inflexable and rigid and he does get

> stuck all the time. When he started to play Pokemon cards he would

play for

> hours and days and not ever want to do anything else. His friends

would get

> so bored and tired of playing that they would stop playing with him

and he

> still couldn't shake it off.

>

>

>

> We had a couple of things recently that sounded like your son. We

went to a

> restaurant and he ordered chicken strips to eat. After we sat down he

> realized that this restaurant had cheese sticks which is what he really

> wanted and liked best. Wanted to change order but it was too late. He

> started having the most incredible fit in the restaurant, screeming

like a

> two year old. He could not shake it off, nothing we said or did made a

> difference. Everyone around us was looking at us like do something about

> this what a spoiled brat. Our whole dinner was a disaster, my poor

17 year

> old teen was mortified. We finally gave up and dashed out of the

restaurant

> as fast as possible. My OCD son ended up refusing to eat anything

that night

> and went to bed without dinner. He was stuck!

>

>

>

> We had another situation at a airport where we had gotten a rental

car and

> they told us to pick one out. My son wanted the blue one which was

not one

> available and could not let it go. We were in Arizona, 105 degrees in a

> parking garage, ready to start a fun vacation. My son screemed for 20

> minutes, would not get in the car, would not move from the blue car

to the

> white car. Once again he was stuck! His screems were soo loud due to

being

> in a parking garage, we were all burning up there like being in a

oven. We

> are standing there with all of our luggage and stuff. Finally my husband

> loaded the white car up, we got in and acted like we were going to leave

> him. My son ran after us, my husband grabbed him while he was

screaming at

> the top of his lungs and forced him in the car. Ugg!! What a way to

start

> vacation. And do you know when we had to check out they told us that

we had

> picked the wrong car and it wasn't available. My husband about died,

they

> had no clue as to what it took to get my son in this car. They

brought us

> another car and had to transfer all of our stuff with my son to the

new one.

>

>

>

>

> My son also like yours is highly gifted/ADD, extremely creative and

> imagitative which I think is what is really creating all his fears.

My son

> does not have rituals or compusions that I know of. He isn't the typical

> hand washer, hoarder, checker, etc. He just seems to get stuck all

the time.

> What I have read also is that there might be a lot more going on in

his mind

> then we even know. He could have a compulsion in his mind like

praying over

> and over that we don't even know about.

>

>

>

> I really wish someone would write a book just about the obsessions

and not

> the compulsions. Good luck on your track of trying to figure this

all out,

> it can drive mom crazy to know the exact truth.

>

> DP

>

> _____

>

> From: @ <mailto:%40>

> [mailto:@ <mailto:%40>

] On Behalf Of boblizjack@...

> Sent: Saturday, August 12, 2006 10:48 PM

> @ <mailto:%40>

> Subject: intro

>

>

>

> Hi all-

>

> I just found/joined this site and have been reading with interest. I am

> still not sure if we completely 'belong' here, but nowhere else

seems to fit

>

> either ... I welcome any input and sharing with others going through

similar

>

> things!

>

> My 8 year old son has had issues (!) for a couple of years now, and

we got

> formal testing this summer, which confirmed he has " features " of

OCD, among

> other things. (including likely mood disorder, major sensory issues,

and a

> highly gifted/LD profile)

>

> His biggest symptom is inflexibility/explosiveness (we know Ross

Greene's

> book from cover to cover), plus getting 'stuck' as we call it ... which

> seems to

> be the feature of OCD, as the doc attributes it. He has totally rigid

> thinking, and gets locked on ideas - can't function til whatever it

is is

> done/etc. to his satisfaction. (often unreasonable or impossible - ugh!)

>

> He's not into rituals or some of the typical OCD headliners ... his

stuff is

>

> more subtle, and debatable is it's in fact OCD? It seems to be more a

> problem of obsessive thinking. Everyday examples abound - a typical

one is

> if he

> can't find some obscure thing. The other night, for example, he out

of the

> blue decided he needed to find a story he'd written about 6 months

ago ..

