Child With Autism & I Need Help!

Xx7shadesRedxX · 03-28-2007, 08:03 PM

My fiancee has a 7 year old son with autism. He's a wonderful child! I don't think there's any norm where autism is concerned as it's a spectrum developmental disability, but he's always smiling and loves hugs. He understands everything that we say to him and is normally very passive and sweet with his younger sister. Instead of having outrageous meltdowns, he responds to confusing input by laughing. He's a wonderful child. However, he does not speak. We have tried speech therapy, PECS, sign language, etc etc... The only thing we have ever witnessed him saying is, "Daddy." Only 5% percent of autistic children will develop speech capability after the age 5 if they did not have any beforehand, but we are desperate to help him. He struggles to talk (noises and what not), but he can't get it out. The only thing that helped him with saying 'daddy' was constant repetition and he only said it once. Does anyone have any ideas that might help??? It would be greatly appreciated!

daredevil · 03-28-2007, 08:05 PM

I'm not strong on this area, but i just wanted to tell you that it sounds like a great boy, and I hope he gets to learn to speak before it's too late... i'm feeling his happiness here (sounds bad), but your positive topic made me smile..

Xx7shadesRedxX · 03-28-2007, 08:09 PM

I appreciate that! Thank you... He's precious... Quite a handful sometimes

We're just looking to help him in any way we can. Thankfully, he's not suffering from any MR... Just hoping we can get the ball rolling with communication.

DN · 03-28-2007, 08:10 PM

Does he sing? Or try to sing?

AwdreeHpburn · 03-28-2007, 08:14 PM

Hey 7SHadesRed -

My mother-in-law works with autistic children - or rather used to. Hearing her talk and knowing what she had to do to even be ABLE to work with autistic children, seems pretty involved and not without its challenges.

But of course, there's not a lot that can't be made easier with information.

Apologies if you've already gone this route but I'm all about educating ones self in areas of question.

I just did a Google search and HOLY HANNAH!! There's a TON of info out there on this topic. But for the sake of this thread - here are just a couple of links for you - some "light reading"

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

You may be in for a long, bumpy road but I can't imagine too much more so than the roads having kids already present.

Best of luck to ALL of you as you get married and join your families.

-Awdree

Scout · 03-28-2007, 08:19 PM

He sounds like a lovely child. Just out of curiousity, how does he communicate? For example, how does he indicate if he wants or likes something?

Xx7shadesRedxX · 03-28-2007, 08:21 PM

No, he doesn't try to sing. When music is playing, though, he will dance.

Xx7shadesRedxX · 03-28-2007, 08:25 PM

If he likes something, he'll smile and clap. Usually, if he wants something then he'll lead either myself or his father to it and he'll point. He's learning to sign slowly and so are we... lol... So that's helping, but his speech therapist says that we need to work on forming the noises he makes into words and to do it by repetition...

It worked once, but not since then. We're working on it!

DN · 03-28-2007, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xx7shadesRedxX

No, he doesn't try to sing. When music is playing, though, he will dance.

The reason I ask is that sometimes people who stammer when they speak don't stammer when they sing. It has something to do with the rhythm of the song overriding that part of the brain that causes the stammer.

Probably a long shot but it might be worth pursuing. If you try dancing and singing along with the song perhaps he will start to join in.

**annie24** · 03-28-2007, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DN

The reason I ask is that sometimes people who stammer when they speak don't stammer when they sing. It has something to do with the rhythm of the song overriding that part of the brain that causes the stammer.

Probably a long shot but it might be worth pursuing. If you try dancing and singing along with the song perhaps he will start to join in.

I heard something like that also. Maybe that would help him?

have you seen a speech therapist or any sort of autism specialist?

03-28-2007, 08:03 PM	#1
Xx7shadesRedxX Offline Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Brookhaven, PA Gender: Female Age: 26 Posts: 58	Child With Autism & I Need Help! My fiancee has a 7 year old son with autism. He's a wonderful child! I don't think there's any norm where autism is concerned as it's a spectrum developmental disability, but he's always smiling and loves hugs. He understands everything that we say to him and is normally very passive and sweet with his younger sister. Instead of having outrageous meltdowns, he responds to confusing input by laughing. He's a wonderful child. However, he does not speak. We have tried speech therapy, PECS, sign language, etc etc... The only thing we have ever witnessed him saying is, "Daddy." Only 5% percent of autistic children will develop speech capability after the age 5 if they did not have any beforehand, but we are desperate to help him. He struggles to talk (noises and what not), but he can't get it out. The only thing that helped him with saying 'daddy' was constant repetition and he only said it once. Does anyone have any ideas that might help??? It would be greatly appreciated!

03-28-2007, 08:05 PM	#2
daredevil Offline Bronze Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: heaven is close Gender: Male Age: 25 Posts: 430	I'm not strong on this area, but i just wanted to tell you that it sounds like a great boy, and I hope he gets to learn to speak before it's too late... i'm feeling his happiness here (sounds bad), but your positive topic made me smile.. __________________ With arms wide open! I'll show you everything..oh yeah

03-28-2007, 08:10 PM	#4
DN Offline Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Gender: Male Posts: 23,445	Does he sing? Or try to sing? __________________ Immaturity is not defined by him not doing what you want him to do. Hartman's Law of Prescriptivist Retaliation: "any article or statement about correct grammar, punctuation, or spelling is bound to contain at least one eror".

03-28-2007, 08:14 PM	#5
AwdreeHpburn Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Tiffany's Gender: Female Age: 37 Posts: 4,639	Hey 7SHadesRed - My mother-in-law works with autistic children - or rather used to. Hearing her talk and knowing what she had to do to even be ABLE to work with autistic children, seems pretty involved and not without its challenges. But of course, there's not a lot that can't be made easier with information. Apologies if you've already gone this route but I'm all about educating ones self in areas of question. I just did a Google search and HOLY HANNAH!! There's a TON of info out there on this topic. But for the sake of this thread - here are just a couple of links for you - some "light reading" [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] You may be in for a long, bumpy road but I can't imagine too much more so than the roads having kids already present. Best of luck to ALL of you as you get married and join your families. -Awdree __________________ What i really meant to say, is that I'm sorry for the way I am...... Last edited by AwdreeHpburn; 03-28-2007 at 08:16 PM.

03-28-2007, 08:19 PM	#6
Scout Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Colorado Gender: Female Age: 40 Posts: 7,292	He sounds like a lovely child. Just out of curiousity, how does he communicate? For example, how does he indicate if he wants or likes something? __________________ If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise. * * * One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. - Dale Carnegie * * * Bob Ross rules! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOpF_ZGD4Ps

03-28-2007, 08:09 PM	#3
Xx7shadesRedxX Offline Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Brookhaven, PA Gender: Female Age: 26 Posts: 58	I appreciate that! Thank you... He's precious... Quite a handful sometimes We're just looking to help him in any way we can. Thankfully, he's not suffering from any MR... Just hoping we can get the ball rolling with communication.

03-28-2007, 08:21 PM	#7
Xx7shadesRedxX Offline Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Brookhaven, PA Gender: Female Age: 26 Posts: 58	No, he doesn't try to sing. When music is playing, though, he will dance.

03-28-2007, 08:25 PM	#8
Xx7shadesRedxX Offline Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Brookhaven, PA Gender: Female Age: 26 Posts: 58	If he likes something, he'll smile and clap. Usually, if he wants something then he'll lead either myself or his father to it and he'll point. He's learning to sign slowly and so are we... lol... So that's helping, but his speech therapist says that we need to work on forming the noises he makes into words and to do it by repetition... It worked once, but not since then. We're working on it!