Posts Tagged ‘Aspergers’

I usually dread summer. Not only because it’s too darn HOT – I hate the heat – but because there are so few activities, or camps, or day programs, for kids with Asperger Syndrome. However, here in our area of Ohio, we have a kids psychiatric center – Belmont Pines – that has a day program (camp) for our kids! It started 2 weeks after school let out, and ends 2 weeks before they go back to school. Just right!

Ed goes Tuesday – Thursday, and has a blast! Not only do they do the regular day camp stuff, but they also see their psychiatrist once per week, and attend OT, PT, and speech (if needed) classes, socialization groups, and much more. He is doing fantastic, for the mostpart, although with any child with these disorders, there are going to be a few bumps. My boy is no exception.

He is learning a very important lesson at Belmont Pines. He does not have a disability. He has a very unique ability to see the world in a different way than other people see it. He has grabbed on to that lesson and so have I. I am so proud of him (us)!

Having fun with his DSi and computer.

I’ve added a new link under Autism over there —->

This is a great Facebook group. The leader, Jen Donatella, who has 3 autistic sons, started this group, and is very active in the autism community here in NE Ohio. If you’re a member of FB, check it out! 

Got in from work not too long ago (it’s 10:10 am now), but wanted to add a little something here before I hit the sack.

Well, I finally did it. I sold all of my vBulletin licenses and closed all of my forums. I’m free (but not cheap )
I’m definitely going to devote more time to this blog, adding more updates on my son, more tips and stuff for parents of Asperger kids, and just more “stuff” that I like and hope you will too.

Speaking of my son, he’s doing great! His new psychiatrist has re-done some of his meds, taken him off some and added something else, and he is really doing great. His teachers are impressed with his behavior and his new motivation. He is honestly trying, both in school and at home. I’m a happy mama.

Ok I’m off to bed, but I’ll be posting more often, so check back on me!

My son’s return to school has been, for the mostpart, successful! Other than a few minor outbursts, which his teacher was able to easily talk him down from (a miracle in itself!), he’s been great. I am soooo relieved.

And just when we are making headway with my boy – we have to MOVE! ugh

My lease is up where I live, and I found another place for us which is both less expensive, and larger. So packing is well underway as of this writing, which poses other issues for my sweet boy. He HATES change. While most kids take change in stride, for asperger kids, heh, not so much. These kids (and especially my son) covet sameness, routine, structure, boundaries. Any kind of change sends my son’s anxiety level through the roof.

I’ve tried to prepare him as much as possible. Things like telling him the night before what I’m planning to pack the next day so that he’s not surprised when he comes home from school and sees more boxes stacked, have helped alot. The new landlords have been great! They have met us at the new place several times, so that JJ can spend time in it in advance and kind of get used to the layout. We’ve already planned out his bedroom, where he wants his bed, dresser, etc.

Just the little things like this have helped tremendously and I’m really excited about this move. I’m just hoping that we like living in the new place and can make it into a long-term thing.

Time will tell

As I have mentioned on here before, my son, who just turned 10 in November, has Asperger Syndrome, ADHD, Obsessive/Compulsive disorder, Sensory Processing disorder, and a few other related disorders. He was also recently diagnosed with severe Anxiety disorder, which is fairly common with Aspergers kids.

His behavior became very antagonistic, and volatile, somewhere around mid-September, and we dealt with that as best we could until mid-November, at which time he started to become physically threatening not only to himself, but to other people. He had started slapping, hitting and punching himself, then there were a couple of incidents with his teacher, and with me.

One afternoon when he came home from school after such an incident, I was beside myself. I called Belmont Pines, which is a local pediatric psychiatric hospital that I had been referred to by Ed’s case worker. I told them what was happening, we set up an assessment appointment, and he was admitted to the hospital but on what they call “partial hospitalization”, which simply means that he would be there only during the day, and coming home every night. (WHEW!).

He was there for 10 days, and did wonderfully! That’s when he was diagnosed with Anxiety disorder, and placed on Topamax.
At the end of the 10 days, he was discharged, and went back to school, where everything went downhill very very quickly.

To make a very long story short, he has 2 more days to go in a second stint at Belmont Pines, and then it’s back to school on Wednesday. However, I’m truly hoping that this return to school will be different.

You see, mom has been undergoing a little bit of re-training SO, we shall see what happens now.

I am absolutely determined that 2010 will be a better year for me and my boy than 2009 was. It has to be – couldn’t be much worse.

We took our tour of the Rich Center for Autism, and found it to be a delightful, well-equipped place, withwell-trained staff, and wonderful services that JJ would no doubt more than benefit from. But he did not like it at all.

I liked it fine, but you know when you just know that something is not right for you, or in this case, for your child. Well, that’s how I feel about this. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this school, but I don’t feel like it’s the right “fit” for us.

So we talked to JJ’s case manager, and she’s going to see if she can round up all of the services that are provided at the Rich Center. He’ll have to get them after school most of the time, but that’s ok because he’ll be able to stay at his current school, Summit Academy, which he really likes. He gets OT there, as well as Therapautic Martial Arts which he also really likes.

Whew, I’m glad that’s settled.