Guest guest Posted April 9, 2009 Report Share Posted April 9, 2009 I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended several times. The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers there. The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they seek alternatives. I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help this child other than with meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not medication. They can also contact me with any questions. Unita uwalburn ________________________________ " admartin5 " <admartin5 Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended several times. The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers there. The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they seek alternatives. I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help this child other than with meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I am a social worker, and one of my families has adopted two higher-functioning autistic boys. This is going to sound VERY weird, but in leiu of medication, the boys both drink 6 ounces of DIET mountain dew (she emphasized that it only works with diet) every 3-4 hours, even while at school. This has helped dramatically with their school and social performance. She was given this suggestion through an online support group, and has found it to be very effective. On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM, unita walburn <uwalburn wrote: > > > Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the > nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research > Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical > intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not > medication. They can also contact me with any questions. > Unita > uwalburn <uwalburn%40> > > ________________________________ > " admartin5 <admartin5%40embarqmail.com> " < > admartin5 <admartin5%40embarqmail.com>> > <%40> > Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM > Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > > I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with > high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the > public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on > a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore > is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the > school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended > several times. > > The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's > behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in > the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. > > My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children > with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers > there. > > The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so > that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will > only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. > > Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I > suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they > seek alternatives. > > I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers > out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help > this child other than with meds. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 See, I would have suggested a raw whole-foods diet to get all of the toxins out of a body that is struggling. But, whatever works! From a teacher's perspective, they have legally followed all the guidelines. It stinks that public schools, which are there to provide free and safe education to ALL students, but there was no way to predict that ALL students wouldn't be the same (which is what people thought/think) It is a shame that he can't remain in a classroom with 1-2 other children. I think the homeschooling idea is great, especially since there isn't that much school left until summer. Then, she can try some things before the new year, and hopefully get things under control. Cassie --- On Fri, 4/10/09, kerri myers <4lilpups wrote: kerri myers <4lilpups Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child Friday, April 10, 2009, 9:47 AM I am a social worker, and one of my families has adopted two higher-functioning autistic boys. This is going to sound VERY weird, but in leiu of medication, the boys both drink 6 ounces of DIET mountain dew (she emphasized that it only works with diet) every 3-4 hours, even while at school. This has helped dramatically with their school and social performance. She was given this suggestion through an online support group, and has found it to be very effective. On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM, unita walburn <uwalburn > wrote: > > > Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the > nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research > Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical > intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not > medication. They can also contact me with any questions. > Unita > uwalburn <uwalburn%40. com> > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > " admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> " < > admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> > > @gro ups.com <% 40. com> > Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM > Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > > I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with > high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the > public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on > a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore > is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the > school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended > several times. > > The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's > behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in > the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. > > My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children > with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers > there. > > The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so > that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will > only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. > > Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I > suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they > seek alternatives. > > I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers > out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help > this child other than with meds. