Anyone suggestions for my son who has autism?

[CircleSlide]

Hi all :wave

My son is mildly autistic (some days moderately), he is soon to be 12 but functions/tests at about the same age as a 7 year old. We have had him in public, then homeschooled him for 3 years ( I burned out bad), currently he is in a private Christian school. My sons deficits are becoming more and more noticeable, when you are 7 and carry around a bear it is acceptable but when you are 12 and carry around a bear it isn't.

Well we found out a few weeks ago that the private school can no longer handle him, so November 20th they have asked him to leave. That puts us back to either homeschooling him or sending him to public. The reality is that he will never graduate high school, he will never be able to live on his own. I guess I am just frustrated with all of this, I was really hoping that the private school could help him.

Some days I just want to sit and pout!:ohno

[topekaclark]

I wish I had some good advice but I don't. I use to work with children with disabilities, one of the kids was severely autistic. I used to sing softly to him, when we worked together. Sometimes it work and sometimes not.

Just remember, we are here for you. If you or your son are having a rough day, let us know. We can pray and support you with love. :hug

There are other parents that have an autistic child and may be able to give you direction and guidance here.

God bless,

Kellie

[IM_HIS]

Hi all :wave

My son is mildly autistic (some days moderately), he is soon to be 12 but functions/tests at about the same age as a 7 year old. We have had him in public, then homeschooled him for 3 years ( I burned out bad), currently he is in a private Christian school. My sons deficits are becoming more and more noticeable, when you are 7 and carry around a bear it is acceptable but when you are 12 and carry around a bear it isn't.

Well we found out a few weeks ago that the private school can no longer handle him, so November 20th they have asked him to leave. That puts us back to either homeschooling him or sending him to public. The reality is that he will never graduate high school, he will never be able to live on his own. I guess I am just frustrated with all of this, I was really hoping that the private school could help him.

Some days I just want to sit and pout!:ohno

Circle Slide,

As a mom of a child with Down syndrome and autistic type behaviours, let me say that I feel your pain, your confusion and frustration. What happened in the public schools that led you to change his placement?

My son will more than likely never live on his own, hold a job outside of a sheltered workshop, nor will he graduate from high school. One of the best decisions we EVER made was to pull him out of his "fully included" classroom environment and change his placement to a fully self contained MMD classroom. This is done in the public school system. Jonah receives his therapies at school (we do supplement what they offer because we don't feel like it's enough) and is finally in an environment where he can be successful....not necessarily included. But that's OK. For Jonah, this is working.

Please feel free to PM me. I understand. I may not have the answers that you are searching for, but I can certainly empathize, and join with you in prayer on those days that feel like they'll never end....:hug

YSIC,
Anji
www.caringbridge.com/visit/jonahedge

[LupusMommyto5]

Hi all :wave

My son is mildly autistic (some days moderately), he is soon to be 12 but functions/tests at about the same age as a 7 year old. We have had him in public, then homeschooled him for 3 years ( I burned out bad), currently he is in a private Christian school. My sons deficits are becoming more and more noticeable, when you are 7 and carry around a bear it is acceptable but when you are 12 and carry around a bear it isn't.

Well we found out a few weeks ago that the private school can no longer handle him, so November 20th they have asked him to leave. That puts us back to either homeschooling him or sending him to public. The reality is that he will never graduate high school, he will never be able to live on his own. I guess I am just frustrated with all of this, I was really hoping that the private school could help him.

Some days I just want to sit and pout!:ohno


:hug:hug:hug

Hi. I also have a son Nicholas age 10 who is autistic. He is a high functioning one, but you wouldn't know he has it by just looking at him. See he has normal comprehension skills like any other 5th grader his age and he is actually gifted in Math however, for him he mostly has the behavior issues.

Some days he throws a fit and screams in tantrums like a 2 year old and hits the wall or floor when mad and I almsot wanna throw in the towel, but for the most part he understands everything. He even understand the rules and he admits he knows throwing his rages is wrong however they have also increased his medicines and that has helped some. Nick takes Serequel for the Autism and Clonodeine to help him relax and sleep.

Does you son take medicine? Have you thought about medicine for him?

Also we have found with our homeschooling and chores, that sometimes taking a break and just going outside for a few minutes of fresh air can help.

Do you have respite care near you? That's where sometimes you can arrange to take him there for so many hours, sometimes over night, and you can get a break. Also, check out the National Autism boards for support groups near you
I am here for you anytime if you just need to vent or wanna talk - just pm me whenever, as Nick can push me over the edge sometimes so I truly understand . We have 4 children here at home, and he is the only one with it so that can make it harder sometimes too.

Love your Sister in Christ,
Nannette (a.k.a. LupusMommyto5)

[CircleSlide]

I wish I had some good advice but I don't. I use to work with children with disabilities, one of the kids was severely autistic. I used to sing softly to him, when we worked together. Sometimes it work and sometimes not.

Just remember, we are here for you. If you or your son are having a rough day, let us know. We can pray and support you with love. :hug

There are other parents that have an autistic child and may be able to give you direction and guidance here.

God bless,

Kellie

Thank you so much I needed that!!:hug

[CircleSlide]

Circle Slide,

As a mom of a child with Down syndrome and autistic type behaviours, let me say that I feel your pain, your confusion and frustration. What happened in the public schools that led you to change his placement?

My son will more than likely never live on his own, hold a job outside of a sheltered workshop, nor will he graduate from high school. One of the best decisions we EVER made was to pull him out of his "fully included" classroom environment and change his placement to a fully self contained MMD classroom. This is done in the public school system. Jonah receives his therapies at school (we do supplement what they offer because we don't feel like it's enough) and is finally in an environment where he can be successful....not necessarily included. But that's OK. For Jonah, this is working.

