FoggyRock General Forum

Ya know, it wasnt until I watched the cnn special...Finding Amanda...that I realized that Richie does Know that he is Different...He just cant express it, because he is Non Verbal. But when the Reporter asked Amanda when she knew she was different or had autism....She said when she went to school and realized that all the other kids were talking and she Couldnt...that she realized that she was different. I was Like Wow...because I had never really thought about it before. It really did hit home...and somedays I would so love to be a fly on the wall of his brain...just to know what he is thinking and feeling. I have alot of hope though, because he is gaining more language...so I do hope that one day he can express himself and let me know what he is thinking more.
As for the Diet thing....that is where Richie is most Sensory Affected, he wont even take medication of any kind....and it is very hard. I have been hoping to get a behavior therapist in..which we have been approved for by the state, but they cant seem to find one for him. So we are still working on that one.
My oldest son has alot of fine and gross motor problems due to another health issue, not autism. I was given alot of good things from the OT to work with him on.
Does Gage get OT at school? Some good things to work on the fine motors...would be, Sand, Clay, Rice...put things in a bucket of rice and have him find them. They have this Vibrating Pen...pencil grips, Tracing things....cutting coupons, buttons.....Velcro, Map paths...where they start and have to end at a place. These are just a few things I can think of off the top of my head...I will see if I can find some other things too.
Hugs,
Lisa

I think around the age of 8 or 9 my boys started asking questions, but I think they have always known.

Gage knows he is different, but I think it would help him to know WHY he is different.  He has gotten to the point where he calls himself "stupid" and a "dunce" when he can't do what other kids his age can.  I think the time has come to explain that he is different because he has autism and that there are some things he can't help because of it.  Gage's OT was cut off as of next year because the school says he can't get it anymore unless his motor problems are causing him not to be able to funtion in a classroom setting!!!  What they don't get is that it is affecting him socially, not so much physically!  When he goes outside for P.E. and he can't run like the other kids, or play the games like they can, THAT affects him!  I tried to get them to understand, but they don't care.

I have four "differently-wired bears", and all of the older ones are aware of their differentness, and the explanations for it.

My oldest daughter is dyslexic, discovered at the high price of a mental breakdown when she was 9 because she kept it so well hidden from everyone.  Her comments were that she's always felt "stupid" because she couldn't make sense out of the letters/words that other children could.  My pre-teen is Aspergers, only determined this past year, but she has always known something was just "off," and I remember her referring to a "black cloud" that would envelope her right before she would rage.  My 9-year old is ADHD, and we've known that since she was 5.  My son is autistic, and there are times when I observe him that I know he is aware of his "differentness" from his peers - you can see it in his body stance and his eyes.

I was raised in a household in which I knew from the beginning I was adopted, and I tend to follow the philosophy my parents had in doing so.  If, by being open with my children regarding their differentness and helping them come to terms with it and accept themselves, then I am arming them with the weapons they need - self esteem, acceptance, confidence and determination - to combat people who would see their "differentness" in a negative light.

Last edited by Anamcara (2008-05-31 01:57:46)

Well, I told Gage last nite about his autism.  He took it very well.  In fact, we was relieved to know that there was a reason WHY he was different from other kids in his class!  He told me, "Mom, now I understand what is going on and it helps to know that it is not my fault."
The hardest part was when he asked me would the autism ever go away,
I told him that there is no cure for autism RIGHT NOW, but researchers are working on it everday and maybe one day, there will be.  I also told him that there were many kids with autism and that some kids could not do as much as he could; some could not even talk.  He said, "Wow, I would like to meet them and help them!"

Now, I was wondering if any of you know of some adults with autism that could be role models to my son?  Actors (Gage loves movies), sports figures, whatever.  I want him to know, and I told him, that just because he has autism does not mean he can't do anything he sets his mind to do! 

I bought an autism pendant from FunkyPlanet.net and it came in the mail yesterday.  It is beautiful by the way!  I told Gage what it was and what the puzzle piece on it stood for.  He wants to wear it to promote autism awareness!!!!
God Bless our kids!!!!

Yeah, we told our son.  He has Asperger's.  It helps him to know that he struggles for a reason -- not because he is a dork, like kids all tell him.  We try to explain things without blaming things on autism, if that makes sense.

He prays at night for it to go away, but I don't.  I'd like for him to stay who he is, but function with joy, if that makes sense. We are sure to tell him we "love the squeezin's out of him" with his autism.


Pepper
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