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Hi- I don't know which state you're in, but here in CA with a diagnosed issue like autism (no matter the functioning level), he would, if warranted, get an all- or most-of-the- day aide provided by the school district. Does your friend have a good book on the legal ins and outs re: students with disabilities? It's a real labyrinth. If he's throwing things in the class, he IS an endangerment ot the rest of the students (not to mention the teacher), and a total drain on the academic experience of the rest of the class. I say this because this would be excellent motivation for the teacher to do everything in his/her power to constructively try to deal with this issue. There are literally a hundred different things the teacher could be trying to help this student- a student-led time out to another room (he chooses to go when he STARTS to feel enraged) or a 'safe' spot in his classroom, hourly behavior charts, ingenious seating arrangements, assigning him a 'buddy' in the class so he won't feel so alone...those are just off the top of my head. Sometimes it takes months to figure out what works with an individual child (can you tell I've had students like this in my class?), but once you do, there's a real sense of accomplishment- both for the student and the teacher. The teacher should also begin a really intensive program with the whole class to build team skills, not to mention compassion for this kid who has varying levels of control over his behavior. I've found that to be pretty successful, and that even the older crowd (I'm assuming he's 4th or 5th grade) really responds most of the time- once they understand that he's not just acting out for the fun of it. I would suggest your friend request a meeting with the teacher re: positive ways to help all the parties involved. Certainly, suspension seems of no value here. This is a tough situation, but kudos to your friend for not sending him to a special school or class- especially with a high functioning autistic kid, he'd probably pick up plenty of undesirable behaviors, in addition to being bored academically. Not a good combination. I'm also with you on the no-meds thing. I've probably had at least 50 'ADD' or 'ADHD' kids over the years, and only one of them really 'required' meds to function well in the classroom- and he was off of them completely by May. The rest were really helped by a sometimes labor-intensive set (on my part) of behavior modification techniques and structure. I know autism isn't the same, here, but I think it's really valuable to put as much time and effort into other things as they can before trying meds. Good luck, and if you'd like any more info re: the above techniques, feel free to email me. jenni ________________________________ " admartin5 " <admartin5 Thursday, April 9, 2009 4:42:03 PM Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended several times. The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers there. The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they seek alternatives. I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help this child other than with meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 great advice, Unita! jenni ________________________________ unita walburn <uwalburn Friday, April 10, 2009 7:56:47 AM Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not medication. They can also contact me with any questions. Unita uwalburn ____________ _________ _________ __ " admartin5@embarqmai l.com " <admartin5@embarqmai l.com> @gro ups.com Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended several times. The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers there. The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they seek alternatives. I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help this child other than with meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 THIS may sound weird, but your advice doesn't sound weird at all. Moutain Dew has a ton of caffeine- so it's probably like a light dose of ritalin without all the side effects! jenni ________________________________ kerri myers <4lilpups Friday, April 10, 2009 8:47:59 AM Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child I am a social worker, and one of my families has adopted two higher-functioning autistic boys. This is going to sound VERY weird, but in leiu of medication, the boys both drink 6 ounces of DIET mountain dew (she emphasized that it only works with diet) every 3-4 hours, even while at school. This has helped dramatically with their school and social performance. She was given this suggestion through an online support group, and has found it to be very effective. On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM, unita walburn <uwalburn > wrote: > > > Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the > nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research > Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical > intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not > medication. They can also contact me with any questions. > Unita > uwalburn <uwalburn%40. com> > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > " admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> " < > admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> > > @gro ups.com <% 40. com> > Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM > Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > > I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with > high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the > public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on > a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore > is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the > school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended > several times. > > The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's > behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in > the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. > > My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children > with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers > there. > > The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so > that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will > only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. > > Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I > suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they > seek alternatives. > > I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers > out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help > this child other than with meds. