tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.comments2020-12-12T17:37:16.799-08:00Questioning AutismSusan Raihalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018860599601419989noreply@blogger.comBlogger236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-59208414497874515842015-08-14T19:13:56.325-07:002015-08-14T19:13:56.325-07:00I love what you have written and I applaud you for...I love what you have written and I applaud you for doing what you are doing for your son. I have always thought that mothers know their kids better than anyone else.<br />I slipped through the net at school and was labeled stupid.<br />I wasn't/aren't stupid, I'm actually very intelligent!<br />My mother had your attitude and it helped me in many situations - she knew me better than anyone else.<br />Thanks so much for sharing.<br />Sunshine, New ZealandSunshinehttp://www.ihearttostamp.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-8371538512141524622012-09-08T19:05:13.253-07:002012-09-08T19:05:13.253-07:00Hi Susan.
I think kids are not kids for long. Our...Hi Susan.<br /><br />I think kids are not kids for long. Our kids are different, and like JoLynn said, why try to put square pegs in round holes.<br /><br />It's a great idea to do Jack's room in Thomas by not OTT and very childish. He may like Thomas for a whole different reason to what we think/expect. My son who is 10 and has Aspergers loves lego especially Star Wars lego, but he still sometimes revert back to one of his first loves, Fireman Sam, he knows it is too young for him but he says he likes the style of animation and the messages it gives to children about safety. That put a whole new spin on it for me.<br /><br />Like most of the guys here have said, our kids are different to the 'normals' so why add another challenge to their already very challenging lives. If something helps the to feel less anxious surely that is a good thing?<br /><br />Saying all that I am also very aware that it does leave them wide open for other kids to possibly tease them, but I do think forcing them to give up something they are passionate about just because it is not classed as age appropriate could cause just as much upset. Chances are they will move onto something else anyway.<br /><br />Thanks for reading my wafflings. Lorraine.<br /><br /><br />Elsea Designshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17365167801342865837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-57824877088493166722012-09-08T18:33:02.212-07:002012-09-08T18:33:02.212-07:00Thank you for your "waffle," Lorraine! J...Thank you for your "waffle," Lorraine! Jack had a very good experience in summer school and is adjusting well to fourth grade. Best wishes to you and your son!<br />Susan Raihalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03018860599601419989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-65766562493086900722012-09-08T18:18:15.741-07:002012-09-08T18:18:15.741-07:00Hi Susan,
I too have an autistic son, Max who is ...Hi Susan,<br /><br />I too have an autistic son, Max who is 10, he has aspergers and is quite high functioning. We only got the diagnosis last year after he was called a freak of nature by one of his teachers, but that is a different story. Since we have had his 'label' (his paediatrician's words not ours) we have made friends with quite a few families that have autistic children. <br /><br />One of my friends has 2 boys, both on the spectrum, her 10 year old was a late starter to reading and was always below the average, but, over the last few months it has just clicked for him. My friend was so pleased when she got the test results, that was until her son was reading while they were out one day and she asked him what it all meant, his reply was 'I donna no'. She then realised that he was reading phonetically and had absolutely no comprehension of what he was looking at. She now takes any test results with a pinch of salt as they do not really give a great indication of the child's ability, as, like you say, if they really hate tests they will never do well. Even if they are ok with the whole test situation there could be a noise in the room, or a smell or even the lighting that will put them off or distract them and then they haven't got a hope in hell of doing well. <br /><br />I have come to realise that although I will appreciate and take any help offered to us, the best judges of your child's ability are the friends and family around the them, and to a degree the child themselves. <br /><br />I think what I am really trying to say is try not to worry too much what the paperwork says (especially the ones that are as badly written as that one!) and just keep up your great job of encouraging Jack to read whatever he is most interested in.