More than one autistic in family?

[handmade]

we've got two boys, ages 9 and 7, who are both diagnosed with autism. Pretty high functioning, mainstreamed in regular classroom with aide. Interested in messaging with other moms who are dealing with social difficulties, ie. understanding "shades of gray" when playing on playground, kids who tease, etc.

[Judith Doherty]

Hi Susan,

I have two children on the spectrum, the boy 15 had autism, he speaks, but is in the middle on the spectrum and not mainstreamed at all, too much for him. My daughter, 9, has apraxia as her main symptom, a PDD/NOS diagnosis, and functions well in self-help skills, but cannot be left alone. She, too, has no mainstream component, we would like one at least part-time, but her recent behavioral escalations (pre-puberty) make that difficult.

FYI, my kids are half-siblings, as I am remarried.

We are in Massachusetts, and I am active in local autism circles here.

Judy Doherty
Mother of Brendon, 15, and Caroline, 9.

[handmade]

Hi! Thanks for your reply. both of our boys are mainstreamed completely. They used to get pulled out for speech and occupational therapy, but we have insisted that those services are integrated into the classroom, ie. the speech therapist comes into the classroom, and designs her "lessons" around the subject being taught. We were finding the boys were excellent in a therapy room, but could never generalize what they were learning into any other situation. Even when the exact situation came up outside of the therapy room! We have spent hours working with the boys on behaviors that are acceptable in everyday life (no screaming, etc.). Ryan, 7, still struggles with meltdown crying if anything doesn't go "according to plan", but he is starting to get better, trying to verbalize his frustration, rather than meltdowns.

We have not gotten involved with autism groups here...we live in a rural area, and the closest support group is about 45 minutes away. Because of the rural, we can't find respite care, and paying a babysitter for all that extra time away is too expensive for us. We have several close friends who also have special needs kids, and so we just support each other, though they are not dealing with autism.

Thanks again for your reply!

[cynthia]

Hi Susan:

I am new to this site; just found it yesterday and read your message. I am a single mom with a ten yr old autisitic son. He also has two younger male siblings. Jordan is in mainstream class with full time aide and pull out for various special ed. School is a constant challenge for both of us. His two brothers seem to be "normal" but it is difficult explaining to them Jordan's special needs. Jordan's autism truly affects the entire family.

Anyway, I love to correspond with other parents and hear their stories and challenges; it makes me feel that I am not alone in this never ending battle! Take care...:)

[VMcCormac]

Hi other Moms and Dads!

We have two beautiful sons with Autism. At school they seem to go up and down ( at home too for that matter ). They will attend and participate then drift off into stims and video dialogues. I want so for them both to be in regular ed classrooms with typical kids but their behavior boots them out. Even with aides and supports, behavioral problems prohibit full inclusion. Socially, the other children, Bless them, do try to be friendly; my boys rarely respond. My eight year old son's special ed teacher does Yoga stretches each morning and he reports that my son participates 150%! I am clinging to the hope that literacy will open doors of understanding and expression with my sweet boys. I wish they could tell me about their day; their feelings -- in appropriate ways that is. Later -- the day draws to an end -- I'm exhausted -- the day will begin early and will be full of joy and challenges!
Courage friends -- trust Our Heavenly Father!
:rolleyes:

[handmade]

Greetings, new friends! I just had to "snicker" when you mentioned that your boys drift off into video dialogues....at breakfast each morning, the boys have had so little stimulation overnight, that they concurrently recite entire video dialogues...especially Thomas the Train, and Veggie Tales. We call it "dueling echolalia" and sometimes the volume level is "challenging." Our boys do pull away in some instances, but it is getting better. You are right, literacy is huge. Once they could read (also hyperlexic), it was easier to engage them in the classroom. However, often, they read, but have little comprehension. The key is that the teachers not be fooled into thinking that they "get it" because it is easy to marvel at their reading abilities, yet they have no clue on comprehension and concepts. So when tests come around, they are baffled. Hang in there, keep working on behaviors, and you will see huge changes as they grow and develop. It is a miracle that my boys, once hiding in the fetal position under desks only 4 years ago, are functioning reasonably well in many circumstances now. Whenever you get discouraged, just remember the changes you have already seen, expect great things in their walk ahead!