> for a

> summer writing assignment he wanted to continue the story, and he

*had* to

> find the original story to continue. Started out casually, we helped him

> look

> initially, and things escalated as it became apparent it was not to be

> found. He tantrumed and was overcome with anxiety - he HAD to have it,

> couldn't

> think of anything else, would sit in one spot til it was found, we

must drop

>

> everything and continue to look for him ... he was virtually

bouncing off

> the

> walls with stress. No amount of reassurance or ideas about how to

move on

> were accepted (let's start a sequel to the story ... we can add a

transition

>

> chapter when we do find it ... Daddy lost his cell phone recently and it

> turned

> up out of the blue .... trying to shift gears and find a

distraction, all to

>

> no avail). For the record the story has still not been found, and he

still

> persists on asking me throughout the day if I've found it, etc.

These kind

> of examples pop up multiple times a day.

>

> Anyway - I could ramble on and on, but I guess I am curious about how

> specifically your kids fit the profile of the OCD diagnosis? Is

something as

>

> fringe as what my son struggles with perhaps truly OCD, or more likely a

> facet of

> his other issues? Obviously no one is here to diagnose/etc - just

mostly

> curious about the various ways OCD can present. He doesn't fit the

exact

> criteria I find in searching/reading online.

> Currently my son has started some new meds (we'd tried Zoloft -

relatively

> low dosage, compared to what I see referred to here - for a period

last year

>

> for his 'anxiety' diagnosis at the time - didn't see improvement)

.... he is

> now taking .5 mg Risperdal (for the mood disorder, apparently) and 5

mg of

> Lexapro for some other symptoms, including some of the obsessive

thinking.

> Not

> quite a month since starting, and improvement is hard to measure --

> sometimes

> he seems more 'himself' and easier to deal with, then we encounter an

> episode

> like from the past and it seems hopeless. Ugh.

>

> I look forward to learning from everyone here - thanks for bearing

with me,

> this is so overwhelming. :o/

>

> Liz

> dh Bob

> mom to Jack (8), (4), and Kate (2)

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,It's from Eugene, OR. It's nice to see you online. It's good to know you are all doing well. We are all doing well. I just took my middle child, (almost 11) for some evals on Friday. We think she is at the high functioning end of the autism spectrum or possibly aspergers. Take Care,Jenna and Rob <7wonderfulblessings@...> wrote: Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three are blessed with Autism in varying

degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well. This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related. Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for non-verbal children, and just share support. Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look forward to getting to know all of you. Peace, ....in New England

Sponsored Link

Try Netflix today! With plans starting at only $5.99 a month what are you waiting for?

[Guest guest]

,

I am not in the same boat as you, I have

one biological son, 13 with Aspergers/ADHD and an almost 6 year old NT

daughter, however I do also live in New England

so I thought I would say hello.

I also wanted to commend you on your

dedication!!

Charlotte

From:

Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Jenna and Rob

Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006

7:40 AM

To:

Autism and Aspergers Treatment

Subject: Intro

Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three

are blessed with Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has

Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal

Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well.

This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the

unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They

are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the

youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related.

Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same

walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for

non-verbal children, and just share support.

Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look

forward to getting to know all of you.

Peace,

....in New England

[Guest guest]

Hi Charlotte! Thanks so much for saying hello. We just moved to Maine a few weeks ago. How about you? What state do you live in?

Thanks for the kind words!

RE: Intro

,

I am not in the same boat as you, I have one biological son, 13 with Aspergers/ADHD and an almost 6 year old NT daughter, however I do also live in New England so I thought I would say hello.

I also wanted to commend you on your dedication!!

Charlotte

From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Jenna and RobSent: Friday, November 03, 2006 7:40 AMAutism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Intro

Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three are blessed with Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well.

This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related.

Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for non-verbal children, and just share support.

Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look forward to getting to know all of you.

