All About Autism

[helplessmum3]

thanks crabbygirl…


i saw one good one at olive tree too. but i m not sure what stuff are u letting go…

my son love music at times he can compose song himself, or create music himself, jus by looking at guitar or piano. he can differeniate sound that come from diff music instrucments, even at tv… if tv have piano music he will say piano. if from guitar he wil say guitar, drum & so on…

[helplessmum3]

OMG,mummies,


I just learn a thing from my colleague, he has a fren who son is autistic…

he duno i hav one la… that y he say… this.

whenver he go to this fren house he so worry his kids be hurt by tat austistic child…his(so hurtful to hear this comments), he say

but now the autistic child is in mainstream primary 2…

[phtthp]

woggles:

Hi everyone, need advice.


My son is born 2006 & was assessed to have developmental delay. His kindy teacher's feel that he's ready for P1 next yr (but of cos with more prep work & pushing). While the psychologist & I are more comfortable with him deferring to P1 in 2014 instead.

Thing is his evaluation is scheduled to take place AFTER July. I've been advised to continue taking part in 2013's P1 registration exercise.
If we do decide to defer my son, would the school spot be held for him for 2014? Can I pay the school fees for 2013 yr to have that spot held?

Thanks v much in advance. We are really in 2 minds about deferring & are worried that he may not obtain a place in 2014, if the spot can't be held. But at same time, he's not ready for P1 & pushing him may backfire..

Many kids may not be ready for P1, but they still go ahead.

If the psychologist feels deferment is the best option, then holding him back for a year is advisable - provided there is a very good Preparatory program available for him, able to prepare him for P1 well. However, if is just merely repeat K2 kindergarten which in your own opinion doesn't help much, then no point.... Just proceed to P1.

regarding school fees and saving a spot issue, that is best solved by calling up the school and talk to the VP (Admin) - who will advise you accordingly if they can / will keep a spot in the foll year, with or without paying. This the fastest & most direct way to receive clarifications to your concern.

Based on special circumstances, a file can be opened for your child noting unusual curcumstances, and a place might be saved. But that really is the school's call. In the event that particular school you choose is very hot & popular, where demand exceeds available vacancies & balloting is required within 1 km radius, normally not possible.

Try to get more information about the school that your child is enlisting to. Need to find out whether the school is very results orientated or they are more holistic in their approach. Are there cases whereby the school allow the student to repeat P1 ?

Parent's concern are definitely very real. We tend to worry because we are 95% not sure / 5% sure. If we spend more time finding out information to address our concern, the 5% certainty will move up by a bigger margin. Hopefully, it can move to 60% to 70% certainty for us to make a clear decision. Hence, time to find out information is critical. You can write to the school and set an appointment with the Principal, to find out more information to make an informed decision.

Seek God for wisdom and discernment. Life is not just about K2 and P1. It's a long journey ahead. God has perfect timing for every child and likewise every parent. To be still and be away from the daily noise, worries & disruption can help. We tend to be bombarded by peer pressure. We tend to worry for a child whom God has absolute control of.

If we place our palm too close to our eyes, we can't see clearly. If we move back our palm, we can see clearly our fingers and hand. Hence, when He gives us a child like that, we also need to look beyond the current situation. See the child fitting into the norm over time. See the child being a testimonial of God over time. See the child beyond his current circumstances. Not being able to cope now doesn't mean he is not being able to cope in future. God is a ever changing God. He can do wonders, right ?

From the read of your posting, I am sure your child is blessed with the right parents. Thank God for such an understanding parent. I am sure in God's perfect love, He will give peace to you on this decision to take.

[specialboymum]

crabbygal:

Hi helplessmum3,


If you are referring to the music therapy, it is actually something my son's OT therapist suggested when he was doing his OT. Last time he was very dysregulated and have alot of meltdowns and full of anxiety. According to therapist, musics helps to regulate, calm the kid down and helps increase focus and attention. My son was on the music therapy for 1 year, I think. He has stopped OT last year now, so no longer need it anymore. I can't tell for sure whether the music therapy is effective or not but I do believe continuous OT and behavioural therapy helps!

