[Note from Elena: I'm going to ask some of these questions on Facebook too as some of these are so amazing to think about and I would love to hear what others have to say. So keep watch if you've got me on FB!]
Posted by Leanne
on 6th November 2009
at 18:51
Hi
Yes I do get the the right amount for me.. at the moment,
I found the forms long and frustrating but understand that they need to be generic in order to process them efficently.The fact that you could write accompanying notes helped hugely as some of the boxes I left blank.
Question (taken from a show I watched today !!)
Would you prefer a 'cool child' or a 'brainy child ' ??? And Why
Leanne - Community Champion
Posted by Elena Goodrum
on 11th November 2009
at 12:06
Well... I would prefer a cool brainy child! It's kind of cool to be a nerd these days. ; )
But if I had to pick I'd choose brainy. I'd rather have an intelligent and aware child than one who was only concerned with outward appearances and their social circle. I guess it depends on what you think "cool" is. I think a "cool" and "brainy" are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Question: We're inundated by vast amounts of information on a daily basis. It must be confusing to people new to autism, and even to those who have been experiencing it and learning about it for a long time now. How do you make sense of all the information 'out there' online about autism, and do you have any tips for how people new to autism can go about processing it all?
Posted by Josie Barnshaw
on 11th November 2009
at 16:34
Hi
You keep posting questions I want to answer but I can never think of a question to go with it .... but I am going to give it a try this time.
As far as all the info out there goes, I basically have a read at it all and if it something that I feel could work for Tom or even applies to the areas that Tom struggles with then I will use them ... that's from a personal situation point of view. I would also obviously link them in here for others to see in case they strike a chord with them (different strokes for different folks, as they say).
Now the difficult bit .... a question .....
Has anyone found a solution for homework issues .... this is driving me crazy!!
Josie - CommunityChampion
Posted by bumblebee
on 11th November 2009
at 17:16
Hi Elena,
I'd suggest starting with some really good books....The complete Guide to Asperger Syndrome is a good one and also Freeks Geeks and AS. During the initial assessment process, I'd imagine many questions will arise and the first book I mentioned can be used as a sort of reference book....so for example, if the question is about routines, they could just look up that section...the only thing is that it is a sort of rolling learning process and after answering one question...up pops the next!! It is a great way to feel stronger about supporting your child though as knowledge is POWER!!!
I'd also talk to as many other parents of children with Autism as you can to get as many ideas and advice as you can....or if you can find a Sara (Asteroids)she would be perfect too!! One final point, and probably the most important....make time for you and your partner....Autism has a very clever way of taking over your life and we mustn't forget to look after our children's parents! You are the most important people in your children's lives so take care of yourself and get as much chillout time as possible!
Question: If you could take only one difficulty away from your child with Autism, what would it be and why?
Claire - Community Champion
Posted by bumblebee
on 11th November 2009
at 17:18
Sorry Josie, I started answering Elena's question and then got a phone call!! By the time I posted it I hadn't seen that you had answered! I'll leave your question for someone else.....:0)
Claire - Community Champion
Posted by Leanne
on 11th November 2009
at 22:31
Hi
I have the same problem as you Josie re the questions :)
Not found a solution however the strategy we have adopted at the moment is to tie everything to his Xmas present money... we had a very honest chat with him and he said that he knows completely what is expected of him but he chooses not to do things because the consequences are not so bad !!!
So we said to him that his Christmas fund had been decreased by £20 and could not be increased no matter what he did... and we said that it would continue to fall if he continued to work against us.. he realised that he could be facing a Christmas with no pressies - he was so not impressed !! After Christmas we said that it would roll on to his Birthday etc..
Surprise ,surprise complete attitude change.. had a couple of blips but his whole attitude to everything has changed. I am also keeping a daily diary log of positives/negatives so that we can review things on a weekly basis... avoiding the situation where we only have big chats when negative things happen..
Question
What will your family be eating for dinner Christmas day ?? Will it be impacted by fussy eating ??