Peace,

....in New England

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.5.430 / Virus Database: 268.13.32/523 - Release Date: 11/7/2006 1:40 PM

[Guest guest]

Hello, adoption is how we nowhave our3 year old,we r fosterparents. SHe was a crack baby and we had her sense birth .She is going to be evaluated soon , ( as soon as i find someone that does this age ) Her birht mother was Bp, yet i see some autisic behaviors also. Now to find out if it is casued from her being a crack baby , or genetics from birth mom will be another answer i am looking to go along with the evaluation. Last week we received her little sister into our home as a foster child,she is 2 years old. Our Aspergers teenager does not get along with little kids very well, is htis typical? our 6 year old , she gets along well with and hangs out with, however the 6 year old has been showing some behaviors of possible ADD/ Aspergers. How do i know if it is just what she is picking up from the teenager aspergers sister or if she too may be a special needs child also? Having this many kids

really makes it hard to find baby sitters adn time fro ourselves.Even sleeping at night , our 3 year old has night fears adn has been what seems like a permenant 3rd person in bed with us. It is hard to say no , when she says she is scared and i see her shake. I have tried a few times but she cries hard none stop adn i cant do that not knowing if it is just a trying to get her way or maybe she is BP and having night fears . It has been over a year sense my hubby and I had a time out together. lol ok enough venting what do u all do when u are stressed out or should i say stretched out lol (my job is with kids also lol ) Charlotte <scottdesigns@...> wrote: , I am not in the same boat as you, I have one biological son, 13 with Aspergers/ADHD and an almost 6 year old NT daughter, however I do also live in New England so I thought I would say hello. I also

wanted to commend you on your dedication!! Charlotte From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Jenna and

RobSent: Friday, November 03, 2006 7:40 AMAutism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Intro Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three are blessed with Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well. This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related. Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for non-verbal children, and just share support. Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look forward to getting to know all of you. Peace, ....in New England

Everyone is raving about the all-new beta.

[Guest guest]

Hey !!!!!

How wonderful that it's you! Wow, I never thought I would "find" you again on a group. What a small, small world. Also, I starting using my given name of rather than Jenna on new groups I have joined. Thanks so much for saying hello.

Glad to hear things are well over there. I wanted so badly to move to Oregon, but since things didn't work out that way...we began to apply in other states and we ended up in Maine. We love it. It is actually simliar in green/beauty as Oregon, but we are very near the coast here.

There are great opportunities here and we just spoke with a Case Manager at great length today. She is going to be an advocate for us and we are so excited. We will likely get help for 4 of the kids now which will be so awesome.

The new baby is thought to have SPD. He is doing well, although he was recently diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called a PFA.

Thanks again for the warm welcome!

Peace,

Re: Intro

Hi ,It's from Eugene, OR. It's nice to see you online. It's good to know you are all doing well. We are all doing well. I just took my middle child, (almost 11) for some evals on Friday. We think she is at the high functioning end of the autism spectrum or possibly aspergers. Take Care,Jenna and Rob <7wonderfulblessingsadelphia (DOT) net> wrote:

Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three are blessed with Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well.

This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related.

Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for non-verbal children, and just share support.

Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look forward to getting to know all of you.

Peace,

....in New England

Sponsored LinkTry Netflix today! With plans starting at only $5.99 a month what are you waiting for?

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.5.430 / Virus Database: 268.14.1/527 - Release Date: 11/9/2006 6:00 PM

[Guest guest]

Hmmm....well I can honestly say...we try very hard not to allow ourselves to get to a point of where we feel so overwhelmed and such. We do get out about once or twice a month alone....well we take the baby along. We don't hire sitters, we just put our kids to bed and the teenage boys are more than capable of watching the youngers sibs sleep. Also, we have just recently met a lady across the street who has a son with MR so she can helps if we really needed it. We don't like to leave out kids though and never have had to with others.

I would look closely at the behaviors of the little one that is showing signs of ADD/Aspergers. Maybe write down the symptoms and when she is displaying the behaviors, etc. It is pretty normal for little ones to want to be like their older siblings. But she may very well have special needs as well.

We co-sleep, so I can't say anything against you allowing your baby in your bed. It is the best way for them to feel that love and bond with you. They don't have to have special needs like BP, etc...sometimes it is age, circumstances, or their past.

How many kids do you have in all? Keep doing what you are doing! These kiddos are blessed to have you.

