Autistic Children
Autistic Children questions and answers
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Q: Autistic children?
Have just watched as much as I could stand of After Thomas. Do any actors/directors/writers have ANY idea of what it is really like to bring up an autistic child? My wife and I have an autistic daughter (which is unusual because most autistic children are male) who is now 22. She lives with us and always will. We love her passionately and would never dream of sending her to a residential home. She is OURS, not anybody else's. We have her for life. Why on earth is a play put out on Boxing Day about an autistic boy? People with 'normal' children will never understand it. Is it supposed to be Christmas entertainment? I curse all the people involved with this stupid play. Go and work 24/7 with autistic children/adults - don't do it as an acting project, just DO IT. I am so angry with all the people who make autism 'interesting' and a subject for incredibly inaccurate TV. STOP DOING IT. I bet NONE of you have any first hand experience of years of bring up an autistic person.
A: Wow!
You're angry! Angry angry angry! Nasty TV company!
Why don't you write to the TV company in question and ask for an explanation?
Q: How do you manage with a few autistic children in a pre-school classroom?
What kind of stress are you facing?
How do you deal with the stress?
How do you manage the autistic children with the other children to get things done?
What did you do if the autistic children misbehave?
A: As a teacher of any age - it is always important to remember that ALL students learn differently. If you focus on the individual student needs you can celebrate their achieving their goals rather than the everybody but them got something done.
You need to make sure that you have given good instructions on what 'done' looks like. Do you have a model of something that is colored correctly or 'when you have used all the puzzle pieces to make a picture you are done." or "when the time goes off you are done."
Practice and use the phrase with everyone - 'First this than that.' First we will do reading - then we will play outside.
If you have clear rules - for all students - you should not have many issues but for students in general and specifically Autism or some other disabilities, it's good to ask WHAT not WHY. Don't ask why they did something they likely cannot tell you and that promotes victim, whining and excuses for all students. Instead ask What did you do..... and wait for an answer. Slow down and listen they may know more than you think. (and sometimes more than you)
Advance notice of change - in 10 min we will start cleaning up. the in 5 min we will be cleaning up. etc.
Q: How closely do autistic children need to be supervised?
We have a 5-year old neighbor who is not potty trained and does not communicate well. She is still in diapers, yet she roams the neighborhood unsupervised...no shoes, no helmet when on her bike. I am considering calling social services, if she is not mentally of the age to be potty trained or communicate like a 5-year old, I wonder if she should be unsupervised outside so much. I don't have much experience with autistic children, so wondered if this is more of a concern than if it were a child without autism.
A: Hun i have to agree with the other poster my son Thomas pictured left is 10 he also has severe autism non verbal and also still in nappies/diapers, there is NO way i would allow Thomas to go out alone unsupervised he knows nothing about danger and he would i know go off with anyone, i think the mother is just terrible for allowing this to happen, there is times i would love to see him out the front of the house with the other children but you have to think about the safety side which this mum isn't doing, either this or shes having a hard time dealing with her child and is allowing her to do as she pleases ..
Q: What should I do as a babysitter for Autistic children?
I will be starting work this summer at a center for children with special needs. Most of the children are moderately to severly autistic. I have been reading up on autism and there is a lot of great information for parents about raising a child with autism, not so much for a babysitter, or in my case, a counselor. What do parents expect of me?
Most important of all, what can I do to make the most out of the few hours I will be spending with these children?
A: I am not a specialist.
I have expirience with kids diagnosed with PDD-NOS (there is a difference between one and the other form of autism)
Most important -
Be consistent (yes is yes, no is no)
Be honest
Be patient
Take them serious.
No matter what 'problem' kids have - somehow they KNOW if you don`t take them serious.
And, the most important of all - have fun with them. Share in their games.
Q: Can you please suggest websites that can help autistic children?
I am looking for english language websites for autistic children that are educational in nature and have games and things. I don't necessarily need websites specifically aimed at autistic children, but something which would help them learn english (these children live abroad). Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
A: www.autism.net
This the website for Geneva Centre for Autistic Children. I am an autistic who's talking right now. If you need help, perhaps you can ask me?
Q: What would be the steps to take for someone who wants to work with Autistic children?
I'm 17 and I want to work to work with Autistic children and their family. I have a nephew with Autistic characteristics and a cousin who's autistic and I want to be in a field where I help autistic children and their families. What type of classes would I have to take in college?
