I was just wondering....how has Autism/Asperger's changed your perspective on things?

Rosean - posted on 04/07/2010

I don't look at kids screaming in public, the way I use to, t think to myself, "that sounds familiar", sounds like a meltdown. Having a child with PDD/Autism, I can now tell when a child has a problem vs. tantrum...

Miracula - posted on 04/07/2010

Ya. Those hugs are so hard to get and soo well earned! But there's nothing like them. Yesterday, after spending 3hrs of being interviewed by a Pscych. about my son to get yet another diagnosis of Aspergers my son came up and gave me a hug last nite that just reduced me to tears. I'm crying now as I write this.

A guardrail! Fascinating :) I just love that! Now I'm trying to visualize the costume for that. Did you make it for him or did he? I can visualize the No. 2 pencil...love that one too :) See, that's what is so great about Aspergers...the whole world is seen through a different perspective :)

Katy - posted on 04/06/2010

My son is 8 and has ASD, among many other things. I love getting the hugs; he will back into other family members and allow them to put one arm around him briefly, but I get the real deal :). I have also learned to just appreciate him for who he is. He just recently decided he wants to be a weatherman when he grows up, prior to that he spent 4 years wanting to be a guardrail when he grew up; insisted on dressing up as a guardrail for a few Halloweens! (He also wanted to be a #2 pencil for a while)

Miracula - posted on 04/05/2010

I just love to read these stories and I hope you all do too. It just warms my heart to see them! My family can always tell when I'm reading them because they will hear me say "Awwwww" at my computer...lol

Tanya - posted on 03/30/2010

My DS at age 3 - not toilet trained (still not at 4 1/2) anyway had very little words and a language delay of 18mths or so, was at a BBQ sitting next to his great grandfather aged 80ish. DS spilt his drink without realising but then when he noticed the liquid on the seat beside him turned to great grandfather and accused him of wetting his pants. The whole family was histerical at the comment even great grandfather.
Coming from someone who would only talk to certain people and didn't appear to understand much of what was going on around him we were actually very proud of the remark, luckily the family has a good sense of humour!

Sheila - posted on 03/29/2010

My almost 6 year old is diagnosed with autism. There are many many stories, but recently we were at the mall. This gentleman was sitting on a bench, wife's purse in hand, just sitting. My son stopped, looked at him, and said, you don't look happy, I will cheer you up.." and then broke into a dance. It made the poor guy smile and gave him something to tell his wife! My little guy also routinely asks young women for dates...usually, Hi, want to go on a date? you know, we'll eat at McDonalds, go to a movie, have some ice cream...by the way, my mom can drive us. This from a little guy who three years ago would have meltdowns at any moment if we were out and about....at that time it was a fight to connect him to our world....now we enjoy so much more of what there is to enjoy. He is the bravest little boy I know.

Sheila

Desiree - posted on 03/26/2010

My seven year old has aspergers disorder and has the most amazing memory we can be standing in line at the store and out of nowhere he will go mom did you know a tranisoraus rex was a meat eater. (he is fascinated with sea creatures and dinosaurs). Well one day i made a mistake about one and he came up behind me and said excuse me mom but the correct answer is. I have never been so proud or shocked.. To be corrected by my 7 year old.

Miracula - posted on 03/17/2010

Lyndel- Glad to help. Hopefully you can get pictures of the two of you working on the book. We'd love to see them :)

Lyndel - posted on 03/17/2010

Yes, I do take pics! They make me smile so much it hurts. lol What a great idea on the book! I used to have a fb album but took it off my old account and need to do up another one. But I so know he'd LOOOOVE to look at them too! Thanks so much!

Miracula - posted on 03/17/2010

Patricia - Yes indeed! Those hugs we get from children like ours are...in my opinion...from the heart rather than to appease. I'm not saying that kids that aren't like ours just hug to appease. But for those of you that know...it's hard to put into words the emotions you feel :)

Tahlia - posted on 03/17/2010

Totally! I feel like im more understanding of my son, other children when they act out and other adults. Some people want to make me laugh cause they look at children like somethings wrong with them cause they may throw a fit or scream at the top of their lungs but thats just how God made them and they're special :)

Patricia - posted on 03/17/2010

The most I've learned from my 8 yr old is to appreciate the hugs. He well let me give him hugs, but the best ones are when he comes up to hug me. It makes it special because he doesn't do that to anyone else. He loves to read and draw and he imagination is great I can't wait to see what he grows up to be.

