Introduction

May 24, 2010

Hi,

I'm also new to the list. I had a major flare-up since Easter and just started

on steroids a week ago while waiting for further tests to confirm diagnosis.

Rheumy thinks I may have viral or reactive arthritis because I don't show the

classic signs of RA... except the pain. I am just so pleased to feel normal

again, even if not completely pain free. For a while I thought my muscles have

wasted away because for weeks now my arms and legs got so weak and can hardly

function. I'm 43, live in the UK, married but no children.

I'm glad to have found such a wonderful group of caring people here. Thanks for

having me.

Regards,

Rose

May 24, 2010

Hi Lee and welcome to our group.Â I too have RA and was diagnosed 6 years

ago.Â I am sure you are very busy with a 3 and 1 year old.Â I hope you are

doing good, and that you have your RA under control.

Wishing you many pain dree days ahead,

Â

Hugs,

Â

Barbara

From: saulylee <saulylee@...>

Subject: [ ] Introduction

Date: Monday, May 24, 2010, 6:29 AM

Â

Hi,

Just thought I would introduce myself as I've just joined this group. My name is

Lee and I have RA. I live in Australia and I am on leflunomide and methotrexate.

I am the mother of a full on 3 year old and a surfer dude 1 year old

Thats it

Lee;)

May 25, 2010

Welcome, Lee - you've come to the right place. This group has been a blessing to

me. (our moderator) is awesome in keeping us up to date with the " latest

and greatest " news and info on RA.

Best wishes to you..... Doreen

Hi,

Just thought I would introduce myself as I've just joined this group. My name

is Lee and I have RA. I live in Australia and I am on leflunomide and

methotrexate. I am the mother of a full on 3 year old and a surfer dude 1 year

old

Thats it

Lee;)

May 27, 2010

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome everyone. Hope to talk to you all soon (or as soon as

uni semester finishes lol)

Lee:)

August 20, 2010

Hi, ! Welcome! Thank you for sharing. Many of your comments sound so

familiar. When I enrolled our dd in 3-year-olds preschool, I realized quickly

that something was different. I felt that she was socially immature and thought

joining preschool would be a great way to help her. It just became more

noticeable, but it could still be due to a variety of things, we and her

teacher(s) thought. She was seven when I decided I wasn't going to just accept

that things would be fine, and I took her to the Children's Hospital and Clinic

for an evaluation. It was Asperger's. With the diagnosis in hand, we've been

able to get more help for her, but we have a long way to go. She's nine now and

I'm continuing to seek even more ways to help her. Children are special

treasures...each and every one is a precious gift. Take care! --Kari

>

> Hello everyone. My name is and I am the mother of a 10 year old

daughter adopted at age 3.5 years from a foreign orphanage. To say that our

life has been changed dramatically since her adoption is a huge understatement

of facts. From the time we brought her home, we knew that she had and would

most likely have more issues. Since we first met her, we could sense that she

found it necessary to be " on " --- that she was somehow in a performance of sorts

that no one else was aware of.

>

> Over time, we have run the gamut of " suspicions " and even diagnoses of what we

are dealing with: " just a spunky personality " , then a misbehaving child that

just needs a good spanking, that she is a defiant child who knows what is right

and refuses to do it. At the beginning of last school year (4th grade), it

became clear that I needed to get some solid information. She attends our

church-sponsored private school. It is a good school, but being smaller (about

400 students grades 1-12), there are no special services nor special classes.

Unfortunately for us, her teacher last year (there was only one 4th grade class)

was completely resistant to any suggestions to help her perform better in class.

The good news is, she did pass to 5th grade after taking math in summer school

and her teacher this year is much more receptive to helping us and helping her,

though she has the constraints of the typical mainstream classroom.

>

> Backing up, we had her tested both by our local public school system and a

private psychologist. She tested positive for ADHD and mild OCD. We chose not

to medicate and instead try behavior modification, with only limited success.

At some point, I happened across some information about AS. As I read the

typical behaviors, I was astounded at how much it sounded exactly like my child!

After researching it, I feel 99.9% sure that she is an undiagnosed Aspie.

>

> Some things we experience/deal with:

> • Extremely literal – she literally has no clue about idioms, jokes, etc.; if

you say " that bulb blew " she will counter with " no, it is white, it's not blue " .