If I remember correctly he was on Vital Sounds Music Therapy.. there are others in the market, Samonas I think... Best is to consult your child's OT and see what he or she recommends, each child is different and it's really up to you to decide whether it's suitable for your child. Some kids may not be able to accept music therapy as they are highly sensitive to noise and some accepts it very well and can see results, I was told. It is costly however, with rental of CDs and investing in the equipment. Sigh... Hope the information helps.

http://www.vitalsounds.com/default.aspx
http://www.listening-ears.com/samonas.html

Hi Crabbygal,

If only I see your posting earlier. My kid just started on music therapy and I was searching high and low for the portable CD player, which almost extinct in Singapore (can't even find in mustafa). I ended up buying both the headphones and CD player online.

By the way, my kid's OT kept asking me to monitor changes in him as she needs the information to select the CD. I don't quite understand this.. what should we look out for?

[schweppes]

specialboymum:

crabbygal:

Hi helplessmum3,


If you are referring to the music therapy, it is actually something my son's OT therapist suggested when he was doing his OT. Last time he was very dysregulated and have alot of meltdowns and full of anxiety. According to therapist, musics helps to regulate, calm the kid down and helps increase focus and attention. My son was on the music therapy for 1 year, I think. He has stopped OT last year now, so no longer need it anymore. I can't tell for sure whether the music therapy is effective or not but I do believe continuous OT and behavioural therapy helps!

If I remember correctly he was on Vital Sounds Music Therapy.. there are others in the market, Samonas I think... Best is to consult your child's OT and see what he or she recommends, each child is different and it's really up to you to decide whether it's suitable for your child. Some kids may not be able to accept music therapy as they are highly sensitive to noise and some accepts it very well and can see results, I was told. It is costly however, with rental of CDs and investing in the equipment. Sigh... Hope the information helps.

http://www.vitalsounds.com/default.aspx
http://www.listening-ears.com/samonas.html

Hi Crabbygal,

If only I see your posting earlier. My kid just started on music therapy and I was searching high and low for the portable CD player, which almost extinct in Singapore (can't even find in mustafa). I ended up buying both the headphones and CD player online.

By the way, my kid's OT kept asking me to monitor changes in him as she needs the information to select the CD. I don't quite understand this.. what should we look out for?

Basically, anything that seems to be \"out of the ordinary\" - no matter how small or insignificant the detail might be.

For example,

- monitor the sleeping patterns (does your child sleep better or more disrupted sleep?),

- eating patterns

- meltdowns (is it more or less?)

- able to socialise? or starting to withdraw?

In some cases, the child may appear to have regressed or appear \"worse off\" than when music therapy started. Don't be alarmed. It's usually a case of \"healing crisis\". The body is starting to readjust itself or normalize itself. Sometimes must regress before progress starts. Quite normal... but must tough it out during this stage.

In most other cases, the child usually improves.

My dd benefitted greatly from music therapy when she was abt 3 or 4yo. She was under the Tomatis prog for about 9 months (if i recall correctly). Benefits have been tremendous. There are also other programs like Samonas and AIT => all equally good, I'm sure.

Still, after a while - the benefits and progress started to plateau. That's the time to stop and try something else.

It's really a journey and learning process. Needs a lot of patience from parents

There's really no one fix method. But I find that whatever we do - no matter how big or small, one way or other, does help the child.

[schweppes]

If I remember correctly, different CDs address different issues. The music are played at different frequencies. That’s why the OT needs to get parents’ input before making the necessary recommendations.


Just google search, Tomatis, Somonas or Auditory Integration Training for more current and in-depth info.

[specialboymum]

Thanks schweppes…

think going to have a little notebook otherwise difficult to keep track, especially the little changes.

I tried listening to the music myself, got headache after 15 minutes because of on and off changes in frequency (muffling sounds etc), but my kid seem to enjoy it.

[ImMeeMee]

crabbygal:

Hello there, have been following this thread for quite sometime and found very useful information from all the mummies here. Jiayou!!! I have an autistic boy who is turning 7 years old end this year. Just applied Pathlight and will be bringing him for his interview assessment later today. Am very anxious and hope all goes well.