Evelyn - posted on 03/17/2010

I love reading all these life experiances..I have four boys,though they are not autistic or aspergeous,having all four has guided me into working with autistic children,they in there own way all being close in age have taught me to have a better understanding of children from all aspects,to open my mind and understand how a little mind might work if they see the world differently,my work helps to me appreciate the little things of life and consistently these children amaze me with their straight forwardness and innocence and helps appreciate whats important,if as adults we could only be so honest with life

Michelle - posted on 03/16/2010

It has changed my perspective on things, only not knowing what to expect from my son, and being very surprised every day by the things he accomplishes.

Kathy - posted on 03/16/2010

well lets see i think my fave moment was my first hug
I have 2 sons 1- 28-1- 24
they have done so many amazing things in their lives
my funniest time was when they mooned their aunt at her house
a couple of nites before they had been mooned by her husband
no one thought they noticed ,but oh boy did they we laughed for hours

Miracula - posted on 03/16/2010

It's so good to see all of these responses! Almost makes me glad that I've been (and still am..*sigh*) sick. I love reading these posts and seeing the small celebrations of parenting these children that live outside the box! I have tried to reply to each of your posts over the weekend using the "reply" button but it doesn't seem to post my responses to each of your posts respectively. Sorry for the confusion :(

Christine - posted on 03/16/2010

Reading through these postings, makes me delighted for you at the progress and cute things your children are doing, but it also to a point makes me sad. My son is 14, and we have only known for the past 12 months, that he has Aspergers. Life would have been far less complicated for us if we had known way back when he was 5 or 6 or 7..........etc. So many things that we had to try and deal with, that just seemed like we had a stubborn, rebellious son, can now be explained by the Aspergers diagnosis.
I've been trying to remember some incidents that I could share here, and I must admit, I can't think of any right now. However, having said that, I'm very proud of him right now. One of the things that I asked for help with when we got his diagnosis, was his eating. We've been visiting the pediatric dietitian at our local hospital, every three months for the past year. This last time, we saw a different lady, and after making a few suggestions, that I thought we could work with, I asked her to write them down for me so I wouldn't forget before I got home. It happened that she used a large post it note, as that was all that was available. When I got home I just stuck it on the door of the fridge. At long last, the 'penny' seems to have dropped. My son is choosing more healthier snacks, is eating heaps less chocolate hazelnut spread, and bread. He said to me recently, that it was good having that list written up where we could see it. We have also signed up to a local gym and he is so keen. We've always had trouble getting him out from behind his computer or xbox. It's so great to see him exercising so enthusiastically. He puts me to shame. He did however, spend time with me at the gym last week and encouraged me with my weight lifting. "Come on Mum, keep going...........just 2 more" That kind of thing, it was quite fun. Will have to do it from time to time, just to have that encouragement when I feel like giving up.

Sondra - posted on 03/16/2010

Funny, my son is almost eight and still refuses to wipe butt as we call it. He cannot wear any clothes when he is on the toilet so usually will only poop at home. One of the funniest things my son ever did was while we looking for an apartment. We were at a the model apartment checking it out with the sales lady. We notice my son was really quiet so we went to check on him. He had stripped naked and was sitting on the toilet in the model bathroom. Of course there was no toilet paper so my husband had to drive with the sales lady all the way to the office while my son sat on the toilet. It was so embarrassing. He was only four at the time and we really laugh about it now.

Deirdre - posted on 03/16/2010

Im glad to see we arent the only ones having problems wiping. My son is 7 and has Aspergers. One of our problems is wiping.



My son loves to draw. He is always drawing and I support this 100%. Well back in January he cover my bathroom wall with shaving cream and drew pictures on the wall. I laughed about it. Hes showing creativity.

Alison - posted on 03/16/2010

Don't sweat the small stuff. Believe me, there is alot more small stuff than i thought!

Cassandra - posted on 03/15/2010

I have an 8 yr old son that has autism.. one time a couple of years ago we had taken him to a store with us, and he had pulled away from my hand and ran up to a lady that was in the store and went behind her and put his hands on her waist and said ":that is a wide waist" he has been working on width's in school that week and didnt mean any harm but i was a little embarrass and explained my sons outlook on things being so black and white, the lady was very nice and she said it gave her a good laugh.. we did explain to my son that it wasn't nice to do that Sometimes it is hard to deal with some tantrums but usually during them he always manages to say something that just makes us laugh He teaches me things everyday.