Peace,

RE: Intro

Hello,

adoption is how we nowhave our3 year old,we r fosterparents. SHe was a crack baby and we had her sense birth .She is going to be evaluated soon , ( as soon as i find someone that does this age ) Her birht mother was Bp, yet i see some autisic behaviors also. Now to find out if it is casued from her being a crack baby , or genetics from birth mom will be another answer i am looking to go along with the evaluation. Last week we received her little sister into our home as a foster child,she is 2 years old. Our Aspergers teenager does not get along with little kids very well, is htis typical? our 6 year old , she gets along well with and hangs out with, however the 6 year old has been showing some behaviors of possible ADD/ Aspergers. How do i know if it is just what she is picking up from the teenager aspergers sister or if she too may be a special needs child also?

Having this many kids really makes it hard to find baby sitters adn time fro ourselves.Even sleeping at night , our 3 year old has night fears adn has been what seems like a permenant 3rd person in bed with us. It is hard to say no , when she says she is scared and i see her shake. I have tried a few times but she cries hard none stop adn i cant do that not knowing if it is just a trying to get her way or maybe she is BP and having night fears . It has been over a year sense my hubby and I had a time out together. lol ok enough venting what do u all do when u are stressed out or should i say stretched out lol (my job is with kids also lol )

Charlotte <scottdesignsadelphia (DOT) net> wrote:

,

I am not in the same boat as you, I have one biological son, 13 with Aspergers/ADHD and an almost 6 year old NT daughter, however I do also live in New England so I thought I would say hello.

I also wanted to commend you on your dedication!!

Charlotte

From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Jenna and RobSent: Friday, November 03, 2006 7:40 AMAutism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Intro

Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three are blessed with Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well.

This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related.

Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for non-verbal children, and just share support.

Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look forward to getting to know all of you.

Peace,

....in New England

Everyone is raving about the all-new beta.

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.5.430 / Virus Database: 268.14.1/527 - Release Date: 11/9/2006 6:00 PM

[Guest guest]

My 13 year old AS son HATES my 5 year old

nt daughter! And I mean HATES her! It is hard and it is constant fighting.

I can’t imagine if there were 2 more

younger than her what he would do.

Doesn’t the state provide any

respite money given for the foster children? Which state are you in, I may

have some additional resources for you. Feel free to email me privately if you

feel more comfortable.

Charlotte

From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Don Sam

Sent: Friday, November 10, 2006

9:13 AM

Autism and Aspergers Treatment

Subject: RE:

Intro

Hello,

adoption is how we nowhave our3 year old,we r fosterparents. SHe was a

crack baby and we had her sense birth .She is going to be evaluated soon , ( as

soon as i find someone that does this age ) Her birht

mother was Bp, yet i see some autisic behaviors also.

Now to find out if it is casued from her being a crack baby , or genetics from

birth mom will be another answer i am looking to go along with the evaluation.

Last week we received her little sister into our home as a foster child,she is

2 years old. Our Aspergers teenager does not get along with little kids very

well, is htis typical? our 6 year old , she gets along well with

and hangs out with, however the 6 year old has been showing some

behaviors of possible ADD/ Aspergers. How do i know if it is just what she is

picking up from the teenager aspergers sister or if she too may be a special

needs child also?

Having this many kids really makes it hard to find baby sitters adn

time fro ourselves.Even sleeping at night , our 3 year old has night fears adn

has been what seems like a permenant 3rd person in bed with us. It is hard to

say no , when she says she is scared and i see her shake. I have tried a few

times but she cries hard none stop adn i cant do that not knowing if it is just

a trying to get her way or maybe she is BP and having night fears . It has been

over a year sense my hubby and I had a time out together. lol ok enough venting

what do u all do when u are stressed out or should i say stretched out

lol (my job is with kids also lol )

Charlotte <scottdesignsadelphia (DOT) net>

wrote:

,

I am not in the same boat as you, I have

one biological son, 13 with Aspergers/ADHD and an almost 6 year old NT

daughter, however I do also live in New England

so I thought I would say hello.

I also wanted to commend you on your

dedication!!

Charlotte

From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Jenna and Rob

Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006

7:40 AM

Autism and Aspergers Treatment

Subject: Intro

Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three

are blessed with Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has

Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal

Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well.

This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the

unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They

are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the

youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related.