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I am involved in the biomedical treatment of autism groups. Dr. Bock wrote a great book called " Healing the New Childhood Epidemics " His web site is http://www.rhinebeckhealth.com/rhc/ A good is GFCFKids. I have seen biomedical approaches work and I have successfully used them with my children who are not autistic. I would also recommend looking into the Feingold diet in conjunction with these other approaches. Biomedical approaches seem like alot of work but it is alot easier than the alternative. Patty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I highly recommend dr. bocks book also. it has changed our lives. the gc/fc group is great. we belonged to it while we were learning the ropes. it is beyond beneficial. unit ________________________________ " patty.paolini " <patty.paolini Friday, April 10, 2009 12:28:47 PM Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child I am involved in the biomedical treatment of autism groups. Dr. Bock wrote a great book called " Healing the New Childhood Epidemics " His web site is http://www.rhinebeckhealth.com/rhc/ A good is GFCFKids. I have seen biomedical approaches work and I have successfully used them with my children who are not autistic. I would also recommend looking into the Feingold diet in conjunction with these other approaches. Biomedical approaches seem like alot of work but it is alot easier than the alternative. Patty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 diet doesnt have all the sugar so it doesn't make the kid hyper On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 11:28 AM, Cassie Dixon <roxy87cabrioletwrote: > > > Why Diet, though? > > --- On Fri, 4/10/09, jenni claire garverick <jennigarverick<jennigarverick%40>> > wrote: > > jenni claire garverick <jennigarverick<jennigarverick%40>> > > Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > <%40> > Friday, April 10, 2009, 11:11 AM > > THIS may sound weird, but your advice doesn't sound weird at all. Moutain > Dew has a ton of caffeine- so it's probably like a light dose of ritalin > without all the side effects! > > jenni > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > > kerri myers <4lilpups (AT) gmail (DOT) com> > > @gro ups.com > > Friday, April 10, 2009 8:47:59 AM > > Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > > I am a social worker, and one of my families has adopted two > > higher-functioning autistic boys. This is going to sound VERY weird, but > > in leiu of medication, the boys both drink 6 ounces of DIET mountain dew > > (she emphasized that it only works with diet) every 3-4 hours, even while > at > > school. This has helped dramatically with their school and social > > performance. She was given this suggestion through an online support group, > > and has found it to be very effective. > > On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM, unita walburn <uwalburn > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the > > > nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research > > > Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical > > > intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not > > > medication. They can also contact me with any questions. > > > Unita > > > uwalburn <uwalburn%40. com> > > > > > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > > > " admartin5@embarqma i l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> " < > > > > admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> > > > > @gro ups.com <% 40. com> > > > Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM > > > Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > > > > > > I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with > > > high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the > > > public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " > on > > > a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and > therefore > > > is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the > > > school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended > > > several times. > > > > > > The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's > > > behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while > in > > > the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. > > > > > > My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children > > > with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his > peers > > > there. > > > > > > The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so > > > that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this > will > > > only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. > > > > > > Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I > > > suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while > they > > > seek alternatives. > > > > > > I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any > mothers > > > out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help > > > this child other than with meds. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I just wanted to chime in here with a few quick thoughts:) While it is true that allot of kids on the spectrum have add or adhd it is not always the case. Mountain dew is not likely to solve this Childs problem because his problem does not present as hyper-activity ,it presents as overwhelming anxiety. Anxiety does not equal ADHD . my eldest son has Asperger's disorder ( as do I ), My youngest son was diagnosed with PDD-Nos at 3 , which was changed to Asperger's at age 6. This child sounds very much like my youngest son .His anxiety level is very high in groups of peers and that overwhelming constant anxiety made functioning in a regular classroom impossible for him. Not only do these kids have abnormally high anxiety levels they have a strong need/desire for predictablness that is strained minute by minute in a class of 17 to 26 children.They do not intuitively grasp social rules nor the meaning of facial expressions or the tonal subtleties of voice .For an ASD kid school is like being taken by bus from your own country to a strange far away country where no one speaks your language and all of the customs are are (at best) slightly weird to (at worst) totally incomprehensible ! When my youngest son was just 5 both his OT and his ST recommended that I homeschool him because high functioning kids with moderate to severe anxiety levels have difficulty functioning well in a standard classroom environment, yet these kids are often gifted or at least of average intelligence so they don't fit well in a SE classroom either .If left to struggle in public school they sometimes end up in ED placements ( Emotionally Disturbed ) where there the classroom atmosphere is even even more unpredictable and inexplicable to the ASD kid ! I hs'ed through k and then my husband went blind with severe amnesia and short term memory loss .I don't have time to relay the entire story but I decided that the best thing for our son would be to place him in public school . the synopsis is that our sweet child almost suffered a complete nervous breakdown in just 10 days .The school was calling everyday by 11 am he was melting down constantly and their placement