Possible Asperger's diagnosis for DS9- would love some input/ advice please

[Minnie M6]

One other thing I just thought of regarding both anger issues and exercise....
we had a wonderful yoga teacher who came to the kids' school and taught brief yoga lessons in some of the classrooms. As a result, DS went to the studio and took some lessons that were specifically for kids. They were offering weekend workshops for kids with anger issues. We never signed up for those due to conflicts, but thinking about it now I may check into it again. Yoga is so relaxing but they also made it fun for the kids. They earned points for their behavior in the regular classes, and DS is all about earning points!

Would you believe the yoga teacher no longer comes to school because parents complained that their kids were learning "new age" stuff??

 

[mechurchlady]

Hugs Becky tightly and not letting go. That is the word I been looking for for my mother, empathy. She has no concept of the effects of her wanting something NOW. She cannot grasp that at 5am I am not going to get her medicine unless it is summertime and I have a good immune system. She cannot understand the effect of her words on me and others.

Becky, you probably would buy a coffee hourse if you won the lottery, lol. I did bowling for high school and college PE and it is boring. You got to think like the kids. You toss the ball then wait for it to return then toss the ball then sit down for a long time then repeat. Horse riding would be good for them. There has to be a no sweat sport that keeps them busy. As for not putting his face in water you can still teach him how to dog paddle and adapt strokes to his needs so he is safe.

Big hugs and chocolates but sorry all the coffee is reserved for Becky.
<--- That is Becky.

 

[DisDreaminMom]

You all crack me up. Here's something funny- my husband and I are both horse people, we ride and work on farms and have always had horses. The first thing my daughter smiled at as a baby was one of our horses. Hours of family enjoyment, right? Horses and being outside in the safe country side, etc? Right? What kid wouldn't like that? Well, mine! DS hates horses, hates being hot, hates being outside, hates bugs, hates grass, hates anything to do with going to the barn. Guess who has severely cut back on riding and her horse time (something I swore I would give up for nothing, by the way. It's just so hard to hear him screaming and crying while I'm trying to enjoy my time at the barn). And the worst part? We have probably one of the kindest ponies on the planet that could care less if that kid screams like a police car all day.

I brought some supplies to our local riding for handicapped program (call your local therapeutic riding center, they also cover autism. It's is excellent for some kids- lots of Aspergers folks have horses and ride-it's very calming, plus you never have to talk to anyone but the horse) and the director asked me if my son wanted to participate. You should have seen the look on that woman's face when I told her he hated horses. However, he has spent 8 hours straight sitting in a chicken coop full of about 100 chickens perfectly still with a smile on his face the entire time. Too bad I'm highly allergic to chickens, cause he loves them.

And, yeah, Mechurchlady, it is all about the lack of empathy. Temple Grandin has some interesting words about this topic. I suggest reading some of her books. And don't feel so alone, either. My grandmother, and aunt were/are Aspie and I know exactly what you live with every day. You keep giving all of us hugs, but you're the one who really needs them. I hope you have some good support and get a little time to yourself every now and then. I'm guessing you have a tough life, and I am truly sorry.

Also, I hate to sweat too. I think the kid that said that is just smart. You gotta give him credit...

 

[C&G'sMama]

I too love reading everyone's posts and the feeling of not being alone. Of DS is "normal" in his own way. I worry about the anger. He's only 5 and I can still pick him up. And he's not a small kid. He's 5yo, 4ft talel and weighs 70 lbs. (no he's not fat, husky but not fat). With the anger how much is the Aspergers and how much is the Irish temper he inhertied from me? How much is manipulation? etc. We are very strict with him because he needs the boundaries but I feel so bad some times because I don't think he can always help it. We do time outs, we take away privleges etc. But once he's in a zone he can't get out. So we make sure he's safe in his room and eventually cries and screams it out. I will sometimes go up with him and rub his back. Now I'm going on and on but this one bothers me and worries and everything else.

He doesn't really have any friends. There is one girl from pre-k last year that is also at his school but in a different class. They parellell play. We think she may be somewhere on the spectrum too. We also try to remember that what he thinks is happiness is different than our idea. He may be in a room full of kids playing by himself and I feel sad. But I look at his face and he's happy. I just worry so as he gets older and hits his teenage years.

You all are an awesome group and it's nice to have people that just "get it". To Minnie M6, thank you for starting this post and sharing your story.

