"SOCIAL SKILLS"

I believe in having your child with autism to be around peers their own age to help with their social skills. Children learn from watching and imitating others around their social environments.

I have seen many improvements with my own son diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

He is in early childhood class, 4k. 2 days a week for 8 hours he is involved with normal childhood activities within his class and peers his own age. Monday and Wednesday are his classes. On Fridays he is involved in a more special education class with other students of learning disabilities.

On Fridays he has one on one therapy with a Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Behavioral Therapist, Psychologist, his teacher and a Musical Therapist. He has developed to socialize with other students a lot better than he did over the past school year.

2 days a week we have our children in childcare for 5 hours. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The daycare consists of the mothers own 4 children. They are aged from 7 down to 3. There are also several more boys and girls throughout the day that my son has social interaction with.

Watching these kids eat, play and get dressed has helped my son with autism learn abilities he should be doing in his own age group. Instead of playing off in the corner by himself, he has learned to interact more with these children.

Taking my son to the playground has had positive effects on his social skills. Children want to play tag with him but he didn't understand what to do. He was off in his own world putting wood chips down the slide. Either way, getting him around other kids still made him happy.

We choose to have as much social interaction with my sons autism. This is a most definite plus in learning what children do to socialize with one another. Set up play dates with other families. Take your child to the zoo and playground. Get them away from their autistic traits. Get them into the world and be a part of life. "The worst thing a parent can do is do nothing." Quoted by Temple Grandon.

"RED FLAG ALERT - AUTISM"

My son, who is now 5 seemed to be like any normal baby.  By the time he turned 2 the little words that he started to speak just stopped.  We as parents didn't think much of it at the time.  What does a parent know when they are new to parenthood with their first child?

We took Dane in for his well being check-up.  The Dr. asked, "Any questions?"  "Yes, why did he stop talking?"  This is when she referred us to Birth to 3 program.

Other quirky, routine things were going on.  He always had to flip light switches.  He was always fixated on ceiling fans or pinwheels.  He was always spinning things like saucers, spoons, matchbox car wheels. When ever I used the microwave, he always had to push start or he would throw a fit.  Still he couldn't speak and would just go into a "sensory meltdown."  We had no idea what was going on.

For the time being, I was in total denial there was anything wrong.  I just figured he would grow out of these routines.  I was wrong, they got worse.  Everything set him off.  I was at a total loss and we were expecting our 2nd child.

When you hear "Red Flag" listen to what professionals tell you.  Don't just assume everything will be fine.  Take your child in and have them tested for autism if you suspect anything!  The sooner you can have them treated and get the final diagnosis, the better your child's life, and yours will be be.

It seems to me that attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) run side by side and hard to separate the two.  The best thing you can do for yourself is again, Get Them Tested! 

Dane

"The worst thing a parent can do, is do nothing."  The words of Temple Grandin.  She is a very brilliant woman who has grown up with Severe Autism and has a PH.D in animal science and a professor at Colorado State University.  She has also written books on her autism and I recommend reading her book entitled "The Way I See It" to get a better view on how a person living with autism sees their world.