Would love to get to know more folks who are on this

same walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology

for non-verbal children, and just share support.

Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look

forward to getting to know all of you.

Peace,

....in New England

Everyone is raving about the

all-new beta.

[Guest guest]

I have a 13 yro asd son, and he cannot for the life of him, understand my 5 yro nt daughter! He didnt experience a lot of the things that she has, like issues with friends, or trying to fit in at Kindegarten. I thought I was alone ! Crystal MNCharlotte <scottdesigns@...> wrote: My 13 year

old AS son HATES my 5 year old nt daughter! And I mean HATES her! It is hard and it is constant fighting. I can’t imagine if there were 2 more younger than her what he would do. Doesn’t the state provide any respite money given for the foster children? Which state are you in, I may have some additional resources for you. Feel free to email me privately if you feel more comfortable. Charlotte From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Don SamSent: Friday, November 10, 2006 9:13 AMAutism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: RE: Intro Hello, adoption is how we nowhave our3 year old,we r fosterparents. SHe was a crack baby and we had her sense birth .She is going to be evaluated soon , ( as soon as i find someone that does this age ) Her birht mother was Bp, yet i see some autisic behaviors also. Now

to find out if it is casued from her being a crack baby , or genetics from birth mom will be another answer i am looking to go along with the evaluation. Last week we received her little sister into our home as a foster child,she is 2 years old. Our Aspergers teenager does not get along with little kids very well, is htis typical? our 6 year old , she gets along well with and hangs out with, however the 6 year old has been showing some behaviors of possible ADD/ Aspergers. How do i know if it is just what she is picking up from the teenager aspergers sister or if she too may be a special needs child also? Having this many kids really makes it hard to find baby sitters adn time fro ourselves.Even sleeping at night , our 3 year old has night fears adn has been what seems like a permenant 3rd person in bed with us. It is hard to say

no , when she says she is scared and i see her shake. I have tried a few times but she cries hard none stop adn i cant do that not knowing if it is just a trying to get her way or maybe she is BP and having night fears . It has been over a year sense my hubby and I had a time out together. lol ok enough venting what do u all do when u are stressed out or should i say stretched out lol (my job is with kids also lol ) Charlotte <scottdesignsadelphia (DOT) net> wrote: , I am not in the same boat

as you, I have one biological son, 13 with Aspergers/ADHD and an almost 6 year old NT daughter, however I do also live in New England so I thought I would say hello. I also wanted to commend you on your dedication!! Charlotte From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Jenna and RobSent: Friday, November 03, 2006 7:40 AMAutism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Intro Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three are blessed with

Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well. This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related. Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for non-verbal children, and just share support.

Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look forward to getting to know all of you. Peace, ....in New England

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[Guest guest]

Hello, Yes there is respite care for foster parents.The 2 year

old we just recieved , as for right now,is our only foster.We

adopted her sister and the others are ours.I just did get approved

for the Hearthstone grant that will pay respiote care for our

asperger teenager. It will pay up to 7.00 hourly.Now i just have to

find the right person who is willinly going to do this and is a good

example. It will be great to find someone that can get her out nto

the community adn active in other ways . It bothers me that she is

such a loner.

ooh and we r from WI.

>

> ,

>

> I am not in the same boat as you, I have one biological son, 13

with

> Aspergers/ADHD and an almost 6 year old NT daughter, however I do

also live

> in New England so I thought I would say hello.

>

> I also wanted to commend you on your dedication!!

>

> Charlotte

>

>

>

> _____

>

>

> From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment

> [mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Jenna and

Rob

> Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006 7:40 AM

> Autism and Aspergers Treatment

> Subject: Intro

>

> Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three are

blessed with

> Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has

Aspergers, and

> one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal

Alcohol

> Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as well.

>

> This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the unknown. We

have been

> blessed with these children through adoption. They are not related

with the

> exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the youngest boy (3

months).

> They are uncle/nephew related.

>

> Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same walk of

life. I

> would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for non-

verbal

> children, and just share support.

>

> Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look forward to

getting to

> know all of you.

