All About Autism

[DesertWind]

nugget:

Desert wind,


Your son attending swimming lessons? Is it 1-1 or I'm group? The instructor takes in ASD kids?

Hi nugget,
Yes, this instructor do and definitely got to be 1-1 because my boy \"own agenda\" so could not fit into a group. Anyway, we have stopped after 2 months because my boy has been sick and the weather rainy. Could not afford to \"waste\" anymore money paying first and then cancelling it at last minute. Also he had thrown tantrums before at the swimming pool so I thought might as well give him a break wait until older then try going for lessons again!

[ImMeeMee]

slmkhoo:

ASD is a huge continuum, and so the range of abilities is very wide. My daughter is mildly ASD, and although she certainly can't live independently now (at 15yo), I am sure that she will be able to later on. Maybe not at 18yo, but by the time she is in her 20s, I think she will have mastered the main basic skills to manage a household and live independently - we're working towards that anyway! I don't say she will cope well with unexpected things, but day to day stuff should be fine. I hope she will have developed a network of friends and relatives who she can call on for advice and help by then.


I also have a NT child, and yes, the interaction with her is different. I really appreciate having her around (apart from just being herself) as she models a lot of the things we have to teach the ASD girl, and she provides a more complete social environment in the home. And since they are both girls, they can hang out with friends and go to activities together sometimes. My NT girl is very accommodating to her sister even though she is 2 yrs younger.

slimkhoo, its always good to read your posts, as it offers me a lot of hope and encouragement moving forward for what my gal can potentially achieve as well.

:please:

[ImMeeMee]

nugget:

Dear all,


It's been some time I posted. I have just delivered my #3. I hope he will be NT as well. Even if he is not, I am much better prepared as well to look out for signs and know where to look for help.

So far I can say my ASD boy is coping well. He is starting to interact more even his SLT whom always say he is 2 yrs behind his age also say he has improved. I am not too sure if the therapy really helped him or bcos he has grown more matured. Lately he started to talk back and even negotiate with us. Something which he has not done previously.

Of cos there are times where he throw tantrums when he didmt get what he wanted. But we are still trying our best to calm him down as much as possible. We are also learning along the way.

hi nugget, long time no hear. congrats on #3 and have fun bonding with baby!

[mashy]

Nugget

Congratulations!

[nugget]

Thank ImMeeMee and Mashy, dunno how am I gonna handle 3. Lol…


KKH now have this programmed called "it takes 2 to talk". I thinking of enrolling myself or my hb. It’s a course by hanen which all sg SLT attended as well.

But KKH told me it might not be useful for my ASD boy but they are willing to see my boy to see if he will benefit if parents attend this course.

Anyone whose kids need help in the speech n language development might want to reach out to KKH to ask more abt this course. They only run a few times per yr.

[ImMeeMee]

helplessmum3:

What are the difference u felt as a mum between NT N ASD?

having had 2 NTs and the youngest one being ASD, and realizing how challenging to teach my ASD child almost everything, the greatest impact on myself is that I start to think how do we measure success in life. Money? Career? Health? Happiness? Independence?

We all wish for independence for our ASD kids when they grow up. Come to think of it, I have realized that this is what I would wish for my NTs as well. That and good health and general happiness. All other achievements would be a bonus and be based on their capabilities and potential.

[specialboymum]

Congratulation Nugget :congrats:

[schweppes]

:congrats: Nugget on baby 3. :rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah:

[Double E]

Desertwind

Thanks for your encouragement. I spoke to my boy’s OT yesterday and she shared with me some possibilities why my boy reacted this way. She said that I need to prep him and if he don’t want to do a certain activity, I wait and give him sometime before asking him again. I will try this tactic the next time.

And today my boy’s OT taught us how to do brushing on him. I hope to see some good effects out of it, cross my fingers. But this is a lot of commitment as the brushing has to be frequent, must be careful that I do it correctly and after brushing, he needs to do some heavy work for 15mins. Really challenging for a FTWM like me. But I will just try my best and bring along the brush everywhere I go.

Helplessmum
I strongly believe that if the ASD kid is smart and can learn, they will apply it someday. My colleague’s brother-in-law has ASD, he is a grown up now. Though still single and not working, he makes his living by trading stocks and doing quite well too. Previously, he was a game developer and won many competitions. That’s why while I put in effort on helping my boy with his life skills, I do not neglect academic because I think is equally impt. If they can do well academically, it will help to boost their confidence. Even if is not academic, I hope to keep trying and find out what my boy is good and build on that.

And the difference between a NT and ASD kid, to me the main difference is that my girl’s tantrum is very manageable and she is patient. With her, I don’t get so worked up easily and I don’t have to constantly keep my eye on her to see what she is doing. For my boy, I have to and stop him immediately in case he does his visual stimming again.

[Double E]

BTW mummies, did you review your kids insurance after you found out about his / her condition? If not, better do it soon. I just bought two more insurance for my boy yesterday, before he go for his full assessment in two years time. I heard that once officially diagnose, getting insurance is harder.