Leanne - Community Champion
Posted by Josie Barnshaw
on 12th November 2009
at 11:11
Hi Leanne
Absolutely yes to the fussy eating. For the last two years we have had to had Steak Pie, potatoes, veg and gravy (although the two boys dont eat veg). This year I dont know what will happen cos Tom is off potatoes and has been all year. Meal times in here are a riot. Tom and Rick have this understanding shall I say, I give both of them the same things on their plates and they swap each other so Rick ends up with a plateful of potatoes and Tom a plateful of meat!! And that is probably exactly what will happen at Christmas.
Oh no .... a question again ....
What will be your main concern over the festive period (the answer need not necessarily concern autism), eg, I am not a fan of New Year because I am uncomfortable in the company of people who are intoxicated and I have a wee couple who live a few doors away who quite frankly are alcoholics (a nice couple when sober) and always come first footing at 2 in the morning. I cant make out what they are saying and they become very tactile which makes me nervous, especially when the man comes by himself. I could quite happily support the banning of New Year!!
Josie - CommunityChampion
Posted by Leanne
on 12th November 2009
at 21:11
hi
My main concern is that my husband actually gets the vacation he has booked.. he has been working virtually 7days a week for the last year and is exhausted.
I also want to make sure that we enjoy it... in the past I have got so stressed with everything and am usually still up wrapping pressies at 3am - no surprise that I am shattered Xmas morning. So I am definately, definately going to be well and truly sorted before Xmas eve so that myself & my husband can watch old xmas movies and I can enjoy my baileys coffees ;) Christmas week my husband substitutes milk for baileys in my coffee.. how lovely !!
Question
What is the very best Christmas present you have ever received/or whats the best you have bought for someone else ???
Leanne - Community Champion
Posted by bumblebee
on 16th November 2009
at 17:19
My best christmas present was a strawberry shortcake doll that I had wanted for AGES!!! I was 8 and I loved it sooooo much....it smelt beautiful and I spent months just sniffing it until the smell went away.....mmmmm I detect a hint of sensory play !!
Question: If you could describe your hopes for you child's educational provision in 3 words, what would they be?
![SiftGroups.com [opens in a new window]](sites/www.talkaboutautism.org.uk/themes/zen/treehouse/images/siftGroupsLogo.gif)
Posted by
Elena Goodrum
on 6th November 2009
at 15:54
[Note from Elena: I'm going to ask some of these questions on Facebook too as some of these are so amazing to think about and I would love to hear what others have to say. So keep watch if you've got me on FB!]
Posted by
Leanne
on 6th November 2009
at 18:51
Hi
Yes I do get the the right amount for me.. at the moment,
I found the forms long and frustrating but understand that they need to be generic in order to process them efficently.The fact that you could write accompanying notes helped hugely as some of the boxes I left blank.
Question (taken from a show I watched today !!)
Would you prefer a 'cool child' or a 'brainy child ' ??? And Why
Leanne - Community Champion
Posted by
Elena Goodrum
on 11th November 2009
at 12:06
Well... I would prefer a cool brainy child! It's kind of cool to be a nerd these days. ; )
But if I had to pick I'd choose brainy. I'd rather have an intelligent and aware child than one who was only concerned with outward appearances and their social circle. I guess it depends on what you think "cool" is. I think a "cool" and "brainy" are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Question: We're inundated by vast amounts of information on a daily basis. It must be confusing to people new to autism, and even to those who have been experiencing it and learning about it for a long time now. How do you make sense of all the information 'out there' online about autism, and do you have any tips for how people new to autism can go about processing it all?
Posted by
Josie Barnshaw
on 11th November 2009
at 16:34
Hi
You keep posting questions I want to answer but I can never think of a question to go with it .... but I am going to give it a try this time.
As far as all the info out there goes, I basically have a read at it all and if it something that I feel could work for Tom or even applies to the areas that Tom struggles with then I will use them ... that's from a personal situation point of view. I would also obviously link them in here for others to see in case they strike a chord with them (different strokes for different folks, as they say).
Now the difficult bit .... a question .....
Has anyone found a solution for homework issues .... this is driving me crazy!!
