**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.

[intouchwiththeangels]

just got back from the school, my daugters teacher said i am very worried about Taylors behaviour, and i need to find out where to go from here, she said she just wanted to let me know where she is at

nothing else so have no idea what happens now

she said she is not concentrating, wanders off on her own, talks to herself, and is in her own little world

[azureline**]

Before I forget PNP another suggestion is if you want to, why not consider becoming a specialist consultant teacher. I think that's what they are called.

Thank you, I will look into that!
Intouch, have you found any help yet?
Funny/sad story from the weekend.....:)
Miss 4 had a dance class, teacher asks them to snuggle up like a cocoon....and then break out....like a crocodile!
Miss 4 said...excuse me but that is not right, butterflies come from cocoons.
Teacher says ...shush now, this one is a crocodile cocoon.....
Miss 4 said that is not right, crocodiles come from eggs
She had trouble concentrating then and when she left she was an emotional mess.:_|
How do you let them be normal and not tell people she has asd??:|

[timeless_beauty_australia]

Thanks Kiwi, we are not seeing anyone yet, I tried about a year ago, but the waiting list is soo long for public, still waiting

and the cost for private is too much we just cant afford it, so I am reading as much as I can, I keep trying new strategies for her bad behaviour, I think maybe we need to enrol in a parenting course or something to get some help.

My 22 year old is the complete opposite of her, and she keeps saying mum, i dont ever remember being like Taylor, if you yelled at me I would do as i was told

ask at her school intouch. My son's school paid for the whole assessment with a private psych, as long as the school psych recommends it. Be careful of public system as assessment is not very thorough. It should be several sessions over a couple of months and heaps of parental / teacher sessions as well before an informed diagnosis can be made. As my son's psych said "it is so over diagnosed and mostly because assessments are not done thoroughly". Just remember your child has to live with this label for the rest of her life so you want to make sure it is 100% correct.

[timeless_beauty_australia]

PnP. I am sure that things have possibly changed in the Qld public system since I tried to access them, but just in case they haven't, I did encounter a few constraints.

First were the waiting periods.
2) For Occupational Therapy, we had to go on a waiting list, when our turn came up we got to go once a week for a term (8 weeks) and then had to put the therapy on hold as we had to go back to the bottom of the list and wait for our turn to come up again - so the therapy was offered in "bursts" it was not continual iykwim, so any progress that was made in the first sessions were lost by the time the next sessions came around. Son was discharged at 6 "cured" despite not being able to hold a pencil etc, work scissors etc - very few self help skills etc Son still has needed OT up until the present and he is nearly 15.

3) Speech Therapy - same as above

4) Psych - same

heaps of other things too that were restricted simply because of the waiting lists, scarce resources and the amount of children needing to be seen.

Also a lot of things were dependent on following their guidelines (fair enough I suppose) even if you believed their specialists were wrong and could provide proof or at least support of this iykwim. There was no chance to explore alternative treatments or courses of action to what they suggested. eg - it was recommended that son be placed into a full time special education unit. We believed differently and found ways around this and were immediately denied further access to any public treatments/benefits etc.

I do hope that things have changed, but for us, there simply was no alternative but to access the private system

things haven't changed Sheep....I did enquire about the public system 3 years ago and got the same answers. Also LGH told me that each time he sees a psychiatrist/paediatrician it could be a different one and you have to explain the whole scenario over and over again to heaps of different people. You never get anywhere so I was told.

[azureline**]

It may be a state thing. I am, so far, pleased with the assistance we have found. Going the private route might mean missing out on Government funded help, not readily available in the private system.
Some people may not have the option either.

[islandretro]

In Qld we have used the public system, Child and Youth Mental Health for psychological support, and the public hospital system for a development paediatrician.

Ds was diagnosed by a consulting developmental psychiatrist through CYMHS at age 7, was initially diagnosed and treated for OCD at age 11 there and by the public system paed, and now at 17 (have to be 18 to go into adult mental health in Qld) is in therapy with a CYMHS psych for OCD and sleep problems. He saw a developmental paed through the public system every six months or as needed until recently.

Each time with CYMHS it has just been a matter of an assessment after the initial phone call, then a further face to face assessment, then into therapy.

Getting to see an OT when he was younger was more difficult, now he can see one through the Medicare Allied Health Plan if needed.

[islandretro]

things haven't changed Sheep....I did enquire about the public system 3 years ago and got the same answers. Also LGH told me that each time he sees a psychiatrist/paediatrician it could be a different one and you have to explain the whole scenario over and over again to heaps of different people. You never get anywhere so I was told.

We saw only 2 different developmental paediatricians over almost 10 years in the public system, the first one left and went into private practice. My experience is that they try very hard not to change paeds for kids with ASDs.

I have actually found that generally within the public system, not just for kids but people generally - you see the same specialist once you start treatment, although you may see different registrars over time.

[catsnknots]

Hi.. I don't know if anyone has seen this so I thought I would link it here. Sorry if it has already been mentioned..



Dr Isabelle Hénault Workshops

1 February 24, 25 - Werribee, Vic
2 March 1, 2 - Bundaberg, Qld
3 March 7, 8 - Darwin, NT
4 March 16 - Sippy Downs, Qld (Sunshine Coast)

I hope to be going but I can't get an answer on the phone just yet.

[bella_again]

Hello all 🙂
Quick update, we saw our new Peady. He confirmed that DD is AS, that might sound silly but we had really wondered about it for sometime. We wondered if it was more an anxiety issue.

My local doc wrote on a referral that we were under helping her (how moronic) will be sorting him out next visit. He even inferred their anxiety was due to me. Pead confirmed what I think Dolly said in a post that the anxiety is caused by the AS (nothing to do with me being a crappy mum!)

Anyway he has put DD on the melatonin drops and they are way better than the tabs. She is now sleeping and the issues at school are diminishing because she is getting sleep. She even told me today that she feels like she is fitting in yay!!! Such a different outlook now she is sleeping.

I also have a list of Psychologists should we need one that have some ASD experience. I'm happy to wait atm to see how she goes.

[catsnknots]

Bella, that is fantastic news... yes.. anxiety is part of the disorder. I am glad the melatonin drops are helping. How do they compared with the tablets? what makes them better?

And how dare your local doctor write that about you!!! X-(

When I saw my local doc and the psychiatrist they both said that it is very hard to deal with kids like this and that they send you crazy at times and you need all the help you can get. You do not need to be judged and criticized by the person you go to for help...