 

[mechurchlady]

I love to play Pgo games and talk about one of them rages, I would scare most of you if you saw me in one of my rages. I sit there arguing with the bot I am playing gin with and cussing him out and ranting stuff I cannot say here as ... and accusing the bot of cheting and saying IT IS NOT FAIR. Once I get in one of the dark raging funks then only rest and chocolates will get me out of them. Any safe allergen like ice cream and chocolate normally make me racing high and that little edge sometimes helps but usually not. I know that I am raging but just stay off of sites that it is dangerous and avoid mom.

My rage comes from life stinks, not fair, being emotionally hurt by people who use me, and exhaustion especaillly no sleep or nervous exhaustion. I have done road rage but control that well and snap out easier as I know better but in the game anything goes as nothing is being hurt where as on the street I am trained to stop as I know the outcome.

I am sitting here rocking and can tell you that people on the spectrum can get the "not fair bug" which is where the unjust, unfair, and bad things in life build up until you explode. For me this is the only place that I really vent or talk about the unfair things in life or mom is here. I wonder what is wrong with mom and I know that I am not on the spectrum but I seem to make a lot of trips to the spectrum, lol.

You need to find out what triggers the rage. For me it is exhaustion, mother going off on one of her moods, and the "not fair bug". Those three really tick me off and light my fire.

I have a wonderful supportive friend named Calvin. The house is painted as is the lawn, plants, sidewalk, driveway, etc. and the tape is not removed in places and there are touch ups needed but the house is painted. He is a wonderful brother like friend who cleaned my kitchen. I have spatulas in a container by the sink, other tools on the counter, and cups on the counter for easy to get to them. We cannot find two of my new pans, everything is on the top 3 cabinet shelves, I finally found the spatulas and utensils but not the tools, did I mention I cannot hardly reach the top 3 cabinets, and he lost mom's broom, toothbrush and soap dish. I found the broom recently but not some of my tools. He is a MELTDOWN causing lovable big teddy bear who sings so sweet, talks funny, and reminds me of my dad in many ways but MELTDOWN envoking like me having to try to cook dinner with my best pans missing, tools lost, my favourite cooking pot is full of cleaning stuff, drip pans from the stove are in the sink, and where is mom's toothbrush. Like a brother but at least he goes home eventually.

I rambled today and am so sorry for being long winded.
New deal on the table is one Calvin and one slightly used mother for 10 of your kids. See Bwana Bob next to the Jungle Cruise for details.

Hugs and therapeutic choclates to all of you.
Laurie

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I just found this thread and want to chime in.

To the OP - my son has Asperger's. We knew he was on the spectrum when he was 3 and it became apparent that he had Asperger's when he was 7. He did pretty well in mainstream classes through 5th grade. We were always able to choose a teacher for him and then worked very closely with that person to keep him on track.

Middle school was another story. You mentioned your son has some organizational difficulties. These might really come into play in middle school when a lot more is expected of the kids. My son had a tough time changing classes and adapting to the rules and routines of different teachers. We had an IEP in place for him but we didn't feel the district was doing enough to help him be successful. We ended up pulling him out and putting him in a private school (at the district's expense) with a program specifically for Asperger's. We are very lucky to live in a city that has this type of program!

My advice would be to get him diagnosed now and get support procedures in place if he needs any now. When he gets older and reaches the higher grades, you'll be in a better position to ask for more services if he needs them. He may do just fine and not need additional support. But if he does, you'll have your ducks in a row and be able to get him help faster.

I laughed when you said your son was like a police officer in his class. My son's preschool teacher said he was her schedule officer. If she deviated from the schedule just a little, he was all over her!

Kids with Asperger's are truly amazing! My son has opened my eyes to so many things I never would have noticed without him. He shows us a different way of looking at things and sometimes we can't help but laugh at his take on the world. Like on day when I was reading everyone's horoscope at the breakfast table. When I got to my son's it said, "Turn over a new leaf." He very matter of factly said, "Oh no, I don't have a leaf.....uh, should I go outside and pick one?" The kid was dead serious! He now knows what that idiom means!

 

[kaffinito]

Big hugs to you!

You are on the right course. I can echo what Luv Bunnies said about getting your son diagnosed now in case he needs the support in higher grades. He might not need it all now, but he might later.

I have two that are Aspies. The oldest boy was diagnosed at age 12 (?) after we got his bi polar disorder and his ADHD under control. A month later his little brother was diagnosed. I cried for two months straight. Our kids have quirks, and they can be strange and very difficult, but they are also really cool to have around. The youngest is the "professor" who can tell you anything you want to know about American history. The oldest is "Mr. Science" and he's also my rule police. The oldest is more autistic than the youngest.

