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<blockquote data-quote="WearyWoman" data-source="post: 367492"><p>Midwest Mom - Thanks so much for your reply. I'm sure with your experience, that you totally understand the special challenges of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids. I do understand more now than ever (thanks to endless reading, seminars, and research) a whole lot more about autism and how typical parenting does NOT work for autism spectrum disorders. I believe our difficult child has a lot of trouble shifting from his agenda to anyone else's and definitely don't see his behavior as attention seeking. He hates attention and often yells at people, "Don't look at me!!!". You bring up a good point about the writing stuff. The therapists do ask him to write, which he hates, along with drawing and reading (although he can read quite well). Maybe instead of drawing, he could be allowed to use a computer to type instead. He does like technology. This could reduce frustration surrounding those tasks. difficult child was not very verbal until after age 5 - 6. Now, other than for difficulty understanding him due to his apraxia, he talks and communicates very well. So his frustration has reduced surrounding that. Yet, for years, earlier in his life, screaming and physically reacting were a primary form of communication for him, along with hand signals. We are very happy with his speech/communication progress. Oh, I sure wish I lived in your area - we live in northeastern Wi. It sounds like your son is doing so well.</p><p> </p><p>Susie - Yes, you're right about therapists needing to be prepared and trained. They seem really taken back by difficult child's behavior, but this has been our reality for almost a decade now. It seems like difficult child is way beyond what is typically seen even if autistic kids, from the therapists' perspectives. I'm torn as to whether we just need to stick with this or whether a change needs to happen with the therapy. I have a lot of fear about the future. difficult child does take short-acting stimulants in the afternoon, however, we're now considering discontinuing them since his aggression seems worse both between his XR and first short-acting dose as well as while on the short-acting types. We've tried many different combinations and brands. Focalin XR works by far the best while it is working. But as it leaves his system, Wow! I'm not sure the price to pay is worth it. We're considering trying Clonidine during the afternoon time. These are powerful medications, and I do worry about all of the chemicals. I have checked out D. Riley's book, and I will likely buy it. Thanks so much!</p><p> </p><p>JJJ - We have not chosen to do the gluten-free, casein-free diet, because we believe that at this point (difficult child is 9), it would be an extreme added stressor on him and the rest of the family, with no guarantee of success. It is a very restricted diet, and at the most recent conference we attended, many parents had tried it for extended periods and claimed it did not work, but only added a lot of stress to an already stressful situation. He does have a healthy diet - lots of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains too. Temple Grandin spoke at a recent autism conference and stated the diet appears to be helpful only about 10% of the time. A neuroscientist devoted to researching brain differences in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) also stated that diet and immunizations are not factors in autism. I know a lot of people disagree and believe gluten-free, casein-free is the answer, but we're just not at that point yet. There's just not enough scientific evidence out there to persuade me to try it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WearyWoman, post: 367492"] Midwest Mom - Thanks so much for your reply. I'm sure with your experience, that you totally understand the special challenges of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids. I do understand more now than ever (thanks to endless reading, seminars, and research) a whole lot more about autism and how typical parenting does NOT work for autism spectrum disorders. I believe our difficult child has a lot of trouble shifting from his agenda to anyone else's and definitely don't see his behavior as attention seeking. He hates attention and often yells at people, "Don't look at me!!!". You bring up a good point about the writing stuff. The therapists do ask him to write, which he hates, along with drawing and reading (although he can read quite well). Maybe instead of drawing, he could be allowed to use a computer to type instead. He does like technology. This could reduce frustration surrounding those tasks. difficult child was not very verbal until after age 5 - 6. Now, other than for difficulty understanding him due to his apraxia, he talks and communicates very well. So his frustration has reduced surrounding that. Yet, for years, earlier in his life, screaming and physically reacting were a primary form of communication for him, along with hand signals. We are very happy with his speech/communication progress. Oh, I sure wish I lived in your area - we live in northeastern Wi. It sounds like your son is doing so well. Susie - Yes, you're right about therapists needing to be prepared and trained. They seem really taken back by difficult child's behavior, but this has been our reality for almost a decade now. It seems like difficult child is way beyond what is typically seen even if autistic kids, from the therapists' perspectives. I'm torn as to whether we just need to stick with this or whether a change needs to happen with the therapy. I have a lot of fear about the future. difficult child does take short-acting stimulants in the afternoon, however, we're now considering discontinuing them since his aggression seems worse both between his XR and first short-acting dose as well as while on the short-acting types. We've tried many different combinations and brands. Focalin XR works by far the best while it is working. But as it leaves his system, Wow! I'm not sure the price to pay is worth it. We're considering trying Clonidine during the afternoon time. These are powerful medications, and I do worry about all of the chemicals. I have checked out D. Riley's book, and I will likely buy it. Thanks so much! JJJ - We have not chosen to do the gluten-free, casein-free diet, because we believe that at this point (difficult child is 9), it would be an extreme added stressor on him and the rest of the family, with no guarantee of success. It is a very restricted diet, and at the most recent conference we attended, many parents had tried it for extended periods and claimed it did not work, but only added a lot of stress to an already stressful situation. He does have a healthy diet - lots of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains too. Temple Grandin spoke at a recent autism conference and stated the diet appears to be helpful only about 10% of the time. A neuroscientist devoted to researching brain differences in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) also stated that diet and immunizations are not factors in autism. I know a lot of people disagree and believe gluten-free, casein-free is the answer, but we're just not at that point yet. There's just not enough scientific evidence out there to persuade me to try it. [/QUOTE]
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