A: You would take classes in early childhood development, and child psychology to start. A class in behavioral analysis would be valuable as well as behavior management.
Learning about speech therapy and sign language would be great tools to have and increase your value to employers and families in the future as well. Being bilingual English/spanish would really open more doors for you. There are not enough therapists with a good command of both languages, and the Spanish speaking population is often very underserved in this area.
Here's a great website with a list and description of courses that would be valuable http://www.universalclass.com/i/subjects/specialed.htm
Q: Why are parents of autistic children threatened by independent autistic adults?
I have noticed this over and over, that parents of autistic children are constantly put off and obviously defensive when dealing with adults who have autism and are still able to be fully independent. Why is this the case?
A: I dont see this. I am a special ed para educator and have been for 9 years, 6 of these years working one on one with autistic children. One of my students also lived in my neighborhood, and after he had moved on from the school I am in, I used to babysit for him and his brothers. I also have a neice and an adult brother in law who are special needs, neither autistic though. What I see more, is parents of any special needs child, looking towards these independent adults as role models and hope. We all dream that one day these studenst will be able to maintain an independent adult life. For some it is not possible, my neice an example, will never be able to be on her own. But as educators and the parents, we work together to strive for the highest degree of independence that we can.
Q: Where do Autistic children go when they become adults?
Where do Autistic children go when they become adults? If they need lifelong daily care, where do they go? If they have skills to be able to have a career, who advocates for them so that job discimination wouldn't be a problem? When applying for a job, how can an Autistic person be recognized as being capable for a job without having to be judged for having shy and nervous body language?
A: The same place as all adults do, in the workforce.
Q: How do I go about starting a charity to offer respite to parents of autistic children?
I am wanting to start some sort of legal fundraising or foundation to purchase/lease accomadation so that parents of autistic children can have a break. Not sure if the government can help in any way, I just have no idea where to start but am determined to get this off the ground. Any suggestions on this would be fantastic...
A: Legalzoom (formed by USA Today and CNN) provides a lot of assistance and guidance when you are looking to establish a non-profit organization:
http://www.legalzoom.com/legalzip/non-profit/nonprofit_procedure.html
The steps are laid out very clearly here. Good luck!
Q: What should I major and minor in college so I can help autistic children for a living?
I want to go to college and I dont know what exactly know what major to take. I really want to do something dealing with helping autistic children and also adults.
A: special education
BCBA/BCABA (board certified behavior analyst (ABA))
speech therapy
occupational therapy
physical therapy
school nurse
school nurse
social work (school/community)
school psychologist
technology specialist
nutritionis
ada[tive phys ed
music or art therapy
doctor-neurologist/develepmental pediatrician
majors would include special ed, art ed, music ed, biology/pre med, phys ed, sociology, p\sycholgy, nursing...health
Q: What are the dos and dont's to do with autistic children?
Where could I find the dos and dont's to do with autistic children? Where in the internet? Which books?
A: Well, being an autistic person, I should know. It honestly depends on the type of autism they have. Are they severely Autistic, high-functioning, asperger's? You need to first do a little bit of research on a child's particular condition, as well as their history at home. Every autistic is different.
There are a few symptoms that are almost across the board though. One of them is social dysfunction. Interacting with other children is not as easy as is it for "normal' kids. You must be mindful of this, and not scold them or force them into doing social interaction. Another thing is sensory overload. For example, high-pitched sounds like certain people's voices send me batty. Strong smells like perfume are also not appreciated by autistics. These are things that the parents should tell you about so you don't use them in class. One more; autistics will wig out eventually, no matter what. Let them. Don't be upset or scream at them because it will make things worse. Most also don't like to be touched (again, sensory). For times like these, prepare a plan. Explain to other classmates that this is normal for him/her and you should be patient and respect them. Also, set up a "haven" for them. This could be anything from a special chair, teddy bear, or even a tent. Anything that will let them get away for a moment and calm down is a good thing.
The most important things are education and patience. No book or movie will help you anticipate the do's and don'ts- it's all trial and error. I'll give you this site, which is a community of autistics and parents/spouses/friends of autistics who can answer any of your questions.
Q: What are some careers involving working with autistic children?
