**AUTISM / ASPERGERS SUPPORT GROUP**

[doll*obsession]

A safe place for all members with friends or family with ASD

Come and have a cuppa, share your joys, and vent your problems with other people who understand.

[sheepy_1-4]

kire - I can't believe that your peady said that!!!! (I mean I believe you that he said it - but OMG! the nerve of him..... so did he suggest where may be an appropriate place for your boy?

From your description, it does seem that he doesn't meet some of the criteria for ASD's but hey - I'm no doctor.....

Just remember though, you are his mum and you know him best of all, so if you think that there is something that is a little different to his peers, go with your gut and investigate further....

Perhaps it was just delayed development and he is now catching up?

I think your first plan of action (after school of course) is to find another peady that you like/trust and ask him if he feels an IQ test is required. Maybe the genetics too as bella has suggested - but if you are comfortable with your peady let him guide you.....

It might help if you tell us which location you live in or near as someone here may be able to recommend a peady for you that has worked for them.

The speech and language child I know has unclear speech (well he did when he was 8 - it is much better now -

As for school, maybe ask them what they think you should do, although in my experience schools have not been a great help to us - it was the peady and the psych who taught the school how to deal with my kids....

Best of luck for tomorrow, and please come in and tell us how you went. This is a great place to come as well if you need to vent or need reassurance and cyber hugs....

But if you do nothing else, please remember that you are doing an awesome job as a mum. There are a lot who for whatever reason do not/can not look for ways to help their kids and you are doing that and this is the greatest gift that you can give to your boy.

How long till the next baby arrives? Congratulations BTW

[kire52]

He said that when I asked for referral to have him asses for Autism because we needed the aid.
We cant have the IQ test as he had that last year so they don't want to do it too often we need to wait till next year I have already asked about that.
I live in South East Melbourne and the surname of the doctor in question starts with R and is in Dandenong (don't want to give the whole name).
I work with my son every day we read we play games I let him talk his heart out because he does like to talk a lot. His speech is improving daily we can now understand everything he sais so can most other people he talks normally only he is not putting some words together properly.
I am picking up a lot of board games that I won on e-bay today and he is so excited he tells me he wont play on his wii for ages now 🙂 (I don't believe him)
We have another child a little girl she will be 2 on Anzac day and she is her brothers pride and joy he absolutely adores her and likes to show her off (it was priceless when we used to go out when she was a baby we would see another small child my son will walk up to the parents and ask if the babies can play together and say "this is my sister Anastasia isn't she the most beautiful baby in the world, does your baby want to be friends with her"
The new baby is due 29th March.
I told my son I am going to the principle today and he said "oh nooooo but I am not even in trouble, please don't talk to the principle" I explained that he is not in trouble they just want to talk to me so they can help him in class. It pisses me off because 1 incident has made him fearful of the principle and he will forever think the principle is bad news.

[krazy.kiwi]

kire, I am in Melbourne's west and know only too well what the funding is like down here.

My son is in year 7, having been diagosed in grade 1 and has never had funding. 😞

A friend of mine is fighting the system at the moment to get her son funded - he is much more severs than my boy and nobody can understand why the funding was knocked back. They are appealing at the moment.

I don't like the sound of your paed and would suggest finding another and getting a second opinion. If you know people with kids on the spectrum, ask who they see - some paeds are MUCH better than others.

And regardless of diagnosis or funding, if your son is attending a public primary school in Victoria, they have the right to be treated according to how they need to be treated. If they need to be treated as though they have an ASD, the school MUST do that. You have the right to have regular meetings with the school to discuss his education and wellbeing.

If you ever need someone to talk to, email me - I am happy to help out. 🙂

[kire52]

You know what annoys me the most. With kids that have special needs if there is no help for them to start with they will always need help. The government don't want to employ extra staff now to help them learn and do their best which is going to help them for the rest of their life. Instead they are happy for those kids to grow up and be unskilled unhappy untie social and what does that mean - unemployed, pension, community housing. So are they saving any money at the end???? I was a disability worker before I had my kids and to run 1 CRU with 4-5 client costs over $20.000 a week

[kire52]

well that went well I didn't cry at all 🙂 Anyway it looks like they genuinely are trying to help us and my son we exchanged many ideas and it looks like they have taken everything on board we will see how we go. They gave me contact details for pediatricians that they work with so I am going to start organising that from Monday.

