High functioning ASD child questions

[dbal]

Hi- My dd 8 was diagnosed with ASD when she was 3 and a half. She is high functioning, entering 2nd grade and doing age/grade typical work. She receives speech at school focusing mostly on social interactions and relating to her peers.
She doesn't currently see any type of specialist and I'm not really sure where to go from here. Her anger especially w/ me and her younger sister are very hard to deal with. At school, she has none of these anger issues.

I don't even know where to go for help or even what she needs. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thank you- Deb

 

[kmjmom]

It's great to hear that your daughter is performing so well in school. I would contact the school psychologist in regards to your concerns and he/she may be able to recommend some resources that you could pursue to address your challenges at home. Parents often share their helpful resources at PPTs which they hope will be able to help other parents with the same issues. Good luck!

 

[DIS-NH]

We were reffered to a Developmental Pediatrician at Children's Hospital in Boston. This Doctor happens to speialize in children with Autism. He's been an enourmous help to us.

Look for similar resources in your area.

Best of luck

 

[hookedup]

It's great to hear that your child has made some great progress academically. I think the above suggestions are excellent. You may find a social group that is geared towards older kids helpful. Also see if you can get referred to a ped specialist in developmental issues or ped psych specialist for more suggestions. Best of luck.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

As a special ed teacher I have found Ross Greene's book, The Explosive Child, to be really helpful with bright kids who have trouble managing strong emotions. The examples in the book are all much more extreme than you are probably seeing in your child -- but the strategies are sound.

 

[MadisonMom]

Your local Autism Society of America chapter may be able to refer you to a local resource. Check ASA's website, www.autism-society.org, for more information.

-Molly

 

[sleepingbeautymama]

As a special ed teacher I have found Ross Greene's book, The Explosive Child, to be really helpful with bright kids who have trouble managing strong emotions. The examples in the book are all much more extreme than you are probably seeing in your child -- but the strategies are sound.

Just wanted to mention that my dd4's doctor also recommended us to read this book because of some of our dd's behavior. She also said that some of the examples would be more extreme than we were probably seeing. I borrowed it from the library but really haven't had a chance to read it yet. I did do a quick look through of the book and I already see many things that pertain to my dd so I'm definitely going to find time to read it. I'm hoping this book can help us.

 

[missypie]

DS15 outgrew his "melt downs" quite a few years ago.

It helped for us to understand "the rules." For example, what is started must be completed. Once we knew that rule, we woudn't just flip off the TV in the middle of something - not even a commercial. If DS was starting to watch a TV show that we knew could not be watched to completion, we would tell him in advance, then he could decide if he was able to watch just part of it or not.

No surprises. Let your child know what is going to happen, as far in advance as possible. What everyone else has picked up on, she probably has not. Even what most kids would think of as pleasant surprises (e.g. eating out at a favorite restaurant vs. eating at home) can upset a child on the autism spectrum.

If your child cannot/will not rush, don't put her in a situation where she has to.

Don't repeatedly ask your child to do things she is terrible at. For example, my son just can't FIND things. We can send him up to his room to find a homework paper, and he just can't do it, even if it is in the middle of his desk.

Try not to let the siblings tease. My son has a hard time telling people apart who have similar looks. He admitted yesteday that he can't tell the two sisters who live across the street apart. They've lived across the street for his entire life; one is quite a bit taller than the other; one has long hair and one has short hair; but he can't tell them apart. That is something that a sibling could really latch onto and tease about.