You can explain that ONE issue to her and she will get it, but it will not

translate into the next instance at all.

> • Judgmental/corrects adults – this goes over horribly with the adults in her

life – parents, grandparents, teachers, etc. I believe she truly doesn't

understand that it is wrong to do this. Her tone of voice is so condescending

when she attempts to " correct " you. And even when proven wrong in her attempt,

she will maintain that she is right.

> • Multi Tasks is impossible – if you tell her to pick up her socks to take to

her room and turn off the light, she will do one but not both. When reminded,

she will look so blank as if she never heard you tell her to do the other task.

> • Lack of friendships – she has few friends at school. When she has asked

someone over in the past, many times an excuse is given and it is clear to me

that they do not want to " deal with her " over an extended time.

> • Meltdowns – she has extreme meltdowns over homework situations. We realized

last year that it is important to break down large assignments into small

" bites " for her. To show her two workbook pages to do can send her into a

spiral downward in a heartbeat. I have come to recognize when she has reached

the " no return " point and will redirect her to another activity temporarily –

usually a nice shower and then lavender lotion to calm her down. After that,

she can usually return to the task which I have broken down and she will

usually apologize and say she knows she " lost it " .

> • Totally unorganized – this has been huge in the area of homework, as she

cannot do something because she doesn't have some item necessary. We have

combated this by setting up a homework room that has her desk, a plastic dresser

with supplies needed, and we even burn a lavender calendar. She has to be away

from all distractions in the home.

> Reversing words - " left " for " right " ; " full " for " empty " ; " too big " for

" too small " . Most everything is switched.

>

> The biggest struggle for me has been my husband's lack of acknowledgement of

the problem. He grew up in a family where anything behaviorally or mentally

wrong was dismissed. I think it is a pride issue. Just last night, he had a

conversation with a co-worker whose son has Autism. I think it opened his eyes

and he told me he shared with the co-worker that we suspect our daughter has AS.

This is a huge step for him and I believe for our family.

>

> That being said, his being on board changes little for what I must do. I am

open to any and all suggestions but here is what I am doing and am about to

begin doing:

>

> • Follow the most consistent schedule that we can. Mornings are already

pretty tightly routine at our home. Everything is done at basically the same

time and in the same order. I cannot mention to " hurry " or DD gets upset that

we are late and she is obsessive about being on time to school. We leave within

a 4 minute time period every day.

> • My husband has a rotating schedule so he has picked her up from school when

on night shift and then had to let her go to an aftercare program when on day

shift. We are going to a strict schedule of aftercare every single day. I will

be the one to pick her up every day, even when her father could do it. Again,

consistency.

> • She will sit at the bar in the kitchen while I cook dinner and read out loud

with dictionary nearby to look up words. I will be right there to help her with

pronunciations and to encourage.

> • After a dinner routine of eat and clean up, we will go to the homework room

with the door shut to block out any noise. I have set up 2 periods of 30

minutes each with a 10 minute break in between. She should get her homework

done in one period. If so, she can do reading the next period. After that, she

has free time until it's time for bath. She will have her bath at 8:15, dress

for bed, we will do family devotions and if time before bedtime (9:00), she can

play her video game.

> Thanks for letting me post this long introduction. I look forward to

interacting here.

>

September 11, 2010

What a wonderful update about fish oils, NV and therapy -3 of my favorite things

for apraxia!!!! I just wish your email didn't show up with all the strange

symbols in it...I wonder why that is. I tried to clean it up -so below for

those that couldn't read it before -try to read again. The only thing was the

amount...I know you had a fraction there that didn't show up -so please let us

know is it a half or a quarter of a scoop you have been getting into her. Wow

the second update of the day where even on not a full dosage incredible surges!

Cool Polka Dots!!

For all with little ones yes you will of course wonder is it the fish oils, the

NV, therapy or a new preschool??? But for those of us with older children who

have been in therapy and on fish oils for years I know it's NV that is the

quickest acceleration in so many areas across the board. I've never seen or

heard anything like it.

