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The children's room - a minefield as usual :)

Matthew's extreme rote memory

Tanya: (walks on the school's playground, looking down as usual) Other girl: Hi Tanya! Tanya: (walks past her in silence) Tanya: Why do they always know my name?

#tanya #retardation #theory-of-mind

Forbes' first article about living with autism was rightly criticized for not having talked to any actual people on the spectrum in its research. Now, the magazine offers this follow-up as consolidation. Includes criticism of Autism Speaks.

#autism

...are of course still a mystery. According to this article, scientists discovered exact opposite causes for two rare disorders on the spectrum. Admittedly I hadn't even heard of these diagnoses, but I guess we're back to square one. I don't believe we'll discover a single cause for any ASD anytime soon.

#autism

During my teenage life and a couple of years beyond I was very "seeking"; investigating different religions and belief systems, and trying to find the right one for me. I'm sure many young people - on and off the spectrum - likewise are trying to find their own understanding of life and the world in the same way. But instead of settling on my parents' religion or any other after this period, I remember telling people that I was a (and the only) believer in a self-made belief system, which included all the parts from different religions and philosophies that made sense to me. Nowadays I prefer telling people that I'm an atheist just to avoid lengthy discussions, even though I believe in "something". I always realized how different that made me, but I never considered it to be such a common theme for people with HFA.

#autism #aspergers

I know a lot of you aren't fans of Simon Baron-Cohen, but something about this hypothesis of his rings true to me. I work in the computer science sector and know a lot of colleagues and acquaintances with kids on the spectrum, certainly more than in the average population.

#autism

Melatonin has been a lifesaver for our family. It is the first choice drug for sleep-related problems in kids in our country and fortunately it works very well without any side effects. Personally I've tried both regular and time-released melatonin, but didn't notice an effect from either (I neither fell asleep faster or slept more sound than usually); luckily I don't have problems sleeping very often. I've heard the same thing from other parents - Melatonin works for some people, but not others.

This kind of Melatonin is both cheap, has a great strawberry flavor and dissolves in the mouth in no time (thus no swallowing required): Natrol Fast Dissolve 5mg.

#autism #meds #melatonin

I can't see how this comes as a surprise, given that repetitive behavior resembles the separate diagnosis of OCD, most SSRIs work in the same way, and many of them are proven and approved to treat OCD. I am currently trying paroxetine (another SSRI, also known by the brand name Paxil) to treat anxiety, but I also hope that it will help with some of the repetitive behavior (routines) that I could live without. On the other hand, I am a bit afraid of side effects, which is why I haven't previously taken SSRIs for those symptoms, only now my anxiety has become pretty bad.

While I don't doubt that SSRIs may help for the same symptoms in kids (like the article says), I think it is very important to be conscious about the increased risk of suicide when kids or teenagers take SSRIs. I'm sure there are many under the age of 18 who take them for different symptoms and without any side effects, but a suicide can never be undone or outweighed. Their repetitive behavior would have to interfere tremendously with their lives before I would consider giving this class of drugs to our kids.

#autism #meds #ssri

The state of autism, according to Forbes

#autism

las-flores-con-limon-deactivate

My youngest sister

was diagnosed with Autism today. I feel extremely helpless. I cant imagine how she feels.

mentalfamilycom-blog

Your sister hasn't changed because of her diagnosis, she's still who she's always been and was going to be. I have Asperger's and though I often had difficulties expressing my emotions as a kid (and still have to a degree), it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm unhappy - at all. Your sister is happy to have you and all the love and support you can give her.

This is really saddening me... studies say that kids on the spectrum are about six times more likely to be bullied, and I was too during my childhood.

#autism

The children have been playing...

#adhd

#aspergers

Marcus improving greatly

I'm very happy to be able to write that Marcus' ADHD seems to be a lot more under control since Friday. His new meds and dosage have improved his concentration, behavior, empathy and mood. He seems like a new-born person and this Marcus is a lot more intelligent and likable than the old one. Most important, he likes his new personality a lot more himself. This is a real breakthrough for our family and things are definitely going in the right direction.

#marcus #adhd

Marcus back on Ritalin (Concerta)

I'd like to share a success story :) Marcus' functioning has decreased rapidly over the last few weeks, after the doctor switched him to Strattera. We've had lots of talk with her about taking him off it, but were always told to "give it a fair chance" and "improve your parenting skills" (yes, she almost used those exact words).

After yet another day with psychotic behavior we decided that enough is enough and demanded an immediate appointment with his psychiatrist. Unfortunately she was out of the office for several days. The nurse we talked to saw how serious the was situation was and sent us to the ER, who didn't want to admit him. We then went back to the clinic where we fought for getting to talk to another psychiatrist instead. The other doctor we finally met decided to taper him off Strattera, starting immediately and put him back on Concerta, which we know works better. We're now switching doctors and have already seen a huge improvement in Marcus' behavior and concentration.

9 hours of fighting so-called professionals but every minute was worth it!

#marcus #adhd #meds #concerta #ritalin #strattera

Tanya playing repetitively and some rocking

#tanya

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