<br /><br />Sorry if I have waffled on a bit. Take care. LorraineElsea Designshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17365167801342865837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-31649988495859163022012-07-15T12:45:27.666-07:002012-07-15T12:45:27.666-07:00Oh Susan...those dreaded tests. I despise them and...Oh Susan...those dreaded tests. I despise them and know that Jack can definitely perform higher than what his scores probably reflected. Children like Jack definitely need more naturalistic settings to apply what they learn as do many students with autism and most children in general. Its unfortunate that our state standards and school budgets confine teachers to worksheets and bubble tests.Megannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-29886679979109298712012-07-13T04:43:00.272-07:002012-07-13T04:43:00.272-07:00crafty, perhaps your boys could get into reading g...crafty, perhaps your boys could get into reading graphic novels. I've never read any, and perhaps they are a tad adult (not sure), but I have heard that some kids with autism really spark to manga and such.Susan Raihalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03018860599601419989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-53650171354268948062012-07-13T04:41:38.649-07:002012-07-13T04:41:38.649-07:00I read this post and it took me back to my son'...I read this post and it took me back to my son's struggles in elementary school. He is not autistic; but we spent 5 years dealing with the IEP process.<br /><br />He had a really hard time learning to read. After extensive testing he was determined to be non specific learning disabled. Huh?<br /><br />He spent 5 hours a week out of class with a wonderful woman that recognised his learning blocks.<br /><br />We ended up doing private tutoring and he CAN read. He is not the reader that his sister and I are; but he will pick up a book and read things that interest him.<br /><br />I laughed when I read that Jack does not get the bubbles, standardized tests and worksheets. Neither did Daniel. He also could not understand why you had to "show the work" for math. What a waste of time that stuff was.<br /><br />He too learned more naturally. If something interested him; look out, he would immerse himself in it and we all had to deal with it for months at a time. The egyptian period comes to mind. I learned more about embalming than I ever needed to know....<br /><br />I love reading about your kids; it brings back many wonderful memories. And some tough ones too. Now that those years are gone; I wish I would have know back then not to stress so much over some of it.Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11555524232243452021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-59749470856458458822012-07-11T14:58:58.165-07:002012-07-11T14:58:58.165-07:00Oh, how I scoff at the standardized test letters w...Oh, how I scoff at the standardized test letters we've received. Our district does English & math assessments in grades 3 & 6. One child struggles in math class, but scored average on the test. One constantly exceeds his grade level in class, and scored 'below average'. And, of course, the language concerns of a standardized English test...where the children are forced to work without help (even if they regularly have an aide to help)? Meaningless. I'm not a big fan of standardized testing for typical kids, but for kids with autism? Waste of time & resources.<br /><br />I think it's neat that Jack watches movies with closed captioning. Connor is disgusted when DVDs don't have that option activated. I've even gotten into the habit myself - it beats having the volume turned up high! <br /><br />We're somewhat luckier when it comes to reading, because there are chapter books available for Star Wars & Transformers (which have replaced Thomas the last couple years). There aren't any pictures, though. That's where the whole thing falls apart. Both boys prefer reading non-fiction, which amazes me. These are kids (mine) who believe that there is a Teletubby planet, that Cybertron is a part of our solar system, but reading a made up story? That's just silly. <br /><br />Also, for your entertainment, the two of them interrupted me no fewer than 5 times while writing this comment. Is summer over yet?Jessi Foganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18263614174344089441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-53872283479175825842012-07-11T14:34:38.692-07:002012-07-11T14:34:38.692-07:00This is so fabulous, Susan! I LOVE when parents w...This is so fabulous, Susan! I LOVE when parents want to be more involved with their children and our classroom encourages it! I wish you could be our room mother...none of our children's parents have time/want to, and so MY mother is our room mother. Wishing for the best for you, but especially Jack.<br /><br />PS: I think you should rewrite the letter appropriately and kindly suggest that they use your form next year...or is that snarky? I would appreciate the help if it were me, but I don't know the writer, so I can't say! ;)Mynn xxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09974625535293172713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-65736250766467527212012-07-11T14:28:35.618-07:002012-07-11T14:28:35.618-07:00Great post! I'm going to send a link to it to...Great post! I'm going to send a link to it to John's grandson who's son, Alex, is autistic. Alex is 4 and when we visited there a couple weeks ago I was amazed at the words Alex would point out on boards and signs in the restaurants we visited. He could read them! Such an amazing young man. Thanks for sharing this.