Please share your own ideas and suggestions in the comments section below!
Jamie’s comment, “Nobody is more of an expert on your child than you, ” gained the most likes, while Justina’s was, “Never underestimate the intelligence of autistic people!”
Adrian had a simple but important message for fathers of children with autism: “Dad, get involved. Yeah, you may have a demanding job, but not only does being involved benefit your child, but it benefits you as well. You are also your child’s advocate. Please make a commitment to attend as many Dr appointments, therapy sessions, and parent invites your child may have at his/her school as possible. You owe it to your child to be just as active as the mom is when it comes to ensuring your child gets the best care that he/she can. The burden of raising an autistic child shouldn’t fall squarely on the mom alone. Step up!!”
“Never beat yourself up or call yourself a bad parent. From experience, you will have easy days and not-so-good days. Have patience and get rest when you can. Get as much help and therapy for your child. Was Karen’s important message.
Tonya recommended “PATIENCE! It is very frustrating at times to be a parent or caregiver to someone on the spectrum. It is really easy to lose your patience with them at times, but you have to remember that they didn’t choose to be this way!” Sara suggested “ACCEPTANCE. Each child just wants to know they are loved and safe. Don’t try to change who they are; try to be more like them.”
Kyle said “Don’t shelter your child. Allow them to find their place in this world rather than protect them from it.”
On a practical note, Sherleen said, “Triple lock the doors or install alarms if you have an escape artist.” Amy shared, “Use first this, “then”….. that works well for my daughter.”
Another said, ” Always remember they will see and feel the world in their own way ! And it’s okay to be different !” Yet another reader said, “Always be prepared and have a good routine to avoid a meltdown.”
Dana suggested this, and I have to say I agree: “Make them live normally. Teach them right from wrong. Demand appropriate behaviour. Teach them to play and imagine. Colour therapy, speech therapy, and behaviour therapy. Autism doesn’t mean, no holds barred. My son 22 had full blown Autism. He’s a high-function Aspie now. Start each day with a clean slate.”
I’d like to end by quoting way more than on reader with a statement which gets my full support “Choose your battles!!”.
So what is your tip?
Why not share it in the comments section below?
I really appreciate any help you can provide.
| colleensaddress | Researchers around the world have done a great deal of work for the autistic child. But, just like we all know, they are in bits and pieces like a puzzle, and it’s up to us to put them together. My granddaughter is just now beginning to make eye contact and to say her first words after 4 years. Having studied root possibilities, we focused on eliminating toxins such as glyphosate-based herbicides used in GMO practices, overly-processed foods (refined sugars and starches) and chlorine. All of which are now directly linked to the development of autism in clinical studies. We have been introducing organic foods and natural supplements. We see a difference, her therapists see a difference. |
| Google
Very handful of websites that take place to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly nicely worth checking out. |
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| PHOTO LADY | I’m not a parent of autism, but I had an experience today that really threw me for a loop. I’m a youth sports photographer and while taking pictures today I noticed a young boy having a meltdown. He was kicking and punching his mother and throwing his bat towards one of my fellow photographers. My first thought was not autism, I just thought he was a brat and I was concerned hat he was going to damage one of our cameras. While trying to line his team up “tallest to shortest”, he was hitting and grabbing the hat off his teammate. He was crying and I was thinking his mom might pull him out of the group shot since he was so upset, but she didn’t? She just crouched down behind him, trying to hold him up as he flopped around swinging his arms. I went with it and took 3-4 pictures, but then tried to adjust the children to get a better photographic arrangement. I saw that the boy was again about to punch the teammate next to him and I put my hand between the boys to block the blow. The mom of the abusive boy started screaming at me, “How dare I grab her child with autism!” I told her I was sorry, it was a protective reflex. I just couldn’t stand by and watch the other child be smacked again (side-note: I never grabbed the boy. I just blocked the other boy from being punched yet again). She said she didn’t accept my apology. I apologized again and said it was wrong of me to intervene. She stormed off angry and screaming, “She couldn’t stand by and watch me grab her autistic child “. I in actuality do not feel as though I was wrong. Had I known he was autistic before I took the picture, I don’t think my reaction would have been any different. Why should he get a pass to be violent to another child? I’m asking you, the autism community, shouldn’t she have not forced him to be in the picture if it was upsetting him so? I feel very unsettled that she was so angry with me and so unconcerned for the welfare of the other children on the team. There are challenger sports leagues for special needs children. I’ve photographed many and have been praised for my patience and compassion, while attempting to get the best photograph possible. Any thoughts about this would be appreciated. I do not profess to know what you deal with day to day. I raised three healthy children, I’m an elementary school teacher, and a freelance youth sports photographer. I love all children and just want to be better educated on an appropriate response should I ever be in this situation again. |
Living With Four Autistic Kids | A Current Affair
Meet Kate and Neil, the parents of four autistic kids who are also looking after three other family members with special needs.
The beauty of raising an autistic child
A talk that touches on the surprises parents uncover when discovering their child is autistic.
Sally A. Hurt-Deitch, RN, FACHE, is the Market Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Providence Health Network (SPHN) in El Paso, Texas. In this capacity, Sally serves as the CEO of Providence Memorial Hospital and Providence Children’s Hospital. Sally was recently promoted to this position in March 2015, after serving as SPHN Market COO and CEO of Sierra Providence East Medical Center. In her role as Market CEO, Sally oversees the strategic, operational and clinical activities for the health network as well as the integration activities of three hospitals and the current construction of a fourth.
As a parent of two kids with autism, I’ve learned how much attitudes have changed
The realisation that my son Lucien saw the world in a different light came slowly, but there were small clues along the way.
Once, when asked to describe the colour of a banana, he answered white, not yellow. (When you think about it, he could well be right: while the skin is yellow, the flesh is much paler than that.)
And then there was the endearing way he followed the squares on a rug when he was learning to walk.
Watching him trace the pattern with serious concentration, I once flippantly remarked to my husband: “He’s a little bit like Rain Man, don’t you think?”
Even 25 years after the release of that Oscar-winning film, Dustin Hoffman’s character of Raymond Babbitt — who had prodigious gifts with numbers and memory — was probably the extent of my knowledge about autism.
But since Lucien was diagnosed with autism four years ago — and his younger brother Felix not long after — the learning curve for our family has been steep.
Antiquated attitudes
I now know that a narrow notion of what autism looks and sounds like is terribly outmoded.
Go back in time, and you quickly realise that our knowledge about autism has undergone an incredible transformation since it first appeared in the medical literature in the 1930s and ’40s.
Read the full article here
Autism and Parenting – Autism parents – have you told your child they are on the autism spectrum yet?
Autism and Parenting
As a parent of a nine year old boy on the autism spectrum the question of discussing ASC with children has come up on a number of occasions.
In fact our son knows he is on the spectrum and uses it to explain to people he meets about some of his behaviours.
But many parents take a different view. Indeed in his education unity (read more here) some parents have , very reasonably, not told their children about the diagnosis.
So what about you?
It would be great if you could take part in the poll below. Also could you tell us a bit more about your decision making process using the comments box below.
Hopefully this will help other parents making this important choice for their children on the autism spectrum.
Many thanks for your help!