" In a box not a bottle" Asperger's revealed

[Seraphim]

Awwww, people didn't come the first day but I told him not to give up. It takes time to get things up and running.

[Seraphim]

I told my son that I was sorry nobody came to his tournament today. He looks at me and says," why would you bother being sorry it's not your fault." I said , well, I thought it might have hurt your feelings?" And he said , " no, that's life in the big city mom it happens. There's always another day."

[Seraphim]

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[Silverbirch]

Hi Fudgie. What is ABA therapy and can it be helpful for issues other than autism. We have a lovely client atm who is severely depressed, has been on all types of Meds and nothing seems to be helping him. He has schizophrenia and is severely depressed, as well has extreme anxiety.

[Seraphim]

ABA is not for depression or anxiety. As to teach autistic children " Manding". Or how to ask for things or how to socially respond. [video=youtube_share;nx3UpwI4ERM] ]

[Seraphim]

I just had a 20 minute give-and-take conversation with my son!!! That is the first time in a month.

[Fudgie]

That's awesome Vic! What did you guys talk about?

[Seraphim]

I was watching the TV show Ghost Hunters. So we had a bit of give-and-take about the show. He's getting a little bit better about give-and-take now it's every month or every couple of months instead of once every six months.

[Fudgie]

That's so awesome! Progress!

 

I had a talk with my sister recently about OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony (her: "She moved to Mexico!" me: "What?! I didn't know that!") and how people get away with murder when the court doesn't find them guilty. This was over 4th July weekend and I'm still stoked, still talking about it, told my parents and others. "I talked to my autistic sister about court cases! I can't do that with many 'normal' people!"

[Seraphim]

Yes, when I can entice him into talking about anything other than his special interest you find out exactly how brilliant he is. He knows so much and understands so much and makes connections that other people don't make. I think it is just that his special interest is full force at home because he knows that's acceptable but other places it isn't. And at home is his place to relax and recover from interaction.

 

Sometimes I take him for drives in the car that way he's kind of a trapped audience. Then he has to do give-and-take conversations with me.

[Fudgie]

Over a year ago, my sister became friends with a guy. He's a bit older (30s) and he has mental retardation. They went to the same job skills program together. They are still friends and talk via telephone almost everyday for a long time, just about different topics. I'm not a fan of him (he's always wanted to date my sister but she doesn't want to date him or anyone, so I worry) but her verbal skills have improved 10fold, I just can't be against the friendship! He calls her on her cell phone and talks to her about a variety of different things, share stories, etc.

 

So I'm actually really glad now that they are friends even if it annoys me that he tends to call at bad times.

[Seraphim]

My son won't talk on the phone. Or use Skype or face time. He wants face-to-face conversation only. He tells me he doesn't understand what's being said unless he has the actual person in front of him. Now that he's becoming older businesses are calling to talk to him specifically. And of course they don't want to talk to me. And he says I don't know who you are or what you want but here talk to my mom.

[Fudgie]

Yeah I hate talking to my brother on the phone, he's pretty awful at phone conversation. My sister has gotten better only thanks to that guy.

[Seraphim]

I think it's because my son has such poor coordination of senses. His eyes and ears just don't work together. I remember when my husband was deployed for five months there a few years ago my son never talked to his dad for the full five months. I would talk to my husband on Skype and my son would refuse to. He would just say nope that's not my dad and walk out if the room. But when his dad came home it was like time had never passed and he just started talking.

 

And sometimes he has to close his eyes to listen. Because he says he gets too much information from his eyes and his ears and then he gets overloaded. At church you will see him with his eyes closed but he is listening intensely.

[Fudgie]

Does your son have impaired proprioception?

[Seraphim]

That is a possibility. When he was really young I would drive by the schoolyard sometimes and you would see him on his own spinning in circles laughing and talking to himself. And he would just spin and spin. But I think it was a reaction to being at school being overwhelmed. Because it's not something he did a lot at home.

[Fudgie]

Proprioception is how your brain "knows" where your limbs are at all times (like, what position they are in, etc), even if your eyes are closed and/or you can't see your limbs. I notice that my sister struggles with this with physical activities. She's kind of clumsy at times as a result. This was my own personal observation. I don't know if this is common with those with autism but I've seen it in her.

[Seraphim]

Oh yes, he is quite clumsy . Sports would make him wail in distress.