Calendars, schedules, and note cards for reminders help at our house. So do signs in the kitchen and the bathroom as to the "proper" procedure. (I know, but it does work!) Letting my kids be themselves and not stressing out over their lack of friends or playmates also helps. If it doesn't bother them, then it shouldn't bother me. What I want for them out of life isn't what we're going to get, nor is it even realistic.

Every now and then they want kids to play with, so they go out and find some. The youngest prefers drawing and painting to any thing else, so that's what he does. The oldest started reading fiction (!) so now I have to put up with angry teachers who are mad because he reads in class. He also skips school to go to the library. The youngest plays softball. He doesn't mix with the other kids on the team well, but he's happy so that's what counts.

Right now with the oldest we're still working at buying things from stores and adding in tax. With the youngest I'm back to working on toilet training and wearing winter appropriate clothes.

It's mixed bag (and a mixed blessing) when you have Aspie kids. The thing I try to keep in mind (and sorry for the book!) is that I feel upset, frustrated, and a sense of loss over MY dreams and hopes for them, not THEIR hopes and dreams for themselves. I hope that makes sense to you, but it goes back to our hopes that they have friends and can function like other people. Well, they aren't other people and never will be. They need to find their own way and their own happiness in life.

So, I hope some of this made sense to you! Hang in there, and if you want to PM me feel free.

Karen

 

[BeckyScott]

We tried therapeutic horseback when Justin was in First Steps. We had gone to some farm-open-house thing where they were doing rides on miniature horses and he liked that. Mentioned it to our OT and she hooked us up.

Total backfire. It was the size difference. He was afraid of being up that high. (he still is afraid of heights, that was just the first time it had been an issue) Plus, the stable, there was a mama cat and a litter of kittens there, so you know where his focus went. And he thought it was great fun to play with the sawdust. (cootie alert!) So while he did have quite an adventure, and the OT played along and did some things with him, the actual riding part didn't happen. She tried the smallest horse, and then even tried a mule. I think it was a mule, it was a long time ago, it wasn't a horse, it was something else they had that was smaller.

mechurchlady, when oldest DS gets angry, he has a very difficult time calming himself back down. I can't do anything to help either, it doesn't work. And because he can't calm himself back down, he just digs himself further and further in. Makes it worse. What starts out as a fairly minor thing, he stews and stews and gets angrier and can't calm himself, and next thing you know he's fully exploded. Honestly, I keep thinking one day he's going to end up in jail. Which scares me. Because he can't calm himself back down.

For example, yesterday when I picked the kids up, I gave a ride home to DS's friend who lives a couple blocks away. He's DS's current "one friend" and is over at our house sometimes. His mom works so some days he will come over after school and stay until his mom gets off work. No biggie. But yesterday I was just not in the mood to have one more kid in the house. I pulled in his driveway and oldest DS started in, he wanted this boy to come to our house. I said no. And then it started. He wanted him to come over, why couldn't he come over, I never let him come over. And then, well then can I stay here with him? No. The boy got out of the car and went in his house. So we get home just like one minute later, and DS is throwing stuff as he crosses the back yard. Whatever was in his path, it got thrown. He got to the door first but I had the key, so he stood at the back door kicking things. It's really no big deal, the boy would have only been here about an hour, and I told them that he could come over today because they have an early out. We get in the house and he's tossing his backpack, and youngest DS wanted on the computer but oldest DS beat him to it. So now youngest DS is screaming. So now we have a scream-fest going. Ugh. Something like that happens every day here. The only way to calm them down is I let oldest DS use my phone to call the kid and they met up online in some game room.

They fight non-stop. Over Christmas, they fought over the computer every day. Christmas Eve day they were fighting over it. Then that evening we opened up some presents and there were Wii games. In a split-second, literally like maybe 2 seconds, they both wanted on the Wii and they wouldn't have cared if I had put the computer out in the yard. So then they fought over the Wii for about 3 days.

I use a timer all the time, I own four of them if you don't count the one on the stove, that isn't "fair", which seriously how much more fair do you want? Ugh. It's just frustrating.

