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Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) & medication question
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 167787" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>You might need to do as much lateral thinking as you can, to find ways to help him settle that go beyond medications.</p><p></p><p>We found in general with difficult child 3 - keeping him intellectually challenged seemed to help settle him, especially some subjects like maths. If we didn't have maths work sheets from his teachers I would buy some maths texts that were also puzzle-type books. At 5, mazes were big with him, too. ANYTHING!</p><p></p><p>How is his language?</p><p></p><p>The reason for this, is that because language was delayed, he has stored the information in his head in bits and pieces, not as well connected as with other people, in odd areas. It's like a computer that needs de-fragging. So getting him to talk about things in such a connected way works to help put in more mental connections between the bits of information, and thus improves his use of language and his recall of information.</p><p></p><p>difficult child 3 by this stage would have tested out within normal range for all his language areas, but there are still even mow gaps in his sub-scores which indicate splinter skills even in the areas of language.</p><p></p><p>Then we discovered that the 20Q does this exercise for us.</p><p>It's based on the old game "animal, vegetable or mineral" which is also known in some areas as "twenty questions". With the hand-held game, it's a marvellous example of detailed programming, with vocabulary and forks all programmed in. The hand-held game already has the programming we want our kids' brains to develop.</p><p></p><p>You begin by switching it on (press button for 'new game'). The message scrolls across the single line screen, "I know what you're thinking... Ready?"</p><p>Once you press "Yes" it starts to ask you questions about the item you are thinking about, so you must have something in mind at this point. Generally the first series of questions is, "is it an animal? Vegetable? Mineral? Other?"</p><p>You select yes or no, depending on what you feel is the correct category.</p><p>More questions follow, some seeming quite random, such as "is it bigger than a pound of butter?"</p><p></p><p>If you wait too long, it switches off the display. HOwever, it usually just pausess with display off, if it's mid-game.</p><p></p><p>This has been really good for difficult child 3 to play with, to help "de-frag" his brain. Sometimes we need to suggest something for him to think of, and sometimes we have to help him with answers, but as long as he is thinking about them enough, the memory paths are being laid down.</p><p></p><p>You may find other things, but if you can think of anything that he can play with (puzzle cubes with little balls, tilt trays etc; lava lamp; plasma ball; lego; maze puzzles; crosswords; sudoku and related puzzles - these all interest difficult child 3) then maybe you have something that could take his mind off a stressful situation.</p><p></p><p>Something else that has worked for us - music. An iPod or CD player, with music we've chosen with difficult child 3 (for preference) often helps calm him especially if there are unusual or too many noises around.</p><p></p><p>As far as medications go, I really can't help. Every kid is different. Even within our family - difficult child 3 could take a large dose of risperdal for his age and weight; difficult child 1, older and heavier, couldn't take even a quarter the amount of risperdal without gaining a lot of weight and being sedated.</p><p>difficult child 1 takes Zoloft. difficult child 3 gets insomnia with Zoloft.</p><p>Both take dexamphetamine with great results in terms of their ability to stay on task, stay focussed and keep self-control.</p><p></p><p>But every kid is different.</p><p></p><p>I hope the surgery etc goes well. I would be working that brain of his to keep him mentally occupied, while the doctors work on the medical side of things.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 167787, member: 1991"] You might need to do as much lateral thinking as you can, to find ways to help him settle that go beyond medications. We found in general with difficult child 3 - keeping him intellectually challenged seemed to help settle him, especially some subjects like maths. If we didn't have maths work sheets from his teachers I would buy some maths texts that were also puzzle-type books. At 5, mazes were big with him, too. ANYTHING! How is his language? The reason for this, is that because language was delayed, he has stored the information in his head in bits and pieces, not as well connected as with other people, in odd areas. It's like a computer that needs de-fragging. So getting him to talk about things in such a connected way works to help put in more mental connections between the bits of information, and thus improves his use of language and his recall of information. difficult child 3 by this stage would have tested out within normal range for all his language areas, but there are still even mow gaps in his sub-scores which indicate splinter skills even in the areas of language. Then we discovered that the 20Q does this exercise for us. It's based on the old game "animal, vegetable or mineral" which is also known in some areas as "twenty questions". With the hand-held game, it's a marvellous example of detailed programming, with vocabulary and forks all programmed in. The hand-held game already has the programming we want our kids' brains to develop. You begin by switching it on (press button for 'new game'). The message scrolls across the single line screen, "I know what you're thinking... Ready?" Once you press "Yes" it starts to ask you questions about the item you are thinking about, so you must have something in mind at this point. Generally the first series of questions is, "is it an animal? Vegetable? Mineral? Other?" You select yes or no, depending on what you feel is the correct category. More questions follow, some seeming quite random, such as "is it bigger than a pound of butter?" If you wait too long, it switches off the display. HOwever, it usually just pausess with display off, if it's mid-game. This has been really good for difficult child 3 to play with, to help "de-frag" his brain. Sometimes we need to suggest something for him to think of, and sometimes we have to help him with answers, but as long as he is thinking about them enough, the memory paths are being laid down. You may find other things, but if you can think of anything that he can play with (puzzle cubes with little balls, tilt trays etc; lava lamp; plasma ball; lego; maze puzzles; crosswords; sudoku and related puzzles - these all interest difficult child 3) then maybe you have something that could take his mind off a stressful situation. Something else that has worked for us - music. An iPod or CD player, with music we've chosen with difficult child 3 (for preference) often helps calm him especially if there are unusual or too many noises around. As far as medications go, I really can't help. Every kid is different. Even within our family - difficult child 3 could take a large dose of risperdal for his age and weight; difficult child 1, older and heavier, couldn't take even a quarter the amount of risperdal without gaining a lot of weight and being sedated. difficult child 1 takes Zoloft. difficult child 3 gets insomnia with Zoloft. Both take dexamphetamine with great results in terms of their ability to stay on task, stay focussed and keep self-control. But every kid is different. I hope the surgery etc goes well. I would be working that brain of his to keep him mentally occupied, while the doctors work on the medical side of things. Marg [/QUOTE]
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