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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 57855" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Good on you, MWM. We DO think alike!</p><p></p><p>Welcome, Junniper. You already have a son with autism. High-functioning, by the sound of it. Snap - I got one too. It's great when you've worked out a system that helps him. Sorry to hear about the jerk of an ex - it is really annoying when family members undermine you like that. I've found the best ally of all, is the kid himself - difficult child 3 is hyperlexic as well, so he scrutinises labels and checks all the fine print for things he's not permitted to have.</p><p></p><p>We tried diets. For a while, difficult child 3's teacher was insisting, loudly, that there was something physically wrong and what was wrong with US (and his doctors) that we couldn't see it? Any suggestion of the problem being anxiety was rubbished by her, so it took six months to rule everything else out. During that six months we had difficult child 3 on the diet, through the Allergy Clinic at Sydney's best hospital for it. And difficult child 3's symptoms of nausea and vomiting were still erratic, so it was really hard to challenge and get an accurate picture. But during his time on the strict diet, difficult child 3 hated it but was brilliant at compliance because he knew it was all aimed at helping him.</p><p></p><p>When he was a lot younger, I also tried difficult child 1 on the diet. I tried the whole family, at the time, myself included. We found that difficult child 3 had a problem with caffeine and oranges but his medications would mask it all but a BIG caffeine dose. Now he can tolerate caffeine.</p><p></p><p>The Feingold Diet - I always thought it was very simple, just exclude artificial colours, preservatives and artificial flavours. We do that anyway, as much as possible. The low allergy diet difficult child 3 was on went much further - it eliminated natural foods which included salicylates, amines and sulphates as well. We were given a couple of simple booklets with the information. </p><p></p><p>Now, to the crux of your problem - you already have one child with autism. This greatly increases the chance of another child having some autistic traits. I do think she needs to be investigated for Asperger's Syndrome. The trouble is, the smarter the kid (and the longer you leave it) the harder it is to diagnose it. The kids adapt to the condition, find ways to cope (which may not be as good as they COULD do things, but it p[asses as adequate because they're bright). It's a weird condition, for those who don't understand it. And it IS a form of high-functioning autism. You generally don't get language delay with it.</p><p></p><p>The bigger umbrella which covers autism, Asperger's and similar, is Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) (Pervasive Developmental Disorder). Have a look at <a href="http://www.childbrain.com" target="_blank">http://www.childbrain.com</a> and look for their online Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) test. It's not officially diagnostic, because only a doctor can diagnose it, but if you do the questionnaire you can print it out (whatever the result) and take the printout to her doctor, for an opinion. See what the doctor says. And see what you think, after you've done the questionnaire.</p><p></p><p>Although she doesn't get an official diagnosis, we believe easy child 2/difficult child 2 should qualify as Asperger's. She masks it most of the time but in some areas it has become MORE obvious as she's got older. Same with difficult child 1 - in some areas he has simply failed to develop. He is trying to become more independent (as is she) but needs his hand held through some very simple things, such as buying his own medication from the pharmacy. Paying his bills. And he has to do his taxes this year - he's in a panic over it. easy child 2/difficult child 2 has been doing her own taxes for years but STILL needs help, still breaks down in fits of hysterics. Just getting her to go apply for a job she really wants, causes her an anxiety attack.</p><p></p><p>What we've done to cope - we meet the kids where they are. That is our starting point. Then we move on from there. We encourage them to value themselves and their individuality. A fringe benefit of their condition - they are very, very smart. When dealing with their special interests, they can hold focus much better than most people. When they feel confident, they cope brilliantly. They are honest. Loyal. Law-abiding.</p><p></p><p>Look up Tony Attwood, see what you can find. He is an expert on Asperger's, from a positive point of view.</p><p></p><p>It may not be Asperger's, of course. But I'm laying bets on it.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 57855, member: 1991"] Good on you, MWM. We DO think alike! Welcome, Junniper. You already have a son with autism. High-functioning, by the sound of it. Snap - I got one too. It's great when you've worked out a system that helps him. Sorry to hear about the jerk of an ex - it is really annoying when family members undermine you like that. I've found the best ally of all, is the kid himself - difficult child 3 is hyperlexic as well, so he scrutinises labels and checks all the fine print for things he's not permitted to have. We tried diets. For a while, difficult child 3's teacher was insisting, loudly, that there was something physically wrong and what was wrong with US (and his doctors) that we couldn't see it? Any suggestion of the problem being anxiety was rubbished by her, so it took six months to rule everything else out. During that six months we had difficult child 3 on the diet, through the Allergy Clinic at Sydney's best hospital for it. And difficult child 3's symptoms of nausea and vomiting were still erratic, so it was really hard to challenge and get an accurate picture. But during his time on the strict diet, difficult child 3 hated it but was brilliant at compliance because he knew it was all aimed at helping him. When he was a lot younger, I also tried difficult child 1 on the diet. I tried the whole family, at the time, myself included. We found that difficult child 3 had a problem with caffeine and oranges but his medications would mask it all but a BIG caffeine dose. Now he can tolerate caffeine. The Feingold Diet - I always thought it was very simple, just exclude artificial colours, preservatives and artificial flavours. We do that anyway, as much as possible. The low allergy diet difficult child 3 was on went much further - it eliminated natural foods which included salicylates, amines and sulphates as well. We were given a couple of simple booklets with the information. Now, to the crux of your problem - you already have one child with autism. This greatly increases the chance of another child having some autistic traits. I do think she needs to be investigated for Asperger's Syndrome. The trouble is, the smarter the kid (and the longer you leave it) the harder it is to diagnose it. The kids adapt to the condition, find ways to cope (which may not be as good as they COULD do things, but it p[asses as adequate because they're bright). It's a weird condition, for those who don't understand it. And it IS a form of high-functioning autism. You generally don't get language delay with it. The bigger umbrella which covers autism, Asperger's and similar, is Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) (Pervasive Developmental Disorder). Have a look at [url]http://www.childbrain.com[/url] and look for their online Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) test. It's not officially diagnostic, because only a doctor can diagnose it, but if you do the questionnaire you can print it out (whatever the result) and take the printout to her doctor, for an opinion. See what the doctor says. And see what you think, after you've done the questionnaire. Although she doesn't get an official diagnosis, we believe easy child 2/difficult child 2 should qualify as Asperger's. She masks it most of the time but in some areas it has become MORE obvious as she's got older. Same with difficult child 1 - in some areas he has simply failed to develop. He is trying to become more independent (as is she) but needs his hand held through some very simple things, such as buying his own medication from the pharmacy. Paying his bills. And he has to do his taxes this year - he's in a panic over it. easy child 2/difficult child 2 has been doing her own taxes for years but STILL needs help, still breaks down in fits of hysterics. Just getting her to go apply for a job she really wants, causes her an anxiety attack. What we've done to cope - we meet the kids where they are. That is our starting point. Then we move on from there. We encourage them to value themselves and their individuality. A fringe benefit of their condition - they are very, very smart. When dealing with their special interests, they can hold focus much better than most people. When they feel confident, they cope brilliantly. They are honest. Loyal. Law-abiding. Look up Tony Attwood, see what you can find. He is an expert on Asperger's, from a positive point of view. It may not be Asperger's, of course. But I'm laying bets on it. Marg [/QUOTE]
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