**NEW QUESTION PG. 12** Autism: Yes, you may ask my opinion!

[conny63malies]

Did anyone see the the show on discovery health about the family that had six kids on the autism soectrum? THeir kids had everything from high functioning child with anxciety to a non-verbal six year old that functions on a less than one year old level.

 

[AngieChick]

Quote:
Sadly, in the 40's and 50's autistic children were often taken away from their mothers. They were thought to suffer from "Frigid Mother Syndrome". Because children on the spectrum tend to be withdrawn, have speech and language issues, and can have problems making eye contact the medical profession assumed it was because their mothers were cold and didn't interact enough with them. It was a horrible thing to do, to both the mother and the child.

 

[ursusarctosana]

I haven't seen the television show about the six kids; I rarely, if ever, watch anything on regular television so I'm not up-to-date about sitcoms, popular music, etc.

About sensory integration dysfunction--it usually lessons are subsides in adulthood. I'm an example of someone who still experiences it to a substantial degree--enough that it can interfere with my day-to-day life and relationships with people.

I think sometimes girls are overlooked when they are actually on the autism spectrum. If a little girl is seeing a speech pathologist, has peculiar special interests (like fire fighters, police vehicles, etc.) and sensory issues...well, perhaps I would get another opinion if I thought it might help me understand or make the child's life better.

The main concern, I've noticed, for many people when it comes to receiving a diagnosis is whether or not the diagnosis will be harmful or helpful. If a person is functioning within their circumstances just fine and, perhaps, they don't even know they have autism or this "difference" about their brain, then why seek any kind of treatment?

On the other hand, as in my own situation, I tried exhaustively for years to figure out what was wrong with other people, why they seemed so dumb, what was wrong with me, why I couldn't carry on a conversation with people, why I felt left out of social situations, why certain things annoyed me so much that I had to get away, why I reacted the way I did to sounds and smells, why I felt so "strange" and "uncomfortable" ALL THE TIME, and why I thought weird, unreasonable things--like when I was younger I thought there was always someone watching me. I knew it wasn't true, but it felt that way. I thought people could see through my clothes. I knew they couldn't, intellectually I knew, but I felt like they could. I couldn't stand the sound of my own voice. It sounded terrible, embarrassing and horrible to me, so I spoke so quietly as to barely be heard.

Everyone just said I was "weird" and I thought maybe they were boring or just kind of dumb, especially when they bothered me about my preference in friends and the food I ate and the music I listened to and my views of the world.

It was a long journey, trying to understand all of this, and I have been fortunate in many ways (well, perhaps not fortunate--maybe just that my preferences and choices have led me to some good things).

There is a pain, though. I think it is this pain that young children and adolescents with autism cannot express. Adults suffer, too. But with the young children there is the challenge associated with all the ignorant neurotypical adults who impede upon the parents. I've heard stories about strangers telling parents to "control their brat", etc.

Ignorant people. They know not what they barf from their putrid pie holes.

 

[Wifezilla]

No kidding! I have been on the receiving end of hostile people wondering why my son was acting up. How dare he look so normal and not act like they expect!

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

Wow this type of topic just came up here at home.. In our town, young kids in Kindergarden and 1st grade they do home visits with a person from the school. They also do hearing tests and test for lead paint. Its kind of like a teacher meeting, but it mainly about additude at school. The lady that showed up this time had a trainee with her. For when the other lady might have a day off. Well the trainee just happened to also work for child services part time..

My son is three years old and likes to go outside.. Well when they came to my home. He decided to run out and play you cant catch me. I brought him back to the house. And the part time social worker immediately asked if he was autistic.. I have no idea why she would say that.

Any way. My 7 year old daughter gets mad easy. Her father, when he was younger had anger problems and had to go to anger managment classes.. When I said that.. The lady said have either of them been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. I said no.. But now it makes me kind of wonder if I should get her tested. Because she also is really quiet and hangs back from the crowd.. She also has a fear of vacumes, valcanos, thunder, earth quakes (which we dont have here.) and a few other things i cant think of right now.. Oh she also has a fear of people showing up at our house. Like some one pulling in the driveway.. She will run and hide.. My daughter is also in speech class. Instead of saying TOY she says it TAY.. After one year of speach she can say it right now..

You also said that one side of your bone structure is bigger than the other.. The oldest brother in my family has one leg longer than the other. And he has to wear 2 different shoe sizes. And he is also quiet.. I wonder if my whole family should be tested.. It would help understand the personalities of some of our family members.

And my mother and youngest brother are diagnosed with ADHD.. My youngest brother is dislexic.. I know I spelt that wrong.. lol

Oh well what is normal any way.. We are all happy and healthy and that is what counts..

