Comments for Autism is Not the Boss

Comment on Goodbye, Mrs. Barnes. We’ll never forget all the good that you’ve done for our son. by Heather

Heather — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:05:14 +0000

We too have a “Mrs. Barnes”. She goes by the name of Ms. Lori. They are called paras in my school district and I know my son would not have made it through full day Kindergarten without her assistance. The people who do these jobs are often not well paid and are the first to be deemed “unnecessary” when a school district has to make cuts. We look forward to having Ms. Lori again next year and thank God that there are people who love and care for our kids when we cannot be there to do it ourselves!

Comment on What’s Wrong with This Picture? by Joann

Joann — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:53:32 +0000

Ugh, what is wrong, indeed? It’s insane. I had to take my son to hid ped the other day. He’s been having terrible tantrums and although I suspected they were development/sensory related, we wanted to rule out anything like an ear infection. Anyway, the medical student that came in seemed *very* uncomfortable with my son, who is lovely, and also pretty much non-verbal. I was thinking, if you’re a medical student in pediatrics in 2010, you’d better get more comfortable working with patients with autism. My son’s public school preschool teacher is also very nice, but has very little experience with children with autism. His ‘peers’ at school are mentally retarded or have down syndrome, which are not the same as autism at all! It’s beyond frustrating and downright scary. It makes me want to never send him to school at all.

Comment on For grandparents, neighbors and extended family…How can you help? Bring dinner! by Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:24:12 +0000

Just popping in to say that I’ve selected your blog as one of a group I’ve recently discovered, which deserve special mention.

You can pick up your One Lovely Blog Award by going to this post http://www.connecticutspecialeducationlawyer.com/current-affairs/i-guess-this-is-one-lovely-blog/

Best, Jen

Comment on Autism and the Many Kindnesses of Others by Elise

Elise — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:32:58 +0000

Thank you for the reminder that there are many more positives in our children’s lives than negatives.

Comment on ASD terminology: ‘autistic’ vs ‘individual with autism’ by outoutout

outoutout — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:57:59 +0000

If you’re going to call me something, call me autistic.

While I appreciate the reasoning behind PeopleFirst, they may not have considered that many of us consider it to be a part of our very person. To say “I have autism” would be like saying “I have femininity” or “I have homosexuality”. These are inherent traits, not diseases one acquires.

Another blogger suggested the terms “Asperger’s Autism” and “Kanner’s Autism” rather than just lumping it all together. I have to agree. While I certainly don’t mind being called autistic (I’m an Aspie), as my children are certainly autistic too, I can also see the validity of separate terms. They are not “two different things”, but different points on the same continuum.

Comment on ASD terminology: ‘autistic’ vs ‘individual with autism’ by Sharon daVanport

Sharon daVanport — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:49:07 +0000

I typically interchange the terminology “individual with autism” and “autistic.” Either way is fine with me.

Sometimes I substitute the word “disorder” for “difference.” (eg: neuro-differences)

As far as the DSM V changes: I am middle of the road right now. I want to take a wait and see approach on this one, because I can see benefits as well as obstacles either way.

I am hoping the generalization of autism does not hinder specific supports from being sought; however, I most individuals diagnosed Asperger’s were denied needed services due to the previous DSM IV classification. I’d like to see if these changes will be beneficial before advocating either way.

Comment on Safety for Children on the Autism Spectrum by dustin

dustin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:27:46 +0000

Autism is a spectrum disorder, however, more and more, Severe autism is not being shown to the public. There is a great video on you tube called “severe autism when there is no answer” The video is made by a man with Aspergers (a fellow aspie) who also has an autistic son. Very enlightening. Youll be surprised.

Comment on Safety for Children on the Autism Spectrum by dustin

dustin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:28:16 +0000

Please be aware thet ther are maany abusivess of word autism today: this hurts peolple trying to help reall autistic persons http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/hstories/hr290796.htm

This link above exposess some of what going on in false autism diagnosis today…

also, i highly recommened seeeing Youtube video “AUTISM EPIDEMIC OUT OF CONTROL”

Comment on Autism and Sleeping through the Night by admin

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:23:52 +0000

‘Way to go Em and family. Sleeping in her little bed by herself, even if it is in your room, shows that Em can put herself back to sleep. We were told that skill was a HUGE step.
- Mae

Comment on Autism and Sleeping through the Night by Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:28:00 +0000

I know how happy you are! Em is 5 and has a “little bed” next to our bed on the floor. We managed to get her to go to sleep on her own with the promise of a reward at the end of 5 days. We had to pop our heads in for a few days to reassure her and then she was just fine. But she still needs that ‘little bed.’ We might work on that this summer. She goes to bed in her ‘big bed’ and comes in at night (without waking us!!) and climbs into her ‘little bed’ and goes to sleep. It took us long enough to get things to this point!