Please feel free to PM me. I understand. I may not have the answers that you are searching for, but I can certainly empathize, and join with you in prayer on those days that feel like they'll never end....:hug

YSIC,
Anji
www.caringbridge.com/visit/jonahedge


Thanks :hugAnji,

It's hard isn't it!

We took him out of public school because they weren't doing anything for him. They were trying to main stream him but then after they wanted to hold him back for the 3rd time in the 1st grade we said enough. We pulled him out and began homeschooling him, then he tried public again for 3 months, two years ago. Something happened at school and we still aren't sure exactly what happened to him (his reality is very skewed so we are never really sure with what he tells us). It was a nightmare, he would begin screaming/crying starting at 7 pm fall asleep from exhaustion, wake up at 3 am and scream until we took him to his classroom. He would continue to scream for a few hours at the school. It was a nightmare, and we pulled him back out because we just felt like we were torturing him.

We just now got him to go back to this private school this year, we worked a long time to get him just to walk through the doors of the building.

Each year our goals for him decrease, which makes me sad for him. We now believe he can't be mainstreamed. Our concern is puberty, with all that it hold the doctors have told us that it will most likely get worse for him. :panic

Ok enough going on Thanks for listening! I will pray for your little guy as well!

ysiC,
Sonia

[CircleSlide]

Nannette:hug,

Thanks for your response!! My son does take medicine. He has been on Abilify, Seroquel, Geodon, Zyprexa (Zyprexa is the big guns), to name a few. They have caused more harm for him than good. Geodon caused him to become psychotic this past summer, it worked wonders for about 3 months then YICKES. Zyprexa brought him under control but gave him Parkinson Syndrome, he had to be on another med to get the Parkinson under control that med made him lose bowl control. Right now he is only taking Lamictal with is a mood stabilizer. He is doing pretty good on just that, so far, it has only been a week, since we took him off Zyprexa.

I for one would like to remove him from all meds but when we do he really goes down hill.

His body is growing but his mind/emotions are not, that's what is so frustrating. God has a plan, and we might not ever know what that plan is.

Thanks again!!

Sonia

[LupusMommyto5]

Part of the plan is these are our children God gave us to raise up as men. For the earthly plan you're right we may never know the plan for them as this world will go on until God calls us home. But, I believe they were put here to help us to grow, to teach us how to handle learning disabilities and to handle stress, to make us better mothers, to teach us unconditional love which is by far dying in the world. I don't look as my son yet having his purpose outside on his own in the world, as right now he's only 10 and my job as his mother is nowhere near done, I look as his purpose as mine. To learn to nurture, love no matter what, to educate and to raise up, no to mention to teach him to follow the Lord. So, right now I think you should focus on him, which you obviously are and I can tell you worry about every aspect of his world, just don't forget with the worry to stop and enjoy him. Spend some days seeing what he can teach you, and you'd be surprised that these kids teach us more than anything printed in a book ever could.

God Bless

Nannette (a.k.a. LupusMommyto5)

[IM_HIS]

Part of the plan is these are our children God gave us to raise up as men. For the earthly plan you're right we may never know the plan for them as this world will go on until God calls us home. But, I believe they were put here to help us to grow, to teach us how to handle learning disabilities and to handle stress, to make us better mothers, to teach us unconditional love which is by far dying in the world. I don't look as my son yet having his purpose outside on his own in the world, as right now he's only 10 and my job as his mother is nowhere near done, I look as his purpose as mine. To learn to nurture, love no matter what, to educate and to raise up, no to mention to teach him to follow the Lord. So, right now I think you should focus on him, which you obviously are and I can tell you worry about every aspect of his world, just don't forget with the worry to stop and enjoy him. Spend some days seeing what he can teach you, and you'd be surprised that these kids teach us more than anything printed in a book ever could.

God Bless

Nannette (a.k.a. LupusMommyto5)


Now you've gone and made me cry....

I agree. Jonah is here for a very definite purpose (or purposes actually). He is 10 also. I would like to think that I would have learned all the lessons that God has taught through Jonah, without the pain, fear, life and death medical situations that Jonah lives with on a daily basis. But I just don't know if I would have...all I do know is that I am a different person today. My walk with Christ has benefitted the most from having Jonah in my life. I am a better person, a better mother, a better wife, sister, daughter and friend... all because of Jonah. And I am stronger in my faith. I trust God more now that I ever have in my life...and that trust grows with each passing year. God is working through Jonah's life...of that I am assured.

Going to go now, and thank God again for the gifts that He bestows in this life. The gift of Jonah is wrapped in ugly paper sometimes, but he is most definitely one of the greatest gifts that God has given me.....

YSIC,
Anji
www.caringbridge.com/visit/jonahedge

[LupusMommyto5]

I didn't mean to make you cry. I hope I didn't really. I was just expressing how such a wonderful even though frustrating gift these kids are. I am blessed to have Nicholas as he constantly tests my patience, my love, my stregth, and compassion, and makes me face my own convictions as I have never struggled to learn in school (I was the snob who always got A's without studying, it just came easy, the same snob who bragged about it and prided myself in it). My children have made me grow up continually as even though I was in my 20's and 30's having children with each one I was still a child having a child and new nothing as they don't come with an instruction book.

I really hope you didn't cry, I would really feel so bad if I hurt you with my post. I truly meant no harm.

Love you sister in Christ,
Nannette (a.k.a. LupusMommyto5)