options were nonexistent because my son is ASD and 'gifted'.The other kids in his class and even others in the school disliked him because he caused so much disruption with his meldowns ; the teacher could not teach ,the other kids could not learn and my child was either in the corner head banging or under the desk with his hands over his ears screaming or actually eloping from the classroom in an effort to escape the stress as the principal ans staff rushed around with walkie talkies trying to keep him from fleeing the campus .He actually even threw rocks at his favorite teacher because she attempted to get too close to him during this meltdown !His behavior made his chances of social success low and negatively affected his self esteem .By day 9 his PDoc was so concerned that he would actually have a nervous breakdown she wanted to put him on anti anxiety meds and wrote a rx to the school board that he be placed in a classroom with no more than 5-6 other students ,I decided enough was enough and went back to home schooling .Guess what ? even amid the added strains of dealing with a complex situation as his Dads new blindness, amnesia etc our son not only did well, 2 years later ,He is thriving academically as well as socially I've found that being homeschooled allows him to learn in a stress free environment and this boosts his confidence . His social skills have improved dramatically in groups as a result of lots of small peer related activities over the years . my son has severe auditory processing disorder and Sensory integration dysfuntion both of which are also very common in kids on the spectrum . I really don't have time to discuss this as I would like to . My husband is probably going to have a second brain surgery in the next few weeks and I am swamped right now, but I just wanted to say that one of the driving forces behind meltdowns for spectrum kids is stress brought about by the high levels of anxiety these kids often have in situations that so called Neuro-typicals don't suffer from. Clearly this child needs changes made in his environment if he is to be taught the skills and given the tools needed to function in what are for him, stressful situations .Having a learning environment where the child feels safe and their anxiety level remains low allows them to develop healthy self esteem . I am also able to address teaching my child social skills which unlike his Neuro typical peers he does not pick up naturally .He gets to socialize with many different types of people in varied environments such as the library ,museum, bank etc that let him practice those skills in a relaxed way . He has made amazing progress and now joins in play at the playground and festivals with his peers with great success . Our experience with the benefits of Hsing an Autie or Aspie are not unique .I belong to a few hs groups for special needs kids and I hear the same thing from so many other families that have made the decision to homeschool.The most common thing I read from new members to the groups is regret that they did not turn to Hsing sooner. Having said that I also understand that not everyone is able to homeschool. I certainly did not want that added responsibility with all I have on my plate ! The results have far exceeded my wildest expectations and today our son is a happy ,healthy child who is advanced academically .He attends classes on his own in martial arts and science . I hope to eventually transition him to a small private school but for now we are both happy to continue homeschooling . My son would like to be able to function in large groups and we work on reaching this goal regularly.He is proud of his progress and though he struggles with his anxiety he is learning how to successfully manage it without meds but with the tools he has within himself that I am teaching him to use . He practices breathing techniques and other self managing strategies I have taught him to help him cope in stressful situations. Teresa ps I don't know what state they are in but in Florida 1 on 1 aides are not specialists in special ed and have no accrediadation so you end up with some folks who have no understanding of ASDs and some aides who may think the kid is a brat . 1 hour of a 1 on 1 aide daily is not going to keep this kid from melting down .You don't mention an FBA but if he has not had one the parents should demand it .An FBA is a Functional Behavioral Assessment conducted by the school districts accredited physiologist . There is a reason this child is melting down daily and with investigation they should be able to determine the cause(s) . Finally I recommend that Mom and Dad educate themselves about HFA and read a few good books by Auties/Aspies . A search on Amazon will yield a wealth of books . By reading the book reviews his parents can find information relating to their child mad his unique strengths and challenges . Please check out my ebay store http://stores.ebay.com/Coastal-Clearance-and-Closeouts " Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. " - jenni claire garverick Friday, April 10, 2009 11:11 AM Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child THIS may sound weird, but your advice doesn't sound weird at all. Moutain Dew has a ton of caffeine- so it's probably like a light dose of ritalin without all the side effects! jenni ________________________________ kerri myers <4lilpups Friday, April 10, 2009 8:47:59 AM Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child I am a social worker, and one of my families has adopted two higher-functioning autistic boys. This is going to sound VERY weird, but in leiu of medication, the boys both drink 6 ounces of DIET mountain dew (she emphasized that it only works with diet) every 3-4 hours, even while at school. This has helped dramatically with their school and social performance. She was given this suggestion through an online support group, and has found it to be very effective. On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM, unita walburn <uwalburn > wrote: > > > Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the > nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research > Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical > intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not > medication. They can also contact me with any questions. > Unita > uwalburn <uwalburn%40. com> > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > " admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> " < > admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> > > @gro ups.com <% 40. com> > Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM > Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > > I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with > high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the > public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on > a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore > is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the > school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended > several times. > > The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's > behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in > the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. > > My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children > with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers > there. > > The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so > that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will > only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. > > Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I > suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they > seek alternatives. > > I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers > out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help > this child other than with meds. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I just want to mention that there is a WONDERFUL group for homeschooling Aspies and high-functioning children in case your friend went that option. I think it's actually called " HomeschoolingAspies " . I had to take my moderately-functioning autistic son out of school due to similar reasons. He is too bright to be in a special education classroom where he would have been the most high-functioning child in the classroom, but his behavior issues were actually exacerbated by being in a high-noise, high-stress classroom environment. Same thing, he was " disruptive " (because he already knew how to read/ write/ anything else they were teaching the other kindergarteners and got bored) and quickly became THE PROBLEM AUTISTIC CHILD. They start an IEP with the lowest amounts of restrictions and it would have taken months if not years of suffering to get him an aide. I just gave up and decided to homeschool him and it was easily the best decision I've ever made. He has never been medicated - there is no medication for autism - and he's doing fine. They can treat symptoms or co-morbid issues like anxiety and ADD-like attention issues but they can't actually treat autism with drugs anyway. Knowing how a lot of Aspies have food/ sensory issues, I would not recommend pulling him out of school AND starting him on a radically new diet all at once. Those are 2 big shocks to the system and both can be high-stress. I'd do one or the other first. HTH, Andrea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Here's a TOTALLY unscientific guess: the sugar in the regular DEW is a carbohydrate, which would set off all those receptors in the brain and be kind of work counter to the caffeine. With diet there's NOTHING standing in the way of the caffeine. Like I said, it's unscientific, but a guess... j. ________________________________ Cassie Dixon <roxy87cabriolet Friday, April 10, 2009 11:28:59 AM Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child Why Diet, though? --- On Fri, 4/10/09, jenni claire garverick <jennigarverick@ > wrote: jenni claire garverick <jennigarverick@ > Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child @gro ups.com Friday, April 10, 2009, 11:11 AM THIS may sound weird, but your advice doesn't sound weird at all. Moutain Dew has a ton of caffeine- so it's probably like a light dose of ritalin without all the side effects! jenni ____________ _________ _________ __ kerri myers <4lilpups (AT) gmail (DOT) com> @gro ups.com Friday, April 10, 2009 8:47:59 AM Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child I am a social worker, and one of my families has adopted two higher-functioning autistic boys. This is going to sound VERY weird, but in leiu of medication, the boys both drink 6 ounces of DIET mountain dew (she emphasized that it only works with diet) every 3-4 hours, even while at school. This has helped dramatically with their school and social performance. She was given this suggestion through an online support group, and has found it to be very effective. On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM, unita walburn <uwalburn > wrote: > > > Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the > nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research > Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical > intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not > medication. They can also contact me with any questions. > Unita > uwalburn <uwalburn%40. com> > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > " admartin5@embarqma i l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> " < > admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> > > @gro ups.com <% 40. com> > Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM > Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > > I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with > high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the > public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on > a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore > is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the > school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended > several times. > > The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's > behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in > the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. > > My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children > with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers > there. > > The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so > that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will > only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. > > Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I > suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they > seek alternatives. > > I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers > out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help > this child other than with meds. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 As a teacher, I should probably not be saying this (But I'm a SAHM mom now, so I won't worry about it) re: classroom aides: it should NOT take years to get one (months, perhaps. You know how bureaucracy works). My advice to the friend on that front is to go from teacher, to Principal, to District Office Special Svcs, or whatever it's called in the particular district. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Threaten lawsuit if you have to (districts are deathly afraid of this and here's where it helps to know the ins and outs of the laws, so you sound like you know what you're talking about). You WILL get action once you go there, 90% of the time. They may not love you, but who cares. One of my best friends has an autistic child, teaches for probably the best district in the state and one of the best in the country in terms of special needs kids (the same district I used to work for), and STILL got the run-around and found them out of compliance with all kinds of laws re: # of days regulations. (Districts have all kinds of limitations on #s of days they have to take action once a parents requests X to be done). Aside from the once yearly IEP meeting, parents can request other modifications if something has been tried and is not working. Do NOT accept no for an answer, call the Principal once a week if you need to. Nimsisland, this advice is more for the woman whose friend has a newly-diagnosed child. I'm just responding to your comments. It really makes me nuts that parents get the run around so much-at the school, (not to mention with doctors!) and I'm glad you had the wherewithall to take matters into your own hands. I can never figure out why this is, aside from the paperwork, which as you know, is quite hefty. And the idea of putting an autistic kid on meds- with all their biomedical issues-horrifying!!! It always makes me happy to see parents becoming the advocates for their children. After all, parents know them best, and we can certainly trust that no one else will do it. ________________________________ nimsisland75 <nimsisland Friday, April 10, 2009 12:31:55 PM Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child I just want to mention that there is a WONDERFUL group for homeschooling Aspies and high-functioning children in case your friend went that option. I think it's actually called " HomeschoolingAspie s " . I had to take my moderately-function ing autistic son out of school due to similar reasons. He is too bright to be in a special education classroom where he would have been the most high-functioning child in the classroom, but his behavior issues were actually exacerbated by being in a high-noise, high-stress classroom environment. Same thing, he was " disruptive " (because he already knew how to read/ write/ anything else they were teaching the other kindergarteners and got bored) and quickly became THE PROBLEM AUTISTIC CHILD. They start an IEP with the lowest amounts of restrictions and it would have taken months if not years of suffering to get him an aide. I just gave up and decided to homeschool him and it was easily the best decision I've ever made. He has never been medicated - there is no medication for autism - and he's doing fine. They can treat symptoms or co-morbid issues like anxiety and ADD-like attention issues but they can't actually treat autism with drugs anyway. Knowing how a lot of Aspies have food/ sensory issues, I would not recommend pulling him out of school AND starting him on a radically new diet all at once. Those are 2 big shocks to the system and both can be high-stress. I'd do one or the other first. HTH, Andrea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Absolutely refer your friend to the Feingold website: www.feingold.org. They are fairly mainstream and will guide your friend on foods that affect behavior. I would think that the school system has classrooms for kids with behavior and learning issues. --- On Thu, 4/9/09, admartin5 <admartin5 wrote: admartin5 <admartin5 Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child Thursday, April 9, 2009, 4:42 PM I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended several times. The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers there. The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they seek alternatives. I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help this child other than with meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 This doesn't sound weird; the caffeine in the soda is having the same effect as the ritalin. --- On Fri, 4/10/09, kerri myers <4lilpups wrote: kerri myers <4lilpups Re: Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child Friday, April 10, 2009, 8:47 AM I am a social worker, and one of my families has adopted two higher-functioning autistic boys. This is going to sound VERY weird, but in leiu of medication, the boys both drink 6 ounces of DIET mountain dew (she emphasized that it only works with diet) every 3-4 hours, even while at school. This has helped dramatically with their school and social performance. She was given this suggestion through an online support group, and has found it to be very effective. On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM, unita walburn <uwalburn > wrote: > > > Have your friend call Autism Speaks and get the 100 days kit and find the > nearest DAN doctor near them that is approved by the Autism Research > Institute. I have 2 high functioning children on the spectrum. Biomedical > intervention is the best and most promising help for our kids and not > medication. They can also contact me with any questions. > Unita > uwalburn <uwalburn%40. com> > > ____________ _________ _________ __ > " admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> " < > admartin5@embarqmai l.com <admartin5%40embarq mail.com> > > @gro ups.com <% 40. com> > Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:42:03 PM > Help for High-Functioning Autistic Child > > I have a friend with a 9-year old son who recently was diagnosed with > high-functioning autism. Her son does extremely well academically in the > public school he attends. However, when a child teases him, he goes " off " on > a destructive rampage and ends up throwing chairs, books, etc. and therefore > is an " endangerment " to the other students. His father has to go to the > school every day because of his son's anger fits. He's been suspended > several times. > > The school has had several conferences with my friend about her son's > behaviour and assigned someone to help the child with social skills while in > the classroom, however this is just for one hour each day. > > My friend told me that the boy cannot go to a special school for children > with his condition because academically, he would be far ahead of his peers > there. > > The school-appointed psychologist suggested that the boy be medicated so > that he can function " normally " in school, but I felt that doing this will > only mask symptoms of a problem that might be fixable in another way. > > Since the father works at night and the mother gets off at 5 pm, I > suggested homeschooling the boy until the end of the school year while they > seek alternatives. > > I don't know how this child can be helped and was wondering if any mothers > out there have a child similar to my friend's or know of any ways to help > this child other than with meds. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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