Aspergers/Autism/Sensory Integration Chatter #4

[*Efjay*]

Hey, can I just quickly ask, I will be back to do a proper read & reply...

I was just asking Glenn about some stuff he mentioned he did at school today (he has had his referral put in & think they must have been doing some assessments with him today) While talking he was really being over the top with his facial expressions. But not realising. So much so that while he spoke one side of his mouth hardly moved yet the other side was like he was the joker or something. I watched him & the way he moves his face is really weird when he talks. Like his facial movements don't match up with the words. I have noticed it before but this was really obvious? Also. while talking, I had to keep drawing his attention back to me but mid way through telling me something he walked off & knocked over one of the other kids block towers! Then came back & had a good ol laugh about what he just did while I was asking why he did it & how he thinks it would have made him feel to have that done?

THEN in a moment of frustration (about 10 minutes or so later) still playing with blocks he grabbed Isla by the neck & shoulder & screamed in her face while being really quite fierce with her. I was just so shocked that he grabbed her like that, I got up & sent him to his room where I made him look at me while I told him I never wanted to see him ever grab someone like that ever again! I was so mad that he did that?! He was so angry with her (I think she knocked his block tower over or was trying to take ones he wanted?) But I have never seen him lash out like that before.

So point of post... The facial movements then such a violent outburst? WTF is going on?!

eta this is Glenn not Evan. Glenn we are still working on whats going on with him in the sense of the pead thought, a0 normal & ignores people, b)asperges also or c)auditory processing disorder.

[Freya]

Ripley does similar Fiona. He has always had over exaggerated facial expressions from an early age. I think its connected to being on the spectrum. He is also very suddenly violent like that, Ive caught him with his little brother by the sides of the head banging his head on the window sill, he's punched me in the face, split his older brothers eyebrow open by belting him with a sippy cup............he even spits in my face when Im trying to talk to him if he isnt happy. Its quite hard to take at times because I know its not entirely his fault he is like that and I have zero idea how to get him to understand it isnt ok to do so.

[Yeddi]

My DD does a similar rage thing when she can't handle a noise stimulus. Was there a lot of noise or electrical equipment etc. around? Alternatively, what is their sensory sensitivity? Can you see if something related to that set him off? Fidgets can be wonderful tools for this sort of thing. DD always has one attached to her pocket, they make a big difference regarding their sensory processing.

Using social stories may help too.

I highly recommend doing the free courses through positive partnerships - autismtraining dot com. There's lots of little hints on there and the planning matrix is invaluable!

[*Efjay*]

Glenn is a bit of a weird one (I say it that way in the most loving way.) I feel bad that I have missed things in him. He has had speech issues which he was seeing a speechy for but she said at the end of last year she didn't feel he needed to come anymore as he would pick up enough from school now. He has always been a "mini Evan" follows him around like a lost puppy, and really he does seem lost with out him. One of the big things we use to have a giggle about was what we fondly call "lawn mower mode" where he would fast walk/almost run in circle every evening in the lounge room. Just a circle round & round. He called in lawn mower mode because it was always the same time of night before bed, like his way of revving right up before he conked out, just like a lawn mower about to run out of petrol. He still does this but not to the same extent. Probably because we have more of a bed time routine now where we have family time from 7pm, no TV we just sit & do homework or play games together. It is still very hard to keep both older boys from going crazy at this time of night though, they get so worked up & silly. Glenn doesn't like to wear underpants. He always puts his clothes on inside out & back to front. He can't put his socks on properly, they are always this muddled up mess which he will get frustrated with when he can see its wrong but if it looks ok he just shoves his foot in his shoe. He has trouble remembering kids names in his class. He has all of term 1 in his new class & still could not tell you another kids name if you asked him. Yet he can remember different teachers names. He teases animals, he thinks jokes about death & dead things are funny & it comes out at such inappropriate times. He is the only one of my kids who swears (nothing major) & he uses those curse words so appropriately placed! He will randomly poke, scratch or pinch me. I think he only does this to me? He shows no empathy towards others. Laughs at people when hurt/sick. Only one of my kids to point out & laugh at a fat person.
Complains daily about going to school. Yet his teacher says he plays well with 1 boy mostly & seems happy while at school. BUT also has melt downs about not winning or getting something right where he will cry & is also throwing things like he would at home at school now too. She said they were playing bingo the other week & when he didn't win he pretty much flipped the table & had a big sook. When he does do this kind of thing he is really vocal, its like a cow bellowing. Also, his teacher says he seems to go off in his own little world BUT he will actually answer a question correctly out of the blue. she said he is actually quite a sound student & had the neatest writing for a child in yr 1 & he is left handed, he is very artistic. When out at eh shops etc, I often have to tell him to "pop his bubble" as he walks with his head down & pays no attention to those around him. He yells at people, when talking in general you often have to remind him to use a quite voice as he just gets louder & louder. He also talks through his nose but I know this isn't his "normal" voice because if I say don't talk through your nose he stops. He will call out for something but rather then waiting for an answer he just keeps yelling till you somewhat snap him out of it & say Hey, give me a chance to get up, respond etc (Isla does this too though). He doesn't maintain any eye contact when you talk to him, you really have to get him to stay focus when you do have something important to say as he will just wander off & start doing something else. Talks over the top of others, interrupts etc.

