Autism,Let's Talk

[Nymphrosyne]

I live with an autistic 17 year old boy. His tic is whistling. Hours and hours of whistling. His lung power is insane. I love the kid like he's my little brother, but sometimes I want to throttle him because he can't/won't shut up. I often feel very guilty for feeling this way. sweatdrop

There is absolutely nothing wrong with sometimes hating autism. It does not at all mean you do not love your son. It's completely understandable that you sometimes hate the cause of your son being non-verbal/anti-social because it can be very complicated, problematic and stressful to all the parties involved.

It's okay to be frustrated, angry, sad and all that stuff. It's normal even when raising children in general, whether they have a disorder or not. Raising children is oven very tough, from what I understand. Don't worry about sometimes having negative feelings. What matters is that you love your son and you obviously do, judging by your blog. 3nodding

[Shewena]

I have an Autistic little brother named Mark that's a year younger than me and honestly cant think of any significally bad memories of specifically him. he's never self harmed, he can speak and he can understand what youre telling him.Unfortunately about a year and a half ago he started getting these "bad thoughts" ( thats what he calls them) which are basically him thinking about doing horrible things, thoughts of suicide, self harm, and hurting people he loves. Mark goes to small school for only kids with Autism so of course when he started telling his teacher about a few things that would cross his mind they took action. Lately things have been getting worse, we didnt have the best childhood and sometimes he'll get flashbacks and start getting really panicky it's almost obsessive sometimes he'll say things like " i dont remember if this happended but." He really only talks to me and my mom about things now. It's all just so sudden

[LordFumbleSquid]

I have a mild form of autism.

My special interests really characterize my diagnosis. Once I start talking about rats and animals, prepared to sit yourself down. I love them. Also, apparently I'm super awkward and have no filter? I think it's acceptable to talk about taboos, honestly though, what's the point of keeping something undercover if it's a good thing? (like certain harmless fetishes, that are often shamed)

I really can't compare my autism to severe autism though - at least I can verbalize (except during shutdowns, of course). I really hope you stay positive with your son, there is a youtuber that has some really great videos on taking care of her autistic son! I'll link her. She is seriously a perfect example of what to do in certain situations!

https://www.youtube.com/user/CDFoakley

[Memetic Sexgod]

GandalfInSpace

Raven Winter

I exist on the spectrum

I ******** knew it. everyone in the LD has some level of autism. rofl

Or not.

[Pawlas Cathena]

As far as I'm aware of, I'm not on any part of the spectrum but I highly suspect that I have Asperger's. One of my best friends has it and although she's a great friend, we end up butting heads a lot. cat_redface

[Cassandra Sandsmark]

Miss Ruckus

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Hello ladies and Gents
This topic may get ignored but I'd love there to be a place where we can openly discuss
Autism (the ASD Spectrum) Do you have it?
Does someone you know fall on the spectrum?
Have any stories?

My son is 3 and he falls on the spectrum, he is Non Verbal and
extremely anti social, it is both a blessing and the worst thing to ever happen
simultaneously. Please don't misunderstand this
I LOVE my son with all my heart and soul
but I hate Autism some days, it keeps him in a prison
and it kills my heart whenever he is crying and I can't for the life of me
figure out the cause, and he can't tell me either.
There are both happy and sad days
I write an honest blog about my life with my boy and
my hobby of Nail art (focusing on the nail art keeps my mind off the bad stuff)
I will be here for support on those bad days to answer questions
or even to have a laugh at the cute quirky things that happen
Peace and Love fellow Gaians
<3

This is my Blog

Hello sweetie, my son is 4 almost 5 and he falls on the spectrum. He was non verbal till around his fourth birthday and still has a few problems with his speech (though he can say most things).
First and foremost do not view autism as completely a bad thing, everyone has problems, his just has a name. Plus there are a million things which could be worse.

Second if you haven't sought out help from a special needs program do so immediately. He's entitled to it free of charge and the earlier a child gets in the better chances for him becoming more functional.