Speaking with across the board..I know most of us think of just speech with

apraxia but as you know there are so many other areas...have you noticed any

difference with the oral apraxia yet? Not all our kids with verbal have the

oral apraxia as well- and NV has been the most amazing thing in somehow

providing Tanner the ability to have facial expressions even when not engaged in

conversation.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS more non-verbal communication, for oral apraxia more

expressions instead of blank stares when not engaged in conversation

http://pursuitofresearch.org/pursuit.html

I can assure you with apraxia when I first got the diagnosis back in 1999 it was

expected years and years of intensive and almost daily therapy...in fact one

study found that children with apraxia needed around 80 percent more therapy

than children with a phonological disorder of speech to show progress...but as

we know that's without fish oils and now without NV too -the accelerators. I'm

expecting there will be a bunch of you with younger children that the nay sayers

will just say " oh these children were misdiagnosed " but they can't say anything

about all of us with older children. And the beauty is that I don't believe it

will be more than a few years before this is validated with people like Dr.

Deepak Chopra and Bill Farley http://www.meetbillfarley.com behind this product.

They are again already fully aware of what is going on and I have been promised

there will be research- but it will probably take a few years. And unlike the

fish oil research which we are raising monies for...the NV research I suspect we

won't have to fund. But again who would have known that our fundraiser product

would end up being such a miracle to so many of us.

Congratulations to what you have seen so far...and I'm sure you will have a

chance at one point to update us just as in the lax on fish oils that you will

get lax on NV too...and let us know what happens In as quickly as one day I

know because I saw it with my own eyes with my son- and yes there is a

regression but just like fish oils not permanent...and not regression all the

way back either.

Also one other congratulations....to you for trying NV even though you were

skeptical. I know that's NV's biggest hurdle right now -nobody but those of us

that try it actually believe it...I understand that. I sometimes still have to

pinch myself. But don't pinch the kids...this is for real!!!

Woohoo!!! Way to go !!!

=====

September 19, 2010

Welcome to the group Amber! ne

From: Amber Gibson <aplusmommy@...>Subject: ( ) introduction Date: Sunday, September 19, 2010, 2:00 AM

Hi! My 5 yo sons recently been diagnosed with AS, ADHD, and ODD! Im looking for support groups here in the San Diego area Thanks! Amber

November 6, 2010

Hi your not rambling we all go through same things on here. Welcome were all friends hereSent via BlackBerry from T-MobileFrom: "thehenrichs3" <thehenrichs3@...>Sender: Date: Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:53:08 -0000< >Reply Subject: ( ) Introduction Hi, I am new to the group. My 13 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with asperger's. It is a relief finally knowing what was different that we just couldn't understand. I personally am going through a tough time right now, I am very overwhelmed with everything that is going on for me right now. We moved to a different state about three weeks ago. My daughter was diagnosed right before we left the other state. I have been a stay at home, homeschooling mom for the past 6 years and my husband is wanting me to go back to work. I don't know how I am supposed to school my daughter, take her to all of her appointments, deal with her meltdowns and still have the time or energy to work. I am just physically, mentally, and emotionally tired and I want a break from it all which of course makes me feel guilty. I'm sorry I rambled on I just needed somebody that would " get " the situation to vent to. If anybody has any advice I would love to hear it. Thanks.

November 7, 2010

Dear Cristina:

I am a mother of a 19 years old ASd. I have worked for years but not by choice, just to be able to provide for my family the basics. It hurts me to know that I could not help my daughter more because I really did not have time for her, even though I was the one at school almost daily. It is wonderful that you stay home with your child, and you are able to help him to manage school and life, you must be vigilant so he gets what he needs in school and specially see that nobody mistreat your child.

Blessings

Ana

( ) Introduction

It is very interesting what you are saying, because I find myself in the same situation my son is 8 he is HFA but still has meltdowns and I have to help him with the school homework, and clean the house, take care of my son, cook take him to the appointments (OT, swimming, doctors, etc) and I want to work because I feel guilty that my husband holds 3 jobs to support everybody and I don't work, but to be honest I don't have the stamina, the energy to work, my days are long and tiring. I think we should take a poll and ask if the mothers of the asperger's children work outside the home or not. If other mother can please come forward and say if they work or not, that would be great, also I would realize that may be is physically impossible to do both things (take care of a special

needs child and work outside), may be I am wrong and it is possible. I am exhausted most of the time, I don't have in laws or parents to support me, I don't have sisters or brothers so it is just my husbands and myself going through all this in life.

Please let's answer this questions are you working outside? full time? is it possible?