Today he was tired though. He looked tired this morning & said he was. He said he hadn't had a nice day at all today & then once in bed he was out like a light with in 5 10 minutes max. Which is pretty fast for him.

Yeddi, I will have a look at that website, thank you.
Freya, I wish I could get them to understand its not ok to be so mean to others. It really makes me scratch my head.
Laura, I know how frustrating it is to have people dismiss you. I have been noting Evans problems since he was about 4, seeking help since he was 5 & he is almost 9 & I still don't have a set in stone diagnosis but I do at least have people agreeing with me FINALLY.

[meow]

Sorry for the confusion... I don't think you cure ASD either. Was trying to be sarcastic as I'm really annoyed my dad was trying to big note himself they cured my autisim with early ed. WTF? I wasn't austistic! I think I had sensory prosessing which may have been helped though. I'm annoyed he thinks my son can be "cured" if I'm as good a parent as he was. Yeah right. Whatever. Really dislike my father, sorry. I want to start the diet/heavy metal detox stuff soon. Not sure how that works when E only eats 3 foods though.

[Yeddi]

Sorry for the confusion... I don't think you cure ASD either. Was trying to be sarcastic as I'm really annoyed my dad was trying to big note himself they cured my autisim with early ed. WTF? I wasn't austistic! I think I had sensory prosessing which may have been helped though. I'm annoyed he thinks my son can be "cured" if I'm as good a parent as he was. Yeah right. Whatever. Really dislike my father, sorry. I want to start the diet/heavy metal detox stuff soon. Not sure how that works when E only eats 3 foods though.

Epsom salt baths are one of the best ways to start with toxic load, not just metals, but even if they are sensitive to natural chemicals in their food, it will help draw them out through the skin. If E only eats three foods, it might be worth starting on the GAPS diet rather than an elimination diet (there's not much more you could eliminate really). We looked at elimination diets, but the way I saw it was that elimination diets remove the things that are causing issues, where the GAPS diet stops them from being issues in the first place ITMS. The GAPS diet says that autism can be "cured" but what I think it means by that is that the improvements that are seen are normally so great that the children get taken off the spectrum, they still have to deal with the issues and be careful of yeast overgrowth etc., but there are a lot less of dx criteria so they don't need the label anymore.

[meow]

Oh thank you! The GAPS diet sounds like just what I'm looking foor. Was hoping for some direction from a natrupath once settled so I hadn't researched yet. I'll look it up. I had heard clay baths were good for detoxing mercury so good to hear epsom salts are good. I'll get some and start those. E is pretty high functioning so I hope with working out these triggers and influences we can take away most of his spectrum traits. I'd most like him to enter our world and engage a little more. We get glimmers so I know it's there and he wants to. Just to help unlock him. We start speech tomorrow. Scored a male therapist which is awesome as E actually tries to engage dads in playgrounds etc and I think a male will be able to interest him more.