>

> Peace,

>

> ....in New England

>

>

>

>

>

> _____

>

> Everyone is raving about the

>

<http://us.rd./evt=45083/*http:/advision.webevents.

/mailbe

> ta> all-new beta.

>

[Guest guest]

Hello, my almost 14 yr old Aspie is BETTER with young children than her peers or other adults so it is probably not an "AS thing" as much as environment and personality as with anyone else. My dd has been around babies/toddlers since she was young and that may be why she is ok with them. Also, I think because of the disparity in age, she can "control" the situation more so feels more comfortable. I do "regular" daycare as well as special needs and respite care so there are always extra kids around. As for the "copying" vs. "having issues" debate. We just had this discussion a while back here (maybe you can find the long versions, not sure) ANYWAY, I had those questions re my 6 yr old and finally took him to my dd's doc to get a "professional" opinion. He was diagnosed PDD nos. As far as getting time alone, wow, that is unheard of isn't it? Parents don't NEED downtime right?! (please note the sarcasm!

LOL) Seriously though, if you are foster parents and have special needs children you should qualify for respite care through the government of your state. This is care provided so that the caregivers of special needs and foster kids can get a break as we all know it is stressful. I would ask the social worker or caseworker for your child/children. I have been offered that here but fortunately, I have a good support system of friends who will take my kids for a day if I need to get away even with them being "special needs". I do the same for them with their nt kids and it is great for all of us! I am not sure what they call it in your state but there should be something along those lines. To my knowledge, it is federally mandated! Good luck and God bless!DeeDee mom of Aslynne almost 16 nt, Elissa almost 14 ADHD, ODD, Bi-polar and AS Tynan almost 7 PDD nosDon Sam <ladiodessa@...>

wrote: Hello, adoption is how we nowhave our3 year old,we r fosterparents. SHe was a crack baby and we had her sense birth .She is going to be evaluated soon , ( as soon as i find someone that does this age ) Her birht mother was Bp, yet i see some autisic behaviors also. Now to find out if it is casued from her being a crack baby , or genetics from birth mom will be another answer i am looking to go along with the evaluation. Last week we received her little sister into our home as a foster

child,she is 2 years old. Our Aspergers teenager does not get along with little kids very well, is htis typical? our 6 year old , she gets along well with and hangs out with, however the 6 year old has been showing some behaviors of possible ADD/ Aspergers. How do i know if it is just what she is picking up from the teenager aspergers sister or if she too may be a special needs child also? Having this many kids really makes it hard to find baby sitters adn time fro ourselves.Even sleeping at night , our 3 year old has night fears adn has been what seems like a permenant 3rd person in bed with us. It is hard to say no , when she says she is scared and i see her shake. I have tried a few times but she cries hard none stop adn i cant do that not knowing if it is just a trying to get her way or maybe she is BP and having night fears . It has been over a year sense my hubby and I had a time out together. lol ok enough venting what do u all

do when u are stressed out or should i say stretched out lol (my job is with kids also lol ) Charlotte <scottdesignsadelphia (DOT) net> wrote: , I am not in the same boat as you, I have one biological son, 13 with Aspergers/ADHD and an almost 6 year old NT daughter, however I do also live in New England so I thought I would say hello. I also wanted to commend you on your dedication!! Charlotte From: Autism and Aspergers Treatment

[mailto:Autism and Aspergers Treatment ] On Behalf Of Jenna and RobSent: Friday, November 03, 2006 7:40 AMAutism and Aspergers Treatment Subject: Intro Good Morning. I am a SAHCM of 7 wonderful children. Three are blessed with Autism in varying degrees. I have one with PDD-NOS, one has Aspergers, and one with Severe Non-verbal Autism. I also have a son with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome with ADHD. My youngest daughter has ADD as

well. This has been an amazing journey, sometimes into the unknown. We have been blessed with these children through adoption. They are not related with the exception of the oldest boy (almost 18) and the youngest boy (3 months). They are uncle/nephew related. Would love to get to know more folks who are on this same walk of life. I would like to learn new strategies, the latest technology for non-verbal children, and just share support.

Thanks for allowing me to join this community. I look forward to getting to know all of you. Peace, ....in New England Everyone

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