So I got accepted to SDSU and I start in the Fall, but I have no idea what to major in. I am pretty sure I want to work with autistic children. I already looked into becoming an occupational therapist, but that requires taking physiology...and science is far from my best subect. I absolutely despise it. I guess I could manage, I'm just looking for something else. I also considered becoming a special education teacher, but I want more options. Can anyone help?
If it helps you, I am looking for more direct contact with them, rather than like a lawyer defending their rights or something along those lines.
Any suggestions are appreciated. :]
A: Being a special education teacher, I am somewhat biased in my opinion, but I would say that the best and most direct way to interact, daily, with kids who are autistic is as a special eduction teacher. I teach a non-categorical class for kids who are "severely handicapped" (the district's designation) so I have students with a variety of disabling conditions such as Down Syndrome, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and autism. I have 2 full-time assistants in a class of 10 to 12 students. There are also other special ed classes in our area that are specifically designed for students with autism. There are many specialists who work with our students - speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy, adaptive physical education, behavior specialists - but my assistants and I are the people who are with the kids for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. The therapists come once or twice a week, and they do wonderful things, but my assistants and I are the ones who get to form a sustained relationship with the students and their families. Because our class serves students ages 5 to 8, we typically get to have the same students for 3 years (grades K, 1, and 2), so we have the pleasure of watching them learn and mature over the course of time. It's so great to see this kind of progress - for example, we have one child who cried and cried all day and had only the word "NO!" at age 5, who now at age 7 is quite verbal, very social, and a role model to other students. It makes all the frustrations and challenges more than worth it.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for being a specialist, in that you generally don't spend all 6 hours each day with the same kids. Our therapists are itinerant, meaning that they travel from school to school, and they generally spend only a few hours a week with any particular child. One of our specialists remarked that he enjoyed having the "grandpa job" - come in and get the kids all worked up for an hour and then leave the hard stuff to the classroom staff!
All of the jobs I have mentioned are rewarding, challenging, sometimes frustrating, and never boring. I would suggest that you do a little bit of investigating and maybe some job shadowing so you can see what type of position might best suit you.
Q: Autism and Breastmilk- Has there been any research done to show how many autistic children were breastfed?
I am beginning to think there is a link. Most autistic children that I see have older/slim mothers that breastfeed. Could there be something the mother is doing/not doing to unintentionally cause their child to be autistic. I see some mothers worrying about their bodies after the pregnancy. Could the infant not be getting enough fat in their diet which is very important for brain development. I formula fed both my children and I have not had any problems with chronic illnesses or mental dysfunction.Has anyone seen any research?
A: I doubt there's a link to breastfeeding or the mother's age causing autism. I have 3 kids and they all were breastfed. My youngest was born when I was 30. No autism. One of my nephew's, on the other hand, was bottle fed and born to a young mother (around 18 or so). And he's autistic. I believe the "rise" in autism is due to the fact that not all mental deficiencies are being lumped into one category any more. Autism is being recognized in it's own separate category with it's own unique symptoms, so we can now clearly see that there's a difference between a child with autism and, say, a child with DOWN Syndrome.
EDIT: Both parents of my nephew with autism were young, and she has a second son who is not autistic.
Q: Special ed .What age were the fathers of the autistic children you know at their birth?
The CDC is not asking the question of father's age in their new $5.9 million study of 2,700 autisitc children. Shouldn't we find out if there are more autistic children born to older fathers so that we have the facts.
Advanced paternal age is the source of manygenetic mutations, it may very well be cumulative over more than one generation. Read James F.Crow, http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/94/16/8380
A: Most of the fathers of the autistic kids I work with are a little older, the youngest dad was about 36 when his kid was born, but there are a lot of much older dads, in their late forties, early fifties.
Q: Anyone heard of the PALS Program for autistic children?
My son who is autistic will be evaluated and referred for preschool (somewhere.) Anyone heard of the PALS program, or any other preschool program? I am dead set on my son NOT attending a program where there is strictly just autistic children.
A: There is a program in the UK (from what I read) that is a social skills program for preschool students. This type of program might benefit your son since it helps with some of the skills he might have difficulty with with his autism diagnosis.
If this is in Baltimore City (Maryland) that is a whole different program -- which I would not recommend from just any school.
What you decide to do depends on the level of autistic symptoms you son has. Many public schools do a great job - some have very serious problems and the classroom becomes a babysitting room that is not adventageous to the child.