[Fudgie]

I've often wondered if autistic individuals end to suffer from this. Again, just a thought, I haven't read anything about it but I've observed it.

[Seraphim]

I've often wondered if autistic individuals end to suffer from this. Again, just a thought, I haven't read anything about it but I've observed it.

 

Actually, they do, yes.[video=youtube_share;upU-dc19Taw] ]

 

They also have gross motor skill and fine motor skill issues.

[Seraphim]

Opinion: Three things everyone should know about autism in Canada

 

KATHLEEN O’GRADY, SPECIAL TO MONTREAL GAZETTE

More from Kathleen O’Grady, Special to Montreal Gazette

Published on: July 28, 2015 | Last Updated: July 28, 2015 7:14 PM EDT

 

SHARE ADJUST COMMENT PRINT

Until recently, the federal government has done little to address the crisis faced by autism families accross the country and has left the issue to the provinces to manage. But things are starting to change — for the better.

 

Earlier this month, the federal government appointed an “Autism Spectrum Disorder Working Group” with a $2 million budget to develop a plan for a “Canadian Autism Partnership” that will address autism research, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, among other issues.

 

It’s a good step forward, but much more is needed, particularly on the health and educational services side of the issue, so that real families get real help, now.

 

As governments accross the country tackle the gap between need and resources, here are a few things everyone should know:

 

1. Autism is not a mental illness or a learning disability. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impaired verbal and social communication; rigid, restrictive and repetitive behaviours; uneven intellectual development; sensitivity to sensory input; challenges with fine and gross motor skills, among other characteristics.

 

Autism is more accurately referred to as “autism spectrum disorder” (ASD) because each person on the spectrum can exhibit a differing array of these characteristics with wide-ranging severity.

 

2. The rate of autism in Canada is not yet fully known, but we have recent estimates. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 1 in 68 children in the United States has ASD. Since autism is five times more prevalent in boys than girls, they estimate 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls has ASD in the U.S.

 

So what are the rates in Canada? And are they on the rise?

 

“Our best estimate at this time is that ASD affects 1 in 94 children six to nine years of age,” according to Dr. Hélène Ouellette-Kuntz, Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Queen’s University and Director of The National Epidemiologic Database for the Study of Autism in Canada (NEDSAC). The estimate is based on diagnostic and services data from Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Southeastern Ontario from 2003-2010.

 

What we know from NEDSAC published materials suggests that autism rates are on the rise in Canada, though they vary widely accross the studied regions. Even when you factor in increases due to the identification of previously undetected cases and other factors, “we cannot rule out the possibility of a true increase in incidence,” says Ouellete-Kuntz.

 

3. Families often wait several years to access autism services covered by the public health-care system. It is not uncommon for families to wait several years to receive a diagnosis of autism for their child from publicly funded health services in most provinces. Once a child is diagnosed, interventions with a strong evidence base, such as behavioural therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy, have wait times of several months up to several years in most places accross the country. Once services are received, families have access to these therapies for only limited time periods and often beyond the window of time most experts believe optimal.

 

The wide range in disparity of publicly funded services for autism accross the country has even generated a kind of “medical migration” with several published accounts of families leaving their home provinces to move to Alberta or British Columbia, where services are more readily available and more flexible.

 

It is also no longer uncommon to find Canadian families using crowd sourcing campaigns to fund their children’s therapies.

 

Kathleen O’Grady is a research associate at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University and managing editor, EvidenceNetwork.ca. She is based in Ottawa and has two young sons, one with autism.

[Seraphim]

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[Seraphim]

How do I get these kids to go away? These kids are like in grade 7 and eight and they still bang on the door and want my son to play with them. Hello ,he's going to college go away!

 

I remember a couple years ago when one mother asked me why her son who was in grade 5 wanted to play with my son who was in grade 9 at the time I think. I said I have no idea lady he showed up at my door not my son at your door. My son has never gone to your house ,ever ,because he comes home and doesn't leave the house until school the next day. So why is your son here if you are against it?

 

And the other kid who shows up who is in grade eight now is the little thief. I already sent him packing today.

[Seraphim]

"high IQ is racist, ableist and sexist in its origins and super biased towards white men" Amythest Schaber

[Silverbirch]

Really interesting video on sensory processing disorder Vic. Would have do lived to hear her speak more on the EIGHTEEN senses.