Have also gone through alot of various therapies for my boy since he was 18 months old. Meltdowns and major temper tantrums in his early years was something I experienced every single day, coupled with several breakdown from me.. hehe... He's diagnosed with mod-severe ASD. Anyway, he has improved much and manageable tantrums occasionally but I am glad that I have embraced his condition early and started early intervention the soonest possible way!

p/s: I was going through his therapy kit and old stuff and found his music therapy headphones and portable cd player and it is such a waste lying there since he has 'graduated' from his music therapy. If any of the mummies or daddies who wants to buy a new one, let me know, I will let it go at a fraction of the cost. PM me..

catching this post slightly late ... all the best and hope you get what you need for your assessment.

[crabbygal]

specialboymum:

Thanks schweppes..

think going to have a little notebook otherwise difficult to keep track, especially the little changes.

I tried listening to the music myself, got headache after 15 minutes because of on and off changes in frequency (muffling sounds etc), but my kid seem to enjoy it.

Hi specialboymum, schweppes is right. My son responded well in some CDs and some he reacted very strongly. Like right after he listened to it, he will start screaming. But there are some CDs he would appear quite calm and pleasant.

I tried listening to the music too and after 20 minutes, I had a huge headache and my head was spinning and pounding, so my son's OT therapist asked me to bounce on the gym ball after that.. but even after that my head was pounding.... so I immediately drove back home and jumped on my son's trampoline (no kidding!) to release the effect. haha..

So, lookout for any difference in mood swings and if your child have strong reaction, immediately inform the therapist... He/she will let you know what to do next...

After a while, the music becomes a norm for my son and eventually, I stopped the music therapy and bone conduction sessions.... Good luck!

[ImMeeMee]

phtthp:

Many kids may not be ready for P1, but they still go ahead.


If the psychologist feels deferment is the best option, then holding him back for a year is advisable - provided there is a very good Preparatory program available for him, able to prepare him for P1 well. However, if is just merely repeat K2 kindergarten which in your own opinion doesn't help much, then no point.... Just proceed to P1.

regarding school fees and saving a spot issue, that is best solved by calling up the school and talk to the VP (Admin) - who will advise you accordingly if they can / will keep a spot in the foll year, with or without paying. This the fastest & most direct way to receive clarifications to your concern.

Based on special circumstances, a file can be opened for your child noting unusual curcumstances, and a place might be saved. But that really is the school's call. In the event that particular school you choose is very hot & popular, where demand exceeds available vacancies & balloting is required within 1 km radius, normally not possible.

Try to get more information about the school that your child is enlisting to. Need to find out whether the school is very results orientated or they are more holistic in their approach. Are there cases whereby the school allow the student to repeat P1 ?

Parent's concern are definitely very real. We tend to worry because we are 95% not sure / 5% sure. If we spend more time finding out information to address our concern, the 5% certainty will move up by a bigger margin. Hopefully, it can move to 60% to 70% certainty for us to make a clear decision. Hence, time to find out information is critical. You can write to the school and set an appointment with the Principal, to find out more information to make an informed decision.

Seek God for wisdom and discernment. Life is not just about K2 and P1. It's a long journey ahead. God has perfect timing for every child and likewise every parent. To be still and be away from the daily noise, worries & disruption can help. We tend to be bombarded by peer pressure. We tend to worry for a child whom God has absolute control of.

If we place our palm too close to our eyes, we can't see clearly. If we move back our palm, we can see clearly our fingers and hand. Hence, when He gives us a child like that, we also need to look beyond the current situation. See the child fitting into the norm over time. See the child being a testimonial of God over time. See the child beyond his current circumstances. Not being able to cope now doesn't mean he is not being able to cope in future. God is a ever changing God. He can do wonders, right ?

From the read of your posting, I am sure your child is blessed with the right parents. Thank God for such an understanding parent. I am sure in God's perfect love, He will give peace to you on this decision to take.

:goodpost: phtthp

this is refreshing as it has helped me as a parent of a special needs child to put things into perspective. good point about looking beyond K2 or P1 and into the future ... I too have been caught up by clutter myself.

I hold the same faith as you, about my child and her future, albeit the same faith being driven by different strength ...

thanks for the reminder.