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175485808533410938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-41513062772426835012012-07-11T13:31:56.506-07:002012-07-11T13:31:56.506-07:00you are invited to follow my blogyou are invited to follow my blogSteve Finnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12863026367048527526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-15253421777828570202012-07-03T11:34:27.135-07:002012-07-03T11:34:27.135-07:00TestTestSusan Raihalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03018860599601419989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-3148695093575292962012-05-14T11:07:29.359-07:002012-05-14T11:07:29.359-07:00I have a 21-yr-old nephew who is autistic and a da...I have a 21-yr-old nephew who is autistic and a daughter who works with autistic young adults. It's amazing that, when you open your eyes and really look at people, you see more of what we should value in them and less of their so-called deficiencies. Thanks for your blog.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10366304370624680476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-29151440480713829112012-05-14T11:05:28.995-07:002012-05-14T11:05:28.995-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10366304370624680476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-36391641849298154792012-04-13T04:44:55.318-07:002012-04-13T04:44:55.318-07:00We had our boy on Ritalin for a time. He was firs...We had our boy on Ritalin for a time. He was firstly (at 51/2) diagnosed with ADHD with oppositional behaviour even though I asked for a diagnosis of Aspergers with an anxiety disorder (his formal diagnosis now). Ritalin was the recommended treatment and while it did improve his attention (He sat down and made his father a fathers day card from start to finish!!) it did not improve any of the ASD behaviours which were concerning us. After a year we took him off it and tried diet from which we made some progress. Around 9 his behaviour was "large" and often aggressive and it was recommended we try him on it again. His teacher, who had taken the trouble to tell both us and our son that he had no need of such medicine and that prayer would work much better, came to us after the first week and said "He has had a week that was better than the whole of last year". We kept him on it because it did seem to work. A couple of years later our government took Ritalin off the system and went to a generic. all of a sudden his behaviour detiorated with lots of aggression and swearing. With nothing else working one day I did a search on the meds and found out that it was a side effect for some children. Took him off it and he stopped these behaviours and he has never been on it again. At 17yo he is anti medication along with drugs, alcohol, learning to drive, children, religion and going to the doctor.<br /><br />Give it a go and remember it is never a final decision and no two ASD children are the same or react the same.<br /><br />Good Luck<br /><br />MareeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-48320948472679453412012-03-28T07:52:40.069-07:002012-03-28T07:52:40.069-07:00I didin't know you had another blog Susan and ...I didin't know you had another blog Susan and had a son with autism. I have a child with special emotional needs, not autism but R.A.D. . . .it is gradually getting a bit better, we look at progress over the course of years, not months. She enjoys playing with much younger children, kids half her age or even younger. What should I do? Insist she find a friend her own age? Might not be possible at this stage. She does read large books and is smart but socially awkward and behind. I just figure she'll catch up eventually. In other words, I don't think you can force maturity. Best wishes.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02024262439000939676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-1160124007701701602012-02-16T14:20:28.711-08:002012-02-16T14:20:28.711-08:00Thank you, Leslie! Best wishes for your son as he ...Thank you, Leslie! Best wishes for your son as he graduates!Susan Raihalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03018860599601419989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-39330588119121875542012-02-16T12:37:03.025-08:002012-02-16T12:37:03.025-08:00I have been visiting your STAMPING BLOG for quite ...I have been visiting your STAMPING BLOG for quite a while now, but just noticed this link in the corner. <br /><br />I have an 18 yo son with autism who will soon be graduating with honors. He is still on an IEP, but it is more of a formality now as he no longer really requires any additional classroom support. <br /><br />Your writings moved me to tears (I guess they took me back in time to my own days of worry and uncertainty.) Your well written thoughts and perspectives tell a story that I can relate to while also giving me something to ponder.<br /><br />I remember when my son was eight. Now he is 18. I will tell you that it gets better and better. There have been some painful bumps along the way, but, for the most part, they have been minor. My son has friends. My son drives a car. My son has a job. My son is kind. Most of my worries were unfounded.