[bella_again]

Krazy my girl with an IQ that was in the 40's ( since homeschooling in the mid 50's), with autism had her funding knocked back to the lowest level. It was because she improved but not in the school system! I think off hand from memory its only 5,000 a year and basically does stuff all.

If my oldest DD didn't have funding to combine mine would not be able to go to school again. As it is even though I would like them there longer they are enrolled f/t and going 2 days a week its not possible.

Now I can cope with that as I have homeschooled but I can tell you now its happening to families all over Australia that can not access education because of lack of funding.

When you homeschool you sign a form that says your child will receive an education regardless of disability, yet the school system discriminates against them all the time. So most can not attend full time easily.

I don't know what the answer is. The department say they simply do not have the funds to match the need but its no consolation to families.

[bella_again]

well that went well I didn't cry at all 🙂 Anyway it looks like they genuinely are trying to help us and my son we exchanged many ideas and it looks like they have taken everything on board we will see how we go. They gave me contact details for pediatricians that they work with so I am going to start organising that from Monday.

That's fantastic Kire. If you do go down the autism track again and I had to twice for my youngest DD, make sure the specialist involved have experience in diagnosing autism. It makes all the difference 🙂

I hope things improve from here on in for you both 🙂

[kire52]

The school system discriminates kids regardless of where they get educated. They only have it in their forms and policies to cover their buts. As I said they would rather our kids end up on the pension and DOLE then help them out now.
I was so angry when the school tried to raise money for a grade 6 student to go and compete in some stupid competition (nothing to do with education) but they have no funds to help special needs kids.
We as parents do so much for our kids and no one asks how we do it and if we need help. And God forbid we ask for help. And its not just this government or the one before its a problem going back years. In fact if our kids were born 30 years ago we would have been encourage to place them in a home and go have another child.

Anyway back to me now. The teacher and the school psychologist are going to work with him and observe him and when I get the appointment with the pediatrician they are going to be involved as well. The only bad news is his teacher is pregnant and is going to live mid year but it looks like they have it covered so I will wait and see.
I asked the school to send me copies of hand outs every day so I know what he does and help him and they agreed that it was a wonderful idea (the other school didn't agree it was) but then again if you check their results on my school page you will see what I am talking about. Lets say the RIVER is next to the GUM tree in HAMPTON PARK 🙂

[doll*obsession]

Hi Girls ♥ I havn't read back far, I have major baby brain and can't give this thread the concentration it deserves 😞
Welcome to the thread Kire :-x

I just popped in to have a whinge about an idiot in the special ed unit at school today.
We got a call to pick Joe up from school because he had a meltdown and wholloped a teachers aide 😞
we spoke to his case worker at school who filled us in on what happened, she wasn't there at the time, but the aide told her about it.
what the aide didn't tell her (because if she did we would have been told) was that she grabbed him tightly around the wrist when he was already in meltdown mode and thats why he hit her X-( what a frigging idiot!!
when we got home, he had a lay down on his bed, then played with some blocks, I went in his room and said "what are you doing honey?" he said "trying to forget" 😞 breaks my heart it does.
I sat daown to have a chat with him for a while, I asked Joe why he hit her, he said because she wouldnt let go, I asked him what she wouldnt let go of, he said "my hand, she was squeezing it realy tight here" and he wrapped one of his hands around his other wrist and hand. I did the whole "you should never hit anyone.." speil, but inside I was fuming.


why the heck is she working in the department when she doesn't seem to know the basics of working with these kids??
I will be having a chat with his case worker at school on monday

X-( X-( X-( :_|

[azureline**]

Poor Joe! and poor mum.
Do they actually have training in that type of understanding?
I have taken the first steps toward the course but I have to say, I am not impressed.
One is face to face...classroom...1 day a week for 12 weeks, with 10 days in a school/unpaid/practical. $1400.
One is online.....:O $2000...seriously? no face to face....
and the killer is....it will only pay $20 ph.
I am surprised at that, no wonder it does not attract people to the position.