Third, if he can't speak try sign language and pointing, this helps language develop and many autistic kids are visual learners. They learn through pictures, not words. When he picks something up or makes a choice repeat the name of his choice to him... for example hold up a jug of apple juice and orange juice, ask him to point to the one he wants then repeat " Oh, you want 'apple juice'. " Even if he doesn't repeat it back, one day he might. My kid had two years of speech therapy before speaking.

Fourth, realize there's a difference between him 'being a kid' and 'autistic behavior'. Even three year olds without autism sometimes have tamtrums and act out. It's not always because they are autistic (though sometimes it is). It's because they are three years old.

Fifth, encourage him to play with other kids, even if he's not interested in them, being around other people is something that's hard for him but he'll need to get use to. Even if he side-plays with them, it's a start in the right direction.

Sixth, realize that he will probably never be 'normal' (which is overrated anyways). He may be funtional. Many great minds have actually been autistic (Einstein, Bill Gates, and Monet to name a few). Autism is a spectrum, some will never be able to function on there own, others grow up and even graduate from college and get married.

Lastly, being a parent is fustrating and of a child with autism even more so. I can say that therapy does help. My son still doesn't always play with other kids but he's talking more, he knows his letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. He had early intervention which started when he was 2 1/2 and it made a huge difference. Next year he'll be able to enter into a regular kindergarten classroom though he will still need speech therapy every week.

Sorry if this was a long winded post but I hope you find some of this helpful. I wish the best for both you and your son.

[Brain Weasels]

i am the high priest of sperg

[Memetic Sexgod]

GandalfInSpace

Memetic Sexgod

GandalfInSpace

Raven Winter

I exist on the spectrum

I ******** knew it. everyone in the LD has some level of autism. rofl

Or not.

everybody has a bit of the tism, fact.

If you wish to put it that way. I wouldn't but obviously it's your thoughts and ideas are your business, not mine.

[Seruubi]

My cousin's child has autism- I'm unaware of how extreme and all the facts but I do know she's one of the best mothers I have ever met.
She completely changed a school and had them create a much better set up than what they had before(which was basically non-existent) for children with disabilities. Recently she was invited to give a speech to a high school about Autism Awareness. She's very, VERY active with her son. It's inspiring and I really do look up to her and how she handled her situation.

[Stale Taste]

Uh...my child is behind on five categories, including having a 15 out of 30 on cognitive abilities for a child that is almost three. They never diagnosed him, but they certainly proved it wasn't s**t like bad hearing or eyesight.

[Miss Ruckus]

nitznitz

Miss Ruckus

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This topic may get ignored but I'd love there to be a place where we can openly discuss
Autism (the ASD Spectrum)

Oh don't worry, those things NEVER get left alone in THIS forum!

Miss Ruckus

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Do you have it?

Nope, have ADHD though. They each have their own ups and down that can make or break your life.

Miss Ruckus

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Does someone you know fall on the spectrum?

My fiance has Asperger's. You can tell from the moment he opens up his mouth and confirm it as soon as he's done talking about his car.

Miss Ruckus

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Have any stories?

Seriously though, when I said it can make or break you, I meant it. He's set for life thanks to the better parts of AS being recognized and nurtured.
I've visited a special school for autistics, my mom was a school counselor there. I think that's part of why I can live and build a life with someone on the spectrum, even if he's far higher functioning than anyone I've met there.

Miss Ruckus

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*clipped the bit about your son, sorry*

If it's okay to ask, what seems to be his functioning level so far? Does he have something that sparks his interest? I know he's young, but do you plan to give him education in a system better suited for his needs than public school(yeah I know it's not saying much, I don't trust them with a completely healthy neurotypical)?

яυcкυs sαчs...

Thank you for taking the topic seriously smile
To answer your question he is considered Low Functioning right now but I work hard everyday to change it.I am having him enrolled in a special school next year that is better suited for his needs so he can thrive until he is ready to transition into a mainstream school. Right now it's his memory that amazes me, his retention is something I wish I had smile Any questions are perfectly acceptable.
It is a stressful situation to live with someone on the spectrum but there are some funny highs that make me smile....today my boy covered his room in baby powder...WHAT a mess!