Messages posted by: fullhouse

My son stims constantly. Most of his behaviors are thought to be just that, Self-stimulatory. I have been advised by our behavior specialist that we should focus on the most dangerous behaviors first and move down the list. He flaps, makes shapes with his fingers in front of his eyes, drops things in front of his eyes (pencils, pens, coins, basically anything that has more than 3 items), he also hits his head, arm, and thighs with his fist(sometimes this is from frustration, but most of the time he actually calms when he hits himself). The hitting is what we are working on now, the rest we aren't worried about, at least for now. Let's face it, we all stim to calm ourselves, whether you chew on a pencil, tap your foot, twirl your hair...)

Mainly we look at the stims that are strictly for the sensory input and decide if they are a danger to him, others, or property, if not, we let him go.

Dr. Law,
The report that just came out was very interesting! I would love to know state by state who is getting one-to-one assistants for their children on the spectrum. It seems to be that here in Florida, it is nearly impossible to get a 1:1, and if you do in my county at least, it is only for the children with Asperger's. I just think it would be interesting to see a breakdown of services received.

I also was wondering as far as the Depression in mothers of kids on the spectrum...I know people will laugh, because my whole group did when we talked about this, but did you ask if they were diagnosed before or after their child was diagnosed on the spectrum? Sort of a which came first, the chicken or the egg, so to speak.

Thanks for all you do! Keepfighting, I know I will!

Sharon
co-chair
Southwest Florida
Walk NOW for Autism

Dr. Law,
I had the pleasure of seeing you at the Autism Speaks Leadership Conference in Washington. I am so excited about this project! I think it truly will move us closer to the answers we are all desperate for!

I have filled out the questionnaires for all 7 of my family. I was wondering after doing this, if you were going to ask questions about two things that have interested me...1) Do many parents note that their children with little communication, actually communicate well when they have a high fever? (sounds weird, I know, but my little guy uses complete sentences when he is over 103 degrees) and I have spoken to several parents who note the same. and 2) How many children were actually induced using Pitocin to hasten labor? This is another thing I have heard from many moms.

Thanks,
Sharon
Southwest Florida
Autism Speaks
Co-Chair