Margaret - posted on 03/15/2010

My son is 9 yrs. old. I have been taking him to see a therapist for the past couple of years and they just keep telling me he is ADD. I have read alot about Autism, he does carry alot of traits. He lacks concentration, does not like change, still loves Star Wars, since he was 3 yrs.old, I think, he had repetative movements, the same ones since he was very small. His teacher this year has a child that is Autistic, I thought she might say something but hasn't. His teacher has watched him grow since he was 5-6 years old. I don't know what else to do. I try to keep him on task with his school work, they say he reads at about a 7th or 8th grade level, if not higher. The last time they did there test, they said he seemed to be borderline. He will go in again in a month or 2, I think I'm going to insist on other tests.

Aiyana - posted on 03/15/2010

I love the way you have embraced your childs specialness! We need more people like you who understand the different and not just the negative. Yes these sweet children are more of a challenge, but I get so many little treasures everyday, things that wake me out of the norm and make me think! Cayden, who is 5, has opened my eyes and awakened my patience, and changed the way I see the world! So it is awsome to see someone else who thinks the same way!



Thanks!!!

Monica - posted on 03/15/2010

My 5 year old daughter with Aspergers loves to hear herself echo. So every morning when we leave to get in the car to go to school, she yells as loud as she can every word she is saying just to hear the echo on the way to the car. She loves it. Also she is enthralled with trains. She loves waiting for them, going under the bridges while they are going across the top, etc. We took her to the model train show this year and there was an area setup with display models going round and round. She sat there for a half an hour (probably could have lasted all day) and every time they would come back around to her she would stand up and cheer and giggle and sit back down. Everyone was starring, but I didn't care, it isn't that often when life is just about her. And that was completely worth it. I will never forget and if she is still into trains next year, we will be back in the same place, but I will remember to pack us a lunch and just let her enjoy herself.

Aiyana - posted on 03/15/2010

Speaking of bathrooms! My son, Cayden, who is 5, always takes his shirt off when he is going #2, even in public! I finally asked him why he does that and he said,"that's so I don't get the back of my shirt wet." It's the little things like that, that make you stop and think and go, "you know that does make sense!"

Miracula - posted on 03/14/2010

I'm glad I'm not the only one! lol!

KRISTY - posted on 03/14/2010

MY SON IS SEVEN AND HAS THIS SAME ISSUE WITH THE TOILET FLUSHING...BUT AS YOU SAY WE LOOK AT THE POSITIVE THINGS THAT DONT SEEM NORMAL...LIKE ACTUALLY MAKING IT TO THE TOILET...LOL

Abby - posted on 03/14/2010

It has definitely taught me patience and to be much more specific. I remember telling my son to clean his room when he was about 6 and he cleared a path and I said "no, everything needs to be off the floor and the bed" and I didn't think anything about it and continued to work in my room. I remember that it was pouring down rain outside and his room was upstairs next to mine. My daughter comes by a little while later and says, "Mommy, did you tell William to throw everything out his window?" Running to his room I discovered that the floor and the bed were completely clear, but *everything* was out on the lawn in the rain!

Miracula - posted on 03/14/2010

Hmmm. One outlet for might be the community play house :) That's one way to be in a character and sort of get outside of yourself. Some ppl that might be resistant to the idea could maybe work on props and such, for starters. Then, before you know it...she just might take a part in one of the plays. One of the reasons that I recommend this, not that it's my place too is because ppl that do theater tend to form a family of folks that are less judgmental then the general public. Just an idea. Hugz!

Miracula - posted on 03/14/2010

Lol! Some people need to learn not to take themselves so seriously! And one thing is for sure! Having children like ours will teach you that in a HURRY!

Miracula - posted on 03/14/2010

Awww! That is sooooo sweet! I hope all of you are enjoying these stories as much as I am! It's also very cool that he was thoughtful of someone else like that at such a young age! He still has that card in his wallet? How is he doing these days? How has it influenced him over the course of his life? Is he himself a policeman?

Miracula - posted on 03/14/2010

Hmm The next Gene Rodenberry perhaps?! I sure hope so because we need one, DESPERATELY! One thing is for sure with our little guys. Life is rarely boring :D

Miracula - posted on 03/14/2010

Oh that is so AWESOME! Little accomplishments can mean so much. Especially to us LUCKY Mom's that have these children in our lives. I almost cried when I read this! Persistence can be so taxing until you get that RUSH of accomplishment. Hugz!! And thank you for your post!