November 7, 2010

I also have a son w/AS and work outside the home-not by choice either. I would

love to be able to stay home with him, but I cannot for financial reasons. In

fact, I work 2 jobs but I recently decided that I have to cut down on my hours

for the sake of my entire family. There are many appointments and meetings, not

to mention homework and projects that I need to be there to help him with. I

don't know what we will do with him in the summer while we work. It is very

tiring and frustruating, but we keep on going......Hang in there!! I know I am

trying to also-and I do " get it " !

>

> Hi your not rambling we all go through same things on here. Welcome were all

friends here

> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

>

> ( ) Introduction

>

> Hi, I am new to the group. My 13 year old daughter was recently diagnosed

with asperger's. It is a relief finally knowing what was different that we just

couldn't understand. I personally am going through a tough time right now, I am

very overwhelmed with everything that is going on for me right now. We moved to

a different state about three weeks ago. My daughter was diagnosed right before

we left the other state. I have been a stay at home, homeschooling mom for the

past 6 years and my husband is wanting me to go back to work. I don't know how

I am supposed to school my daughter, take her to all of her appointments, deal

with her meltdowns and still have the time or energy to work. I am just

physically, mentally, and emotionally tired and I want a break from it all which

of course makes me feel guilty. I'm sorry I rambled on I just needed somebody

that would " get " the situation to vent to. If anybody has any advice I would

love to hear it. Thanks.

>

November 7, 2010

, I work full time now but have at various times been a SAHM and worked

part time. During all of which my son had numerous doctor appointments and

various therapy sessions. I was a SAHM the first year then went back to work and

worked an early shift while my DH worked a later shift to minimize the time DS

was in daycare. I purposely took a step back in job responsiblity level at the

new job so I didn't have to work a lot of over time. After a couple of years on

the job I was able to move to a part time position so that my DS was only in

daycare 2 afternoons per week. Once DS was in elementary school I worked flex

time so that I was home in the afternoons and would work in the evenings from

home to make up the lost hours. My DS is a teenager now. It's not been easy and

sometimes it's totally exhausting. We don't have relatives near by and the

primary care has mostly been on my shoulders even when I was working full time.

I'm lucky in one sense that I have been with the same employer for many years so

get a lot of flexibility because they know that I will get the job done. I think

the most difficult work years was when I first started back working and had very

little leeway on my work hours. I probably would be more advanced in my career

if I had dedicated myself to my work rather than being there for my DS. That's

been my experience.

Don't know what to advise on your situation as it is a personal decision. One

thing would be if you go back to work is to make sure that your DH picks up some

of the childcare duties to take some of the stress off you at home.

C

>

> It is very interesting what you are saying, because I find myself in the same

> situation my son is 8 he is HFA but still has meltdowns and I have to help him

> with the school homework, and clean the house, take care of my son, cook take

> him to the appointments (OT, swimming, doctors, etc) and I want to work

because

> I feel guilty that my husband holds 3 jobs to support everybody and I don't

> work, but to be honest I don't have the stamina, the energy to work, my days

are

> long and tiring. I think we should take a poll and ask if the mothers of the

> asperger's children work outside the home or not. If other mother can please

> come forward and say if they work or not, that would be great, also I would

> realize that may be is physically impossible to do both things (take care of a

> special needs child and work outside), may be I am wrong and it is possible.

I

> am exhausted most of the time, I don't have in laws or parents to support me,

I

> don't have sisters or brothers so it is just my husbands and myself going

> through all this in life.

>

> Please let's answer this questions are you working outside? full time? is it

> possible?

>

November 7, 2010

Hi ,

I have been working since my AS son has been 10 months old. Of course we didn't

know he has AS then. He was diagnosed ADHD at 3, then with Sensory Integration

Disorder at 7, then finally AS at 10. I've always worked except whenever we've

had to move since my husband is in the military. It hasn't been easy raising

three kids, one ADD, the other ADHD and the youngest AS plus working full time.

Not to mention my husband's multiple deployments and I also started going back

to college a few years back. There are days I just want to crawl in a hole and

not come out, but I some how keep going. I'll probably be 50 before I have my

degree. LOL!

My husband has taken a more active roll now. Up until a few years ago it was I

who took our son to all his appointments and went to all the meetings at school

etc.