Josie - Community Champion
Posted by
bumblebee
on 11th November 2009
at 17:16
Hi Elena,
I'd suggest starting with some really good books....The complete Guide to Asperger Syndrome is a good one and also Freeks Geeks and AS. During the initial assessment process, I'd imagine many questions will arise and the first book I mentioned can be used as a sort of reference book....so for example, if the question is about routines, they could just look up that section...the only thing is that it is a sort of rolling learning process and after answering one question...up pops the next!! It is a great way to feel stronger about supporting your child though as knowledge is POWER!!!
I'd also talk to as many other parents of children with Autism as you can to get as many ideas and advice as you can....or if you can find a Sara (Asteroids)she would be perfect too!! One final point, and probably the most important....make time for you and your partner....Autism has a very clever way of taking over your life and we mustn't forget to look after our children's parents! You are the most important people in your children's lives so take care of yourself and get as much chillout time as possible!
Question: If you could take only one difficulty away from your child with Autism, what would it be and why?
Claire - Community Champion
Posted by
bumblebee
on 11th November 2009
at 17:18
Sorry Josie, I started answering Elena's question and then got a phone call!! By the time I posted it I hadn't seen that you had answered! I'll leave your question for someone else.....:0)
Claire - Community Champion
Posted by
Leanne
on 11th November 2009
at 22:31
Hi
I have the same problem as you Josie re the questions :)
Not found a solution however the strategy we have adopted at the moment is to tie everything to his Xmas present money... we had a very honest chat with him and he said that he knows completely what is expected of him but he chooses not to do things because the consequences are not so bad !!!
So we said to him that his Christmas fund had been decreased by £20 and could not be increased no matter what he did... and we said that it would continue to fall if he continued to work against us.. he realised that he could be facing a Christmas with no pressies - he was so not impressed !! After Christmas we said that it would roll on to his Birthday etc..
Surprise ,surprise complete attitude change.. had a couple of blips but his whole attitude to everything has changed. I am also keeping a daily diary log of positives/negatives so that we can review things on a weekly basis... avoiding the situation where we only have big chats when negative things happen..
Question
What will your family be eating for dinner Christmas day ?? Will it be impacted by fussy eating ??
Leanne - Community Champion
Posted by
Josie Barnshaw
on 12th November 2009
at 11:11
Hi Leanne
Absolutely yes to the fussy eating. For the last two years we have had to had Steak Pie, potatoes, veg and gravy (although the two boys dont eat veg). This year I dont know what will happen cos Tom is off potatoes and has been all year. Meal times in here are a riot. Tom and Rick have this understanding shall I say, I give both of them the same things on their plates and they swap each other so Rick ends up with a plateful of potatoes and Tom a plateful of meat!! And that is probably exactly what will happen at Christmas.
Oh no .... a question again ....
What will be your main concern over the festive period (the answer need not necessarily concern autism), eg, I am not a fan of New Year because I am uncomfortable in the company of people who are intoxicated and I have a wee couple who live a few doors away who quite frankly are alcoholics (a nice couple when sober) and always come first footing at 2 in the morning. I cant make out what they are saying and they become very tactile which makes me nervous, especially when the man comes by himself. I could quite happily support the banning of New Year!!
Josie - Community Champion
Posted by
Leanne
on 12th November 2009
at 21:11
hi
My main concern is that my husband actually gets the vacation he has booked.. he has been working virtually 7days a week for the last year and is exhausted.
I also want to make sure that we enjoy it... in the past I have got so stressed with everything and am usually still up wrapping pressies at 3am - no surprise that I am shattered Xmas morning. So I am definately, definately going to be well and truly sorted before Xmas eve so that myself & my husband can watch old xmas movies and I can enjoy my baileys coffees ;) Christmas week my husband substitutes milk for baileys in my coffee.. how lovely !!
Question
What is the very best Christmas present you have ever received/or whats the best you have bought for someone else ???
Leanne - Community Champion
Posted by
bumblebee
on 16th November 2009
at 17:19
My best christmas present was a strawberry shortcake doll that I had wanted for AGES!!! I was 8 and I loved it sooooo much....it smelt beautiful and I spent months just sniffing it until the smell went away.....mmmmm I detect a hint of sensory play !!
Question: If you could describe your hopes for you child's educational provision in 3 words, what would they be?
Claire - Community Champion