Messages posted by: ASDtrifecta

We've had some absolutely wonderful experiences. The school staffs we have worked with (at four schools in the district) have done everything they can think or and are great at communication.

This past fall our youngest son (diagnosis Mild to Moderate Autism) started Kindergarten. Everything was great until about two weeks in when he seemed to realize he wasn't going back to his old school. From there it was meltdowns and aggression city every day for a long time. In addition, his brother who is two years older goes to the same school and they are feeding off each other's negative behaviors.

The school requested an IEP meeting to discuss the situation. We are feeling a lot of pressure to send our youngest son to a day program at a facility an hour away. This pressure is not coming from the school staff but from the director of pupil services for the district.

Three times this man has made a point of telling us that any decision has to be made by the IEP team. Not the parents, the team. Even a decision to send one of the boys to a separate school. We have been hearing about other families in the district having problems with this man.

I'm not concerned that I can't handle the situation, I have a lot of resources in friends and family, but I am angry that someone who hasn't spent more than ten minutes with my child would presume to know what is best for him. I'm angry that this man may be depriving special needs students of the proper resources within the district.

This kind of thing should not be an issue. Our children have enough challenges without ambitious bureaucrats playing power games with their futures. And that's true for all children.

More information is needed on how to deal with Autistic children who wander off on their own.

Our five year old is an escape artist and has us scared out of our minds. We've got all kinds of locks on the doors; an alarm system he apparently knows how to defeat (getting a new one he can't turn off). Looking for a good window alarm/guard system.

He's just starting to talk and can't yet tell us why he wants out. We have no idea whether he's trying to get to school or some other place. We do know that he thinks he'll find Thomas the Tank Engine if he goes to the railroad tracks.

This very loud child gets unbelievably quiet when he's trying to escape. We don't take him places if we can avoid it.

How do you explain to a five year old who may not even be listening that it's dangerous to run off by yourself?

I'm hoping someone else has experience with this situation. I have three kids on the spectrum; two with the diagnosis of Autism, and it's those two I'm worried about.

Five year old had to be taken off of Risperdal because of weight gain issues. Since then his weight has stablizied, but we have to be very careful about food with him. Getting locks for fridge and cupboards.

Seven year old, on the other hand has always been on the slim side. His appetite has been gradually diminishing for the last few weeks to where he hardly eats anything. Even some of his favorite foods. I'll be talking to the school staff about how he does with lunch, and I'm trying to make sure he has access to high-calorie foods that are fairly good for him. He's on Risperdal and never got the weight gain as a side effect.

So how do I hold one kid back, while plumping up another? If you've got any hints for me, please share.

Aside from possible genetic factors, I have to say this is the issue I'd like most to see addressed in Autism research.

I have three sons on the spectrum. All full siblings. All full term. Widely different pregnancies and deliveries.