Seraphim

Asperger's is called the invisible disability. They look perfectly typical many don't have verbal tics or physical ones. They look completely and utterly typical. There is a box on our disability form that says for significant impairment you must be disabled in someway 90% of the time. To which the psychologist checked yes. There is also a box for is this a lifetime impairment with no hope of recovery to which the psychologist checked yes.

Autism spectrum disorder affects children of all races and nationalities, but certain factors increase a child's risk. They include: Your child's sex. Boys are about four times more likely to develop ASD than girls are. Family history. Families who have one child with ASD have an increased risk of having another child with the disorder. It's also not uncommon for parents or relatives of a child with ASD to have minor problems with social or communication skills themselves or to engage in certain behaviors typical of ASD. Other disorders. Children with certain medical conditions have a higher than normal risk of ASD or ASD-like symptoms. Examples of these conditions include fragile X syndrome, an inherited disorder that causes intellectual problems; tuberous sclerosis, a condition in which benign tumors develop in the brain; the neurological disorder Tourette syndrome; and Rett syndrome, a genetic condition occurring almost exclusively in girls, which causes slowing of head growth, intellectual disability and loss of purposeful hand use. Extremely preterm babies. Babies born before 26 weeks of pregnancy may have a greater risk of ASD. Parents' ages. There may also be a connection between children born to older parents and ASD, but more research is necessary to establish this link. link removed

This refers to the Aspergers child’s rigidity, obsessions, perseverations, and need for structure/routine/order. A. Rules are very important as the world is seen as black or white: Takes perfectionism to an extreme — one wrong answer is not tolerable, and the child must do things perfectly Has difficulty with any changes in the established routine Has a set routine for how activities are to be done Has rules for most activities, which must be followed (this can be extended to all involved) B. The child has few interests, but those present are unusual and treated as obsessions: Patterns, routines, and rituals are evident and interfere with daily functioning (note: this is driven by the child’s anxiety; the world is confusing for her; she is unsure what to do and how to do it; if she can impose structure, she begins to have a feeling of control) Has developed narrow and specific interests; the interests tend to be atypical (note: this gives a feeling of competence and order; involvement with the area of special interest becomes all-consuming) Displays rigid behavior: Has unusual fears Has narrow food preferences Carries a specific object Plays games or completes activities in a repetitive manner or makes own rules for them Insists on driving a specific route Arranges toys/objects/furniture in a specific way Is unable to accept environmental changes (e.g., must always go to the same restaurant, same vacation spot) Is unable to change the way she has been taught to complete a task Needs to be first in line, first selected, etc. Erases over and over to make the letters just right Colors with so much pressure the crayons break (e.g., in order to cover all the white) Only sits in one specific chair or one specific location Cannot extend the allotted time for an activity; activities must start and end at the times specified Selects play choices/interests not commonly shared by others (e.g., electricity, weather, advanced computer skills, scores of various sporting events) but not interested in the actual play (note: this could also be true for music, movies, and books) Has narrow clothing preferences Feels need to complete projects in one sitting, has difficulty with projects completed over time C. Failure to follow rules and routines results in behavioral difficulties. These can include: Anxiety Tantrums/meltdowns (e.g., crying, aggression, property destruction, screaming) Non-compliant behaviors Increase in perseverative/obsessive/rigid/ritualistic behaviors or preoccupation with area of special interest, engaging in nonsense talk Inability to prevent or lessen extreme behavioral reactions, inability to use coping or calming techniques Emotional responses out of proportion to the situation, emotional responses that are more intense and tend to be negative (e.g., glass half-empty) Children with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism have very few things that really interest them, but those interests are very important and may help them alleviate anxiety. They also cope better when there are set routines in their lives. Because change causes anxiety, Aspergers children will want to live by rigid rules that they construct for themselves. They want their own rules so that they can be the “king” or “ruler” -- and they have a difficult time understanding why society has a different set of rules. link removed

I hope in this journal people learn to understand people with autism. " In a box, not a bottle" is a private joke between me and my son. It is how we describe his experience with Asperger's . link removed

How are you doing with your son leaving home for good?

My son's teachers have marks and assignments and notes posted on Edmodo. I know there are quite a few apps and things where parents can keep an eye on kid's assignments and marks.

For sure!! Good thing you did too!

Oh yeah they do that all the time. They call my in-laws all the time and my in-laws have never had a computer in their life.

Another migraine.

I'm glad that you sound happy with your life as it is. Your children sound productive and happy and so do you. That is really an enormous blessing in life. I am sorry that your marriage ultimately didn't work out. But at least you learned a lot from it and are happy. And you have two beautiful blessings that came from it.

Happy birthday to your son!!

Another migraine, awwww poop!

I will be praying you are totally clear. Hugs

Oh yeah teaching responsibility and priority and honouring a commitment . It is sometimes harder than people think.

What did he do?

My mom does this too!

Another migraine. Yucky

It was muggy here today too. It is not usually as hot as where you are but it gets pretty warm.

Me too!.....

Outstanding!.

I wish there was a way that one could share memories visually with other people. Then we could all share pictures that we have seen of places in our mind's eye you know? I will never forget this scene that I saw in the original series of Battlestar Galactica.... This woman who had originally been born on earth was dying and what they did was store her memories of earth as she was dying and you could see the pictures of her memories on a screen or some kind of globe or something like that. And I had always thought it would be wonderful if we could share pictures of our memories. But not as printed pictures or digital pictures. But actually an exchange like telepathy. That way we could share what the world looks like.

Yes ,Ontario is beautiful as well. Everywhere that one goes there's always the unique beauty of that place. I have always enjoyed the different places I've gone for their own uniqueness.

Yeah I think it's just easier to get along with a sibling that you don't have to compete with. As teenagers my brother and I had squabbles like everybody does. But we've only had one major disagreement since we've been adults and that was like I don't know maybe 17 years ago. And I think personalities come into play as well. In my own family my brother was very laid-back and still is. He is very prepared to let everybody be who they are. Personality wise he's an extremely laid-back variation of my mother. Me ,I'm far more high strung. Part of it is I was born that way and have been that way since I was an infant and the other part is I was always expected to tow the line and perform and be perfect because I had to be an example. The other part is that we were taught family is the most important thing in the world. And we have always been told we will have only each other after our mother is gone. And that that bond is sacred and should be cherished. And we do both cherish it. And I know a lot of people are probably raised that way as well but the relationships with siblings just go awry for whatever reason. But I see a lot of people on here who have the same sex sibling just never get along with them yet their sibling of the opposite sex they get along with. I guess I just don't understand because I only have an opposite sex sibling. I do have a stepsister and a foster sister though but by the time I met my stepsister I was 25 years old and she was 14 so it's not the same. And my foster sister is only 16 so I am more like a mother than a sister.

It is so wonderful you have your parents! I will pray for them . I have been to Oregon before many times but many years ago when I was a child. I remember it being very beautiful. My mother has a picture of me and her and my grandmother on an Oregon beach when I was 10. My grandmother had come out to visit and we took her to Washington ,Oregon and California. We lived in BC at the time.

All I can say is I'm happy I have a brother. It seems siblings of the same-sex have more troubles getting along.