 

[mechurchlady]

He got bit by the "Not fair bug" and it was a tantrum. I would explain to him the rules and tell him why he is being punished. Then explain what he should have done instead of the fit.It takes firm hand and self awareness. NOT FAIR is a trigger for me and I watch for that now. It is hard but I have had to self teach myself to turn off a game in the middle or cry or scream for a bit then let it go. He has to learn that what you say is the LAW because when he is 31 and his boss says that he cannot keep the company car over night then he will not be having a hissy fit. When he is at church he will not storm out because he did not get his way like being in the choir.

Bookworm may have ideas as I am not a parent but am on the same side as your son. As for the computer and stuff you need to set a limit and rules. Homework on the computer sets priority and no games until online homework is done. I would just draw up charts of chores and everything and be a mean drill sergeant but that is me. Sometimes it is not autism, spectrum or any disease or disorder but instead everyday manure kids toss at parents and the seemingly tag-team sibling attack on the wits of parents. Is it autism or just a kid who is having a tantrum? You need to set them boundaries. I get that rage on the road but there are boundaries like people staring at a fat lady, jail time, death, hospital visit, funny farm visit, and paying money for damages. Those are my boundaries but on the computer I still have my fits with the bots because I know how far I can go and then when I am about to type "stop cheating you xxx bot" then I stop myself as I know it means no more games. It is a lot of work on the person seeing the problem then acting to stop or lesson the action.

Note: not everything in life that kids throw at you is related to autism or any disorder or disease or syndrome but is from kids being kids. All siblings seem to tag-team on parents and they fight over computer time and they do have hissy fits when they do not get their way. Mom reminds me of my one tantrum. I laid on the floor gently and then went at it and she did nothing so I got up and no more tantrums, lol. Later in life the neighbor girl did the very same thing and when mom did nothing she did it later a second and last time.

So there are still no offers on my mother. I am going to talk to Bwana Bob and see why no offers. She is gently aged and well preserved and comes with her own set of wheels.

Hugs and chocolates and aspirin
Laurie

 

[BeckyScott]

I think that is maybe why it was sort of a relief that he got the Asperger's screening at school that came back as yes.

I know that what he's doing isn't appropriate, but it makes me feel a bit better that there is some sort of explanation for part of why it's happening. Not that it doesn't need to be dealt with, and some behavior modification put in place. But that, well I guess, that I'm not a bad mom. I know I'm not, but now there is "proof", I guess?, that there is something else going on there that isn't my doing. If that makes any sense. It also gives me a better idea of how to approach fixing it. It does make it harder, though, because now I'm trying to figure out how much is Asperger, how much of it is brat, and how much of it is from the Adderall and puberty. Not a good combo.

The real kicker is that of course, he has developed amazing coping skills. So I'm the one that sees it all, he doesn't do it "outside", he bottles it all up during the day and then it breaks loose when he gets home. I have often thought we needed a Dr. Phil Camera. I have already decided that once his IEP meeting is scheduled and I know I'll be seeing the school staff, that at least I have a camera on my phone and enough memory to do about a 30-second video clip and it shouldn't be hard to catch him since it happens almost every day... I think they would be completely shocked to see the way he acts at home.

Perhaps it would be a good New Year's Resolution, huh?

 

[Minnie M6]

Wow, I could have written that post, BeckyScott. When I talked to my Mom last night about the reading I've been doing and how I am convinced that DS has this diagnosis, she told me that the fact that he copes so well at school and saves it all up for us at home may make it difficult to get a diagnosis. The psychologist who did his IQ testing is a friend of my mom's, and mom mentioned to her in confidence that we were looking into this diagnosis, and she acted like we were way off base. When she tested him he made eye contact and answered all of her questions, even elaborated on each answer (as in told her why he was answering that way). Well no surprise there, he loves one on one attention and having a captive audience. I'm thinking the 9 years I've spent with him verses the several hours she was with him make me more qualified to speak to his behaviors/ symptoms. At this point, it doesn't matter whether someone else who evaluates him thinks he has Asperger's (and she wasn't screening him for that), I now know what is going on with him, and I too find great comfort in knowing that it's not (completely) a function of my parenting. Although I have major work to do in terms of how I respond to him. He pushes all of my buttons and I get extremely frustrated.
I remember when DD was born the feeling I had that it must not be my fault that Clay acts the way he sometimes does, because she could not be more different than he is. Like I said, I always knew he was different, but knowing why is such an emotional relief. And I think it will help me to relax a bit more about his quirks. When we were at Disney my Mom got so aggravated with him about his table manners and pickiness about food brands and textures. I told her last night he will no longer be reprimanded for things that he really can't help. Yes, he needs to have better manners, but I refuse to make a huge issue out of his refusing to eat certain things. In fact, the bigger deal I make out of it the more of an issue/ battle it will become. No more. Oh man, I'm doing it again.....rambling. Sorry. This has just been such an awareness issue for me and I so appreciate all of you! There's nobody else i can talk to who will really "get it." Not even DH.