I've been blessed in the sense that I've had really great bosses over the years

that have been extremely understanding that I have an AS son. They know husband

is in the military so most of the burden falls on the wife naturally. They know

I'm a hard worker too so they know I will still get the job done even if I'm out

a lot. I know not everyone is that lucky so I am grateful.

I think it is great if you get to stay home with your child. Sometimes I wonder

if I could have stayed home, if my son would have had it easier over the years.

~ne

>

> Dear Cristina:

> I am a mother of a 19 years old ASd. I have worked for years but not by

choice, just to be able to provide for my family the basics. It hurts me to know

that I could not help my daughter more because I really did not have time for

her, even though I was the one at school almost daily. It is wonderful that you

stay home with your child, and you are able to help him to manage school and

life, you must be vigilant so he gets what he needs in school and specially see

that nobody mistreat your child.

> Blessings

> Ana

>

> ( ) Introduction

>

> It is very interesting what you are saying, because I find myself in the same

situation my son is 8 he is HFA but still has meltdowns and I have to help him

with the school homework, and clean the house, take care of my son, cook take

him to the appointments (OT, swimming, doctors, etc) and I want to work because

I feel guilty that my husband holds 3 jobs to support everybody and I don't

work, but to be honest I don't have the stamina, the energy to work, my days are

long and tiring. I think we should take a poll and ask if the mothers of the

asperger's children work outside the home or not. If other mother can please

come forward and say if they work or not, that would be great, also I would

realize that may be is physically impossible to do both things (take care of a

special needs child and work outside), may be I am wrong and it is possible. I

am exhausted most of the time, I don't have in laws or parents to support me, I

don't have sisters or brothers so it is just my husbands and myself going

through all this in life.

>

> Please let's answer this questions are you working outside? full time? is it

possible?

>

November 8, 2010

Hello,

In answer to this question I am a lone parent of a 12 y/o with ADHD,

AS and ODD. I do have a full time job but I've had to take so much

leave I'm now in danger of being fired. I am currently on unpaid leave

and have been for the past month because my son was permantley

excluded from school. There are no suitable schools for my son in my

area except a private school, I live in England and I'm taking the

education system to court to try to get them to fund a placement for

him. It's a long and sad story that I won't go into right now but I do

love my job. It is valuable respite for us both, but if my son becomes

any more unhappy I will be forced to quit.

I'd also be interested in other parents situations with working

outside the home.

Sent from Bex's iPod touch.

November 8, 2010

Hi Sandy,

I had a heck of a time trying to potty train my daughter who has Aspies. I had

tried everything, awarding her with stickers, candy, money jar (she got a nickel

if she went and I took one if she didn't for wet her self). I also tried frilly

underwear. Sometimes she would wet herself and just lay in it and not bother to

do anything until I noticed. Someone had given me this idea which worked for the

most part. Jordan loves Dora the Explorer, I bought her those underwear and told

her that if she would pee in them that Dora would be mad at her. She would go to

the bathroom and say " mom I peed in the potty and Dora's not mad at me " . She

would be so proud of herself and I would keep reminding her that Dora would get

mad if you peed in her (underwear).

My daughter is now 6 1/2 and she still has problems during the day and at night

with toilet training. She still has to wear a pull-up at night and a panty liner

during the day. She has her good days and bad days with staying dry. We found

that we just have to keep her on a schedule and make her go to the bathroom

every couple of hours. Sometimes she will notice and go on her own, usually its

when she leaks/or goes a little, thats why she has to use the pads. I have a

feeling that it's going to be like this for her for a long time. Every kid is

different in being potty trained and hopefully your son won't be as difficult.

Good Luck!

>

> Hi every one, my name is Sandy and I live in Costa Rica. My son is 3 years old

(and 3 months) and has been diagnosed with AS, though I am still not quite sure

of what AS is in him.

> I hope to help with my comments and also receive some feedback from you

guys!!! Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts!

>

> At first, I was told my baby was autistic, but then, as he grow, the

neurologist diagnosed him with AS. He is very obsessive with food an has been

eating the same lunch for about three months already: a cheese burger happy meal

from mcds! We offer him all kinds of foods but he refuses everything. He is in

his first year in pre school, and his teacher said he tried a bite of pizza! so

we got him pizza but he still refuses to eat it.