 

[conny63malies]

Quote:
It happened to me too. My son is developmentally delayed, about 18month behind other kids his age. He was born premature had a brainbleed and some other stuff and then later RSV disease. But people dont see this .He looks "normal " all they see is a six year old actin like a four year old . I thing this is a problem of the parents of a lot of kids that have autism or other problems that dont affect their looks. With a kid with trisonomy 21 people can see that there is a kid that has this problem and they seem to be more lenient(sp?) sorry if this sounds bad for affected parents but i always think" Well Bashy (nickname) might have this problem , but atleast he can walk" The mom of a wheel chair child might say "atleast s/he can talk".... there is always something we can be thankful for. For now I am just glad that Bashy is finally potty trained, two down one to go.

 

[ursusarctosana]

I think Temple Grandin was raised in the fifties and she often attributes this fact to how well she is doing compared to a lot of kids today. Temple, if I remember correctly, had a classic Kanner's autism, but she believes that through the patience and consistency of her mother and their 1950s set of manners, she was able to become who she is today.

Similarly I read that many people with autism are held back in today's world, whereas they could succeed in the past. It is believed that Einstein was a person with autism and that if he were to take a test today his aptitudes would show peaks and valleys; therefore, he would have difficulty in today's education system. Now there is a general education standard in colleges where they expect students to score a minimum across the board. For many people with autism this is impossible.

I remember all through grade school the tantrums I had over math. There was nothing anyone could do to help me. Eventually I just kept my head low and/or didn't respond when it came to math. So, I didn't learn my times tables, couldn't do fractions, or algebra. I didn't go to high school, which in my case I believe is a good thing. When I went to community college algebra was a requirement. I decided I would face it head-on, because I do have that going for me--strong will and determination--and I believed that I could do anything I set my mind to. After all, I had such an excellent memory for facts, everyone exclaimed that I was an excellent writer (I was chosen for my grade school to attend the Young Writer's Conference two years in a row), and I could draw anything just by looking at it. How could I not learn math? Many people who could do math could not do the other things I could do.

I thought since I could write an entertaining fantasy/sci-fi story I was a good communicator. So I continued to put that on my resumes.

When it came to the algebra requirement at the community college I could not do it. I solved that by attending a rather expensive private university that accepted statistics in place of algebra. Stats was easy for me.

Temple Grandin has the exact same issue with algebra that I do. I knew, by the time I was an adolescent, that there was something in my own mind blocking my ability to comprehend algebra. Yet I am gifted at visualizing the anatomy of the human body or of several animal species, so biology is fascinating to me. I also love physics and chemistry, but could I pursue these areas in today's world? NO!

So I studied business. I learned all of this stuff about business and it was so easy. But my mind is quite independent, so I decided that the entire capitalist system is the pits. That meant I couldn't sell anything or involve myself in marketing (because I feel it is corrupt to an extent). Finding out that I have a nonverbal communication tied it all together, finally, so that it made perfect sense to me.

Now, had I known these things in my youth I would not have studied business at all. I now know it is NOT true that anyone can do anything they set their mind to. This can be a cruel ideal. Imagine! I tried to study accounting and I have dyscalculia. Granted, working with numbers DID help me out a lot and I can do basic functioning math better than the average person now, but I could never work in a bank or handle an accounting job. If someone had pushed me and told me I could do it and I had tried and tried it would have been a disaster.

That's why it is sometimes good for a person to know that he or she has autism. If the person is good at metacognition like I am, then he or she can grow up and learn to modify his/her own behavior. I have become my own experiment, so-to-speak. I work on the philosophy of my thinking daily.

I did return to school, after completing the business degrees, and study creative writing. I feel much better now.

I did all of that to be a chicken farmer who has less than twenty chickens. How funny is that?

 

[conny63malies]

Do you think Leonardo Da Vinci was autistic or had Aspergers? I head something like that.
BTW Good night , i am off now. Got to get back up at 7am.

 

[shmooborp]

i grew up with aspy tendencys, i guess u could say. i always ALWAYS had to touch everything that looked interesting to me. rubber expecially, tires, balls, toys, mats, anything rubber, had to touch it. i had hyper smell and taste and sight, everything was very bright and very bitter or sour or sweet, and i could smell things from a mile away. hearing wasnt as bad, but any hi pitched noise or consitant noise bothered me alot. i had to smell every candle i went by

lol when i was very young i talked with my hands. i didnt start talking till i was 4 and when i was im grade school all my teachers thought i had a german accent LOL and i still talked with my hands. anywho now im rambleing, but i know there are lots of other tendinsys i have . just to sick and sleepy to think lol

 

[Wifezilla]

Well, he was left handed. So his brain was a bit different to start