Is the dinner thing common? I am forever fighting my kids to eat theirs. Then they are 'starving' in the morning that they eat their breakfast at home, get to school and eat their whole lunchbox before the bell rings. I am about to serve them their last nights dinner for breakfast! LMAO
Lilima - I found that with Sam at least, if I put it on a bigger plate so it looks like less, he eats it all. Go figure!
AFM - The appointment is in FEBRUARY!!!! So much for getting them in sooner, aye. *sigh*
DS has got a place in a 2 day a week program at Autism Qld which starts next week. We have been really fortunate with timing - he had his intake interview there a few weeks ago, and normally it takes quite a while before a suitable place becomes available. But there was a place in the IE program starting this term that has just come available because one of the kids was moving up into an older group, and there was no one on the waiting list ahead of DS, so we got it. Fantastic! The facilities there are fabulous, and from what we've met of the staff, they seem both knowledgeable and supportive. I've been chatting on and off with the facilities manager and she's been very giving with her time, so hopefully this will bode well for DS.
Slight bummer though - DS has been getting recurrent tonsillitis for the last couple of months, and has had to be on antibiotics for the last month - we got in to see the specialist on Monday and he'll be getting his adenoids and tonsils out in November (a few days before his birthday, poor kid). Because he's also been getting sleep apnoea and his sleep has been completely up the wall (he's up for several hours a night in the middle of the night), which has had a huge effect on his spectrum traits - he's much quicker to meltdown, his language skills suffer and he's generally not a happy camper, the specialist agreed that stopping the sleep apnoea is a real priority for him so that the intervention program will have the best possible effect.
Has anyone had experience with a young (under three) child on the spectrum going in for surgery? Fortunately either myself or DP will be able to be with him as he's being anaesthetised and when he wakes in recovery, as well as staying overnight with him, but it's going to be a hard sell explaining to him what is happening. His program providers have said they can help lay the groundwork for it, which is great, but does anyone else have any tips?
And just an add-on - lilima - please don't feel judged as a parent. You do the best for J each and every day - his condition is not your fault. And you have the right to have your own anxiety and stress - you're doing the best you can to deal with it, but you're human honey - and sometimes all of the stress and emotion just spills over a bit. Big though - it's hard to see the forest for the trees some days and it gets so overwhelming. I've been having a few of those days myself lately and it's hard not to doubt yourself, but remember, you are doing a fantastic and very difficult job.
BR - we have the opposite - dinner's fine, getting DS to eat lunch is always an issue. We've got to a point where we don't bother with a 'formal' lunch, we just put food under his nose (literally) throughout the day and see what gets eaten. Dinner though, he will happily eat a huge bowl of whatever we put into his mouth, followed by a huge bowl of fruit, as long as he has TV to distract himself with. Without TV, he won't touch even his favourite foods. And most nights, we have to feed it to him. I know it's probably a bit of a no-no, but seeing he's all ribs, I'd rather he eats a decent meal than make a fuss over how he eats it. Breakfast, on the other hand, he will eat himself - sitting down nicely at his table, and eating it all by himself. I suspect that by dinner time, he's just tired and it's all a bit difficult for him.
We just got another assessment back. It says DS has a global developmental delay. I am pretty shattered as they just sent it in the post. He has just turned 4 and in most areas he is scoring on what a child just shy of 3 should be doing, They never even completed the whole test, as DS started palying up a bit. He scored 12 for the Autism scale, that has a threashold of 17, meaning that he has low autistic behaviours. With the developmental behaviour checklist, he scored 31, which they consider within normal for his age, but shows that he does have some behaviour problems.
A lot of the stuff that he scored low for was because he refused to do it................... I am feeling terrible and have cried non stop for the last 24 hours. Every time I look at him I cry. I feel sick, lost and alone. I have called the assessor, but she was not there so sent an email. How can they just send something like that in the post without explaining it?! I don't even know what the long-term plan is. They never explained.
Suse - My DS went in for gromits etc at the age of two, he became really aggressive when he came out of the anesthetic, but this could have been due to a reaction to it.
Lilima- big hugs, I hope you can get some answers xxx
Yesterday saw big dramas in our house, while Hamish has seemed to settle in to school holidays not to badly, we meet up with friends from school at the park yesterday afternoon.
It seems two of the boys had turned on an electric bbq, they then told Hamish to touch it. Of course he did and ended up in hospital with 2nd degree burns to his hand. His screams tore my heart out, he has hypersensitivity in his hands so I can only imagine the pain he was in.
It took several doses of drugs to calm him down. His screams were ones I hope no other Mother ever has to hear.
My big problem now is worry, Will Hamish ever learn not to do what these boys tell him?
Last year they told him to kiss the toilets at school and he did, they told him to pull his pants down and he did, they told him to wee on te floor and he did. I have kept him away from the one in particular who has been caught telling him to do things by the teachers. But now this.. How do I teach him not to do what they say?
Tan that is just awful. Oh man. He's so trusting, and to have that abused. Far out that's just awful.
It's so confusing hey Lilima. DH and I sat through a 45 minute OT appt, and came out and I realised...I don't even know what OT really is...I don't know up from down with this stuff.
though - it's hard to see the forest for the trees some days and it gets so overwhelming. I've been having a few of those days myself lately and it's hard not to doubt yourself, but remember, you are doing a fantastic and very difficult job. 
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