>

> Besides being concerned about his food and how to make him abandon fries and

cheese burger, I am worried about potty training. Teachers told us that next

year he will have to go to the bathroom by himself or he will have to go back to

the first level with the smaller kids. We have been trying for about two weeks

with no success. He goes to the toilet but does not tell us he did peed his

pants or that he want to pee. He just goes when we take him (sometimes he even

refuses). We are using regular underwear and it seems there is no difference for

him. He acts the same way as if he was wearing a diaper.

>

> How long is this going to take. Will he be able to go to the next level in

school???

>

> Thank you for your comments

>

> Sandy

>

November 8, 2010

I don't work ft outside the home. Couldn't do it.

I DO sub within our school district as an aide. I think over the years of dealing with my first, they district got to know me. he he. As I was in all the time having to deal with him. Sigh.

I've gone to school.....finally got my BS this last Jan.......after MANYyears. I've gone through different majors, too. I wanted social work...then SPEC ED teaching. Finally got to the point of my final year and student teaching........and my hubby went to Iraq and I pulled out my son (5th grade at the time) to have him do a virtual school.

The Virtual school was amazing for him, but I had to drop out of school. After a year of that, I went back ONLIINE to finish my degree.

I just so happened that my son wanted to try to go back for 8th grade, so I went and did my internships. Fast. he he.

Now, he's in 9th......my others are all in school, too. I still have to go in to cxalm him somethimes.....to chat with teachers...............heck - just getting him out the door in the AM is rough, right?

I HAVE to be here for when the blocks fall. And I HAVE to be here when he gets home. Bottom line. I HAVE to be here to answer the phone............when the school calls.

It scares teh crap out of me........what I'm going to do someday.............after being here all these years............but as long as my oldest is able to function somehow...I'll figure it out.

I guess I'm incredibly lucky/blessed to have a husband who, like yours, has been the breadwinner. And he doiesn't mind. He's seen the breakdowns......and how difficult it would be if I wasn't here all the time.

Sigh............Now I'm depressed. he he.

Robin

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY

WHAT YOU DID OR WHAT YOU SAID,

BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER

HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL

From: chris Dunn <christineshello@...>Subject: ( ) Introduction Date: Saturday, November 6, 2010, 7:54 PM

It is very interesting what you are saying, because I find myself in the same situation my son is 8 he is HFA but still has meltdowns and I have to help him with the school homework, and clean the house, take care of my son, cook take him to the appointments (OT, swimming, doctors, etc) and I want to work because I feel guilty that my husband holds 3 jobs to support everybody and I don't work, but to be honest I don't have the stamina, the energy to work, my days are long and tiring. I think we should take a poll and ask if the mothers of the asperger's children work outside the home or not. If other mother can please come forward and say if they work or not, that would be great, also I would realize that may be is physically impossible to do both things (take care of a special needs child and work outside), may be I am wrong and it is possible. I am exhausted most of the time, I don't have in laws or parents to support me, I don't

have sisters or brothers so it is just my husbands and myself going through all this in life.

Please let's answer this questions are you working outside? full time? is it possible?