Bonnie Jean - posted on 03/14/2010

I have two sons that have Aspergers. They have taught myself and others in our circle of friends many wonderful things...First of all was not to be judgmental or harsh toward others. I remember when one of my sons was fascinated with policemen. He was five years old and it was a beautiful summer mid morning. He was dressed in a pair of shorts and a white tee shirt. As I was gathering what I needed to prepare lunch he walked into the kitchen with purpose, he moved the step stool and helped himself to two napkins then proceeded to go to the cookie jar and take out four cookies. He placed two on one napkin and two on the other. In my mind I was thinking, this is great he is going to share with a child outside. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he took the cookies out front and placed them on the top step. Then he came back in and took two small cartons of milk out of the fridge. My heart was leaping with joy! he took the milk outside and sat them carefully down next to the cookies. I came to the door looked and was puzzled, I did not see any children outside. But I did see a police car pulling up and I proceeded outside the door as an officer came up to our steps. After greeting me and me explaining how my son loves policemen and we had been learning about 9-1-1 and how hard they work to protect us, the officer sat down on the step next to my son who was overcome with glee. The officer was wonderful! They both dunked their cookies into the milk cartons and I watched teary eyed as the officer tried to explain that he really enjoyed the snack break but if he was enjoying himself resting with my son he could not help someone else who needed him when they dialed 9-1-1. He did give me a number and my son a business card and told my son to call him at that number anytime. My son is 20 and he still has the card.

Shelley - posted on 03/13/2010

It has made me a more patient person and less judgement of other moms. I think when you have a child with Autism you learn to celebrate the little things. And not sweat the big things. On a funny note I remember i took my daughter to the bathroom at Sam's club. Someone in the next stall did # 2 I looked at Elayna and motioned stinky. To my horror she starts yelling ewwww stinky! stinky! I tried to Hurry my daughter trying to get to the sink before the lady did. No luck we went to the sink at the same time as she glared at me.. Good times!! LOL

Kimberly - posted on 03/13/2010

When my oldest was little she was such a character. (She has Asperger's Syndrome) She had memorized every Disney song there was and would sing them at the top of her lungs while acting out what the character was doing. She also was obsessed with cats after she saw a show showing how to put on the makeup for the broadway play of Cats. She would use anything from my make up to sidewalk chalk to put on the nose and whiskers. People would smile when they saw her.

The funniest things she ever did was doused herself with baby oil and went "ice skating" in the bathtub, used my maxi pads for slippers and cut her own hair into a reverse mohawk two days before her school pictures.

I miss those days of her being free and not caring what people think when she was only making herself happy. Now, she is 19 and between stuggling to become an adult and not understanding her own mind sometimes, she has really turned inward and isolates herself from the world.

I miss who she used to be

Melanie - posted on 03/13/2010

my son's been struggling to communicate with us for a while now. So when i give him something i get so used to him not saying Ta or Thank you. We taught him the sign for thank you but he never used it. The other day i handed him a biscuit and straight away he signed Thank you. I was so happy i cried. Progress comes in any form so we've learnt to accept the little things xx

Nikkie - posted on 03/12/2010

My son switches his fantasy obsessions, goes from spiderman, ben 10, transformers etc. He has always been into acting out things from the show, it's quite humorous to watch. He also is fantastic at drawing. His handwriting is amazing, His teacher is amazed, she told me boys just usually don't have nice handwriting, but his is nice. It's even better then mine. He's a second grader. He is such a gifted individual and when he's having a meltdown I just remind myself of what a gift her truly is.

Miracula - posted on 03/12/2010

You go Mom!! I love that you encourage your little one's imagination and I love that he is the light of your life :) Keep up that awesome outlook :) I was wondering...do you take pictures of his characters? That could make an awesome book, not a just a photo album but kind of like a story book for the two of you to create :) That way you will have a treasure to look at or maybe even a de-escallation tool. Just a thought :) When my 7r old boy and I go out to do our shopping, he gets bored pretty easy so I try to find a fun hat for him to try on and take a pic with my phone. He LOVES to look at those pictures and sometimes we giggle about them. Nana likes getting those pics too...perks up her day :)

Lyndel - posted on 03/12/2010

My 6 year old is the light of my life. I cannot wait until I see the next "character" he chooses to dress like that day, or that hour, or moment. One minute it's Wolverine, the next it's Harry Potter or a lady in a dress and heels. I encourage his imagination whether he wants to wear florescent pink mitts and rainbow toe socks to school or not! :)

Miracula - posted on 03/11/2010

Hee hee. Nope no denying there...lol. Thank you for your post :)

Pamela - posted on 03/11/2010

Chris had his Multidisiplinary Diagnostic Assessment today. They were asking about Echolalia and we weren't really sure because 3 year olds repeat everything anyway, right? How can you tell if its Echolalia or not. About an hour later they're doing some social skills play testing and asked him if he wanted some more snacks...his respose was "Poops flush in potty." I guess at that point the denial stage was over.