<br /><br />I wish the best for you and your family.<br /><br />LeslieLuv2talkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04205231954043287873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-11787156119350763282012-02-14T20:00:27.747-08:002012-02-14T20:00:27.747-08:00Let's all pray that everything will go well.Let's all pray that everything will go well.wedding newshttp://www.theweddingtonpost.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-46770520802329040702012-02-13T03:47:26.587-08:002012-02-13T03:47:26.587-08:00Thank God you are still there.Thank God you are still there.Nolle Prosequihttp://felonyguide.com/Nolle-Prosequi.phpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-56771135911388822642012-01-17T03:04:35.250-08:002012-01-17T03:04:35.250-08:00The information in your article is incredible. Ver...The information in your article is incredible. Very good article.Sacramento carpet cleaninghttp://www.carpetcleanersacramento.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-29161953246865472712012-01-04T19:07:20.601-08:002012-01-04T19:07:20.601-08:00Wow, I really understand what you are saying and a...Wow, I really understand what you are saying and asking for I too have a child age 8 with autism... He loves Thomas as well but his obsession is Webkinz for years... just this past year he gained a new obsession..Mario.. lots more of plush toys!! There is probably 300 here in total... Last week I took 3 bags of webkinz and put them in the basement with out him knowing and that evening he asked for cookadoodle... It blew my mind because he hadn't even bothered with them for at least 6 months and the day I put only some of them away he is asking for them.... You know that is absolutely ok with me... I agree that children should stick with their interest.. it is up to us to build on them, get creative... I have even done math by having Michael count them or seperate colors, types of animals etc.... He can tell you every size of each Mario plush toy rather it is 7 inches or 18... Let it be right!!<br />Feel free to drop over at my site called between two worlds and check it out!!! It may not be new to you but there may be that someone you might want to pass it onto!!! I did it from the ground up after taking a course just over a year ago...You are an amazing writer, I really enjoy reading your post.. .I wish I had that talent but my talented lies in scrapbooking , making cards.<br /><br />Autism site : www.autismbetween2worlds.com<br /><br />Card Blog: www.scrapbookingforbeginners-naomi.blogspot.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04826657936603510231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-36913071293307146312011-12-31T09:21:54.788-08:002011-12-31T09:21:54.788-08:00At some point, I just accepted that we all have ou...At some point, I just accepted that we all have our challenges--this was my son's challenge. While I would support him, it was not my challenge. I had a minister once who said, "the most effective help you can give someone, is to stand outside the hole and offer your hand. That is more effective than being down in the hole with them." That freed me up to define my life as being intertwined, but separate, from my kids, which relieved my stress by allowing me to explore my own interests. Shall I say Papercrafting?!Aunt Minnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-49476571795374108542011-12-31T09:09:56.068-08:002011-12-31T09:09:56.068-08:00My 23 year old son is currently obsessed with &quo...My 23 year old son is currently obsessed with "Magic" cards, so it is always something. I decided at one point years ago, to accept his obsessions, but not to "feed" them. In other words, if he wanted to work (for me, tasks I assigned him and paid him for) and spend his money on his hobby or decorating his room, that's great. But I wasn't going to buy those items, or make a special trip to the store for him to buy them either. My son also loved the essence of what Thomas the Tank Engine portrays--bright primary colors and the safe, comforting presence of a few good friends. At 9 he also loved for me to read him the Wizard of Oz L Frank Baum series. He spent hours outside playing in the woods. You're doing a great job monitoring the play dates, give yourself a hug.Aunt Minnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8023875857831716336.post-74136148177634345192011-11-05T23:56:47.482-07:002011-11-05T23:56:47.482-07:00I remember the trepidation that came with making t...I remember the trepidation that came with making the decision to try Ritalin. It took quite a while to get to the therapeutic dose, but when we got there it was a life changer. Eleven years later it still enables quality learning for our son. Ritalin doesn't work for all kids on the spectrum but when it does, it's a true blessing. There are several variations of Ritalin, with different delivery systems. Try more than one if needed. Hugs and prayers that it will help your son!Mary Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06347378028279809724noreply@blogger.com