November 8, 2010

Well just to pipe in, I only worked for a couple years when D was 2-4, and another 6 months when dh lost his job, but he was able to be home for the kids. Luckily dh can support us without me working, because I'm sure I would have been fired many times over by now if I had tried to hold a job that wasn't overnight (which is what I will probably do soon). Things are much better this year with D in a private school, but every year before this has been filled with 10 days of suspension, and countless more calls to just come in and talk to him or get him early. We have no family here in PA at all, so its just me and dh. PamSent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®From: and/or Robin Lemke <jrisjs@...>Sender: Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:05:27 -0800 (PST)< >Reply Subject: Re: ( ) Introduction I don't work ft outside the home. Couldn't do it.I DO sub within our school district as an aide. I think over the years of dealing with my first, they district got to know me. he he. As I was in all the time having to deal with him. Sigh. I've gone to school.....finally got my BS this last Jan.......after MANYyears. I've gone through different majors, too. I wanted social work...then SPEC ED teaching. Finally got to the point of my final year and student teaching........and my hubby went to Iraq and I pulled out my son (5th grade at the time) to have him do a virtual school.The Virtual school was amazing for him, but I had to drop out of school. After a year of that, I went back ONLIINE to finish my degree.I just so happened that my son wanted to try to go back for 8th grade, so I went and did my internships. Fast. he he. Now, he's in 9th......my others are all in school, too. I still have to go in to cxalm him somethimes.....to chat with teachers...............heck - just getting him out the door in the AM is rough, right?I HAVE to be here for when the blocks fall. And I HAVE to be here when he gets home. Bottom line. I HAVE to be here to answer the phone............when the school calls. It scares teh crap out of me........what I'm going to do someday.............after being here all these years............but as long as my oldest is able to function somehow...I'll figure it out. I guess I'm incredibly lucky/blessed to have a husband who, like yours, has been the breadwinner. And he doiesn't mind. He's seen the breakdowns......and how difficult it would be if I wasn't here all the time.Sigh............Now I'm depressed. he he.RobinPEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEELFrom: chris Dunn <christineshello@...>Subject: ( ) Introduction Date: Saturday, November 6, 2010, 7:54 PMIt is very interesting what you are saying, because I find myself in the same situation my son is 8 he is HFA but still has meltdowns and I have to help him with the school homework, and clean the house, take care of my son, cook take him to the appointments (OT, swimming, doctors, etc) and I want to work because I feel guilty that my husband holds 3 jobs to support everybody and I don't work, but to be honest I don't have the stamina, the energy to work, my days are long and tiring. I think we should take a poll and ask if the mothers of the asperger's children work outside the home or not. If other mother can please come forward and say if they work or not, that would be great, also I would realize that may be is physically impossible to do both things (take care of a special needs child and work outside), may be I am wrong and it is possible. I am exhausted most of the time, I don't have in laws or parents to support me, I don'thave sisters or brothers so it is just my husbands and myself going through all this in life.Please let's answer this questions are you working outside? full time? is it possible?

November 8, 2010

Hugs to you, Ana. You are an obviously stong, loving mom.......

Robin

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY

WHAT YOU DID OR WHAT YOU SAID,

BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER

HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL

From: AMC <ACuitino@...>Subject: Re: ( ) Introduction Date: Sunday, November 7, 2010, 11:11 AM

Dear Cristina:I am a mother of a 19 years old ASd. I have worked for years but not by choice, just to be able to provide for my family the basics. It hurts me to know that I could not help my daughter more because I really did not have time for her, even though I was the one at school almost daily. It is wonderful that you stay home with your child, and you are able to help him to manage school and life, you must be vigilant so he gets what he needs in school and specially see that nobody mistreat your child.BlessingsAna

( ) Introduction

It is very interesting what you are saying, because I find myself in the same situation my son is 8 he is HFA but still has meltdowns and I have to help him with the school homework, and clean the house, take care of my son, cook take him to the appointments (OT, swimming, doctors, etc) and I want to work because I feel guilty that my husband holds 3 jobs to support everybody and I don't work, but to be honest I don't have the stamina, the energy to work, my days are long and tiring. I think we should take a poll and ask if the mothers of the asperger's children work outside the home or not. If other mother can please come forward and say if they work or not, that would be great, also I would realize that may be is physically impossible to do both things (take care of a special needs child and work outside), may be I am wrong and it is possible. I am exhausted most of the time, I don't have in laws or parents to support me, I don't

have sisters or brothers so it is just my husbands and myself going through all this in life.

Please let's answer this questions are you working outside? full time? is it possible?

November 8, 2010

I work part time from home around my 3 year old son's schedule (ie during his

so-called naps and after he goes to bed). It is difficult to get all of my work

done that way, but it does allow me total flexibility in my schedule so I can

take my son to his appointments, work with him on concepts at home, and just

have time to enjoy him. I figure that if I worked FT outside the home, the FT

childcare expenses would eat up most of the extra income anyway. I also think

that being home with my son has helped me to get a better understanding of him

than I probably would have otherwise. We have been fortunate to figure out some

of what is going on with him at a young age, and I think that was made more

possible by me being his primary caregiver. Of course, if I did not have the

option to work from home, I'm sure I would have had to go back to work FT, even

though in my heart I never believed that would be best for my little guy. In

addition to finances, I think that the best choice for a family depends on the

personalities involved. My mother would have been a bored and miserable SAHM

even if she had no financial need to work. If the mom is miserable, so is the

rest of the family!

Bridget

>

> From: chris Dunn <christineshello@...>

> Subject: ( ) Introduction

>

> Date: Saturday, November 6, 2010, 7:54 PM