 

[mechurchlady]

http://www.sensorysmarts.com/signs.html
SID aka SPD is sensory relate issues. Some rumour that it is on the edge of the spectrum or even part of it. I have SID/SPD and too often visit the specturm. There is a higher than average rate of SID cases in Tourettes and autism/Asperger's. Read up elsewhere and you will see that he may have a touch of that too.

I grew up with table manners but boy now mine are atrocious. I will not go into details save that I would flunk charm school and be banned from charm school. I drain food, avoid slimy eggs, shovel food like I was in a hurry to get another bite in me before I am done, and at home use my fingers often.

Society can be very cruel so you can hide in a shell of your former self or you can adapt and play by society's rules even if it makes you sick or takes everything out of you. You are to sit quietly and smile and keep swimming like all the other fishes even though you are really a swan. You have to hide things like picking, setting for hours dismantling a piece of cloth, and fears. Just smile and go along with the group.

Big hugs and good luck with the diagnosis.
Hugs and dole whips an chocolates
Laurie

 

[DisDreaminMom]

Minnie, I had the exact same concern about my son's diagnosis (his was done when he was 5). Pediatrician didn't see anything wrong with him ("He makes eye contact.") His teachers in Special Ed (he had motor delay, etc.) just thought he was POS-Non specified (I forget all the words, look it up- it just means developmentally delayed). It was just his Pre-K classroom teacher that felt that he needed much more help than he was getting. He raged a lot and could be very impulsive. I finally got the pediatrician to write me a referral after a particularly long afternoon in his office where he actually had to talk to my son (not using yes or no answers) (my DD had strep and he had to get tested too. He actually gut kicked the doctor when they swabbed his throat).

Anyway, we went to University of Florida hospital for initial consultation, and the psychiatrist looked at me like I was a little nuts myself. My kid talks profusely, looks right at you, asks for help, engages total strangers. What could be wrong with him? Luckily, at the time he was completely obsessed with toilets and light switches. So I pulled aside one of the "testers" (they had a team approach) and told them to ask my son if he needed to go to the bathroom. He went with them seven more times before we left, drew toilet pictures, etc. When he wasn't dragging a captive audience to the toilet so he could gleefully observe the toilet in all it's glory, he was testing every single light switch on that wing of the building.

One of the best things about the diagnosis was them telling me that my son has poor "executive function". Tony Attwood has some interesting ideas on this topic, too. I just thought I was a horrible mom because my kid can't sequentially dress himself or do much of anything.

When my son was at U. of Fl for diagnosis, I was in the waiting room in the pediatric psych ward. It was right after the Fall time change (like a week afterward). The clock was off by one hour and I totally lost it. I was waiting until 12:00 noon for my son to go to lunch with me, and when I realized the clock was wrong, I had to tell the first "official" person I saw, which happened to be the Psychology Department head. Looking back on it, the was she stared at me when I told her about the clock probably meant that she was thinking the wrong patient was being examined. So maybe apples don't fall too far...

And my kids fight like cats and dogs. I think my sister and I fought a lot, too. But unfortunately, I had a hefty does of the "fairness" bug, and so does my DD, so it makes us a bunch of highly emotional roller coasters. I'm glad we live in the country so no one can hear us all fight and then laugh our heads off later.

 

[SueM in MN]

Just thought I would chime in.
First, Temple Grandin's books are fascinating and give a good look into how her mind works. It's interesting how she sometimes goes on and on about a tiny piece of a subject that is obviously very interesting to her (but kind of boring in that much detail to most readers).
Also fascinating was the TV show America's Next Top Model on 'season' 9 when one of the contestants, Heather, had Aspergers. It was very interesting watching how she approached the different challenges; for example, when asked to look 'happy' she had a lot of difficulty, because she did not have a model in her head of how a 'happy' face would look. But when she was given more concrete examples of what the photographer was looking for, she was able to do very well. Also interesting was that she had great difficulty looking people in the eye, but could connect well with the camera.
There was also an interesting segment of a show on PBS a number of years ago where they were looking at how the brain works. One section was about Asperger's and specifically about the difficulty people with Asperger's have with identifying emotion in the facial expressions of others (part of the 'empathy' equation). Alan Alda was the host and was talking with a college age young man who talked about his difficulty in 'reading' people. He was actually working on it (with flash cards) because his inability to read emotion often meant that he interpreted the meanings of things others said to him. I think the show was Scientific American, but not sure.

 

[C&G'sMama]

This has just been such an awareness issue for me and I so appreciate all of you! There's nobody else i can talk to who will really "get it." Not even DH.

If it's any consolation. My nephew who is now 9 and in 3rd grade is PDD/NOS. When he was 4 and 5 my SIL used to talk to us and say she knew something wasn't right but the pediatrician said everything was fine and her DH (my brother) said everything's fine, we just need to be tougher on him etc. We told her to go with her gut (this was when our DS was 1 and we had no clue yet). You know your kid.
We have a friend whose DS is also 9 and in 3rd grade and he's autistic. When he was 4 we babysat for him and we "knew". Mom knew something was "wrong" and got him tested. Dad resisted. When he was diagnosed Dad said "they just need to meet their quota".

Today both boys are thriving and both my friend's DH and my brother are great dads involved with their sons. I know for my friend's DH it helped that he had a co-worker whom he respects that has 2 boys that are autistic. For my brother it was when they got the official diagnosis and they started working with professionals and the school system.

So, "go with your gut, you know your kid". You can't force DH to understand but give him time. Probably another good reason to get an "official" diagnosis.

 

[BeckyScott]

When I had the meeting at school, this is what happened... the autism coordinator interviewed me, his teacher, and did a classroom observation. For our interviews, it was an Asperger screening tool, a checklist, I don't remember exactly what it was called but I could find out (probably Bookwormde knows too) .

When we were going over the results, the autism coordinator had graphed out my responses and the teacher responses. One or two areas we were similar, but most of them we were on complete opposite ends. The teacher hadn't observed anything like what I'd seen at home. She did note, though, that when we pick him up after school, even in the schoolyard he "acts like a completely different person" so she's seen the transition start. Fortunately, the autism coordinator believed me. Because she didn't notice any behaviors in her observation that would point to Asperger's either. But I did point out, and she agreed, that it was possible that he'd developed really good coping skills during the day. And his IQ test came back problematic on processing, which is common with the spectrum, so that also gave her a little insight.

Any kind of diagnosis should involve input from the parents. I know with youngest DS they always had me answering questions too. The problem with the youngest's last eval at the children's hospital was that they didn't run as many tests as usual, just the WISC and a language test. There wasn't any OT or PT stuff, or there is one screening/test for the child's self-help skills which has always been an issue with DS and they didn't run that. I am going to see if the school is able to do any of those tests, he is up for re-testing this spring. With him at least, he did manage to have a melt-down right in the middle of the WISC, so someone else did see it.

Anyway, my point is, that any evaluation should include input from the parents, and they should take that into consideration. I know I personally would behave differently, better, if I knew I was being tested, wouldn't anyone? If the child understands what is going on, they're likely to act differently than they usually do.

I was wondering if, if anyone is interested and it's okay with the mods, anyone would be interested in joining me in sort of a "challenge" thread? If there are behaviors we want to work on, where we can brainstorm and vent and share progress?

 

[bookwormde]

Becky

Sounds like a great idea

bookwormde

 

[KirstenB]

Becky, I love the idea of a challenge thread. Zoe's teacher has given us some ideas already, specifically on getting her to focus on what we need to do before leaving the house in the morning. These ideas were not intuitive to me at all. This is my roundabout way of saying I think our little community here could be of great help to one another, because we all have different ways of looking at things, and experiences.

I've said it before, but I'll repeat. I love our community here. Autism boards can be very inflammatory. I'll venture most of us have enough drama in our lives to where we're not looking for more! Everyone here is very kind and helpful. It must be the pixie dust...

 

[Minnie M6]

I like the idea as well. As much as I am already benefiting from your combined knowledge, a thread like that would be wonderful- for everyone to help each other. I love these boards and how supportive everyone is

 

[mechurchlady]

Hugs and coffee for Becky.

I have learned so much here for myself and even my mother. I also agree that a challenge board would be nice for problem solving. Too many of us are slipping through the cracks undiagnosed or worse wrongly diagnosed. The apple does not fall far from the tree and I have seen parents realizing they have traits like their kids. Great idea Becky.

Hugs and chocolates
Laurie

Note to self: This time try the right button not the preview button.