Officially here. ASD for sure

MuckDiva

Greetings! I'm not on TB as much as I used to be but I have a 3 year old and a soon to be 6 month old.  Three weeks ago my 3 year old was officially dx as asd.  It wasn't too much of a surprise but it was something my husband and I were hoping we were being too paranoid about.  On top of asd she has a Receptive and Expressive Language Speech Delay and mild anxiety.  She has been receiving speech and behavior for over a year.

She is an amazing kid who teaches us something new everyday!  She makes us laugh, cry, and have to rethink how we think.  Her speech is that of around a 2 year old (on a good day).  She mimics what she hears on tv and uses that kind of script language to communicate.  I wish she could tell me her age, how she feels, if she loves me, or even if she has to go to the bathroom. 

Ironically I am a special education teacher.  I know the law but being on this end of the table is very different than what I am used to.  DH and I toured an inclusion preschool and we were not fans of the program.  Both girls go to school 3 days and DD1 receives her services there.  Once we amend her IEP I am hoping to increase her speech and start getting her ABA.  Then we will probably have her RR done AGAIN (we just did it in May) and update her information to reflect her new dx. 

Saying all of this in a meeting with a parent is one thing.  Being the parent is another. 

I'm here for support, guidance, and to gain information that I wish I had to share with parents.

Happy Friday!

funchicken

Welcome to the board!  Everyone here is very helpful and supportive.  I'm a newbie, too.  My DD was diagnosed with SPD over the summer, and we're on a (long long long) waitlist to see a developmental pedi to ascertain if there's more going on.

MuckDiva

-auntie-:

Welcome to the best board you never wanted to join.  Thanks!  To be honest being here simply means connecting with women who are experiencing the same joys and challenges.  I'm looking forward to making connections.

Nothing like a special needs dx to humble a good teacher. I'm sorry you got assigned to the other side of the table.  I've actually always been teased for having the longest IEP meetings and phone calls but I've always prided myself on listening to the parents.  Now I can truly empathize.  I will admit it is hard to seperate myself from work and home and this new dx is making things harder.  DH keeps telling me that this will only make me a better teacher and advocate.  True but I am stressed beyond reason with my 18 school IEPs and how getting DD her services.

I've been looking fo an excuse to share this-

https://flappinessis.com/2011/12/01/an-apology-from-your-childs-former-teacher/  I've seen this before.  It broke my heart then and makes me cry even more now.

What didn't you like about the integrated preschool? Some of the kids I know who have done really well came out of such settings.  Where she is now has 9 kids in the class and 2 teachers (teacher and aide).  She knows the structure.  The school we saw had 20 kids in the class from ages 3-5.  The teacher who would manage her IEP is not only the case manager but her teacher AND the director of the school.  It seems like she has more on her plate and I don't know how she does it.  The school was in 2 seperate buildings so my little one would be in a different building which would make drop off and pick up a nightmare.  Plus the school was 30 mins from our house and an hour from my work.  DH and I were willing to move closer to the school if we truly loved it but we did not.  As of now we are going to keep her where she is and apply to get her a PCA.

Does your district offer access to an ASD/ABA classroom?  Our district does not have an ABA classroom that we know of (as of now).  DD's case manager has been hard to get in touch with (and now on vaca) so I don't know if DD is able to get into the IU's ASD classroom.  IF we find of a district in our area that has a good program we would be more than willing to consider moving to get her in.

Having this new dx doesn't change how we feel about DD or how we treat her but it gives us a better understanding of why she does certain things.  We were hesitant to get the dx but we figured we could do so much more for her if we officially had it. 

annibes

Welcome. Sounds like we have similar situations I'm an SLP for a County DD school/early intervention program and spend a few of my work days in an autism classroom for toddlers. Being experienced as the parent and the educator has been the most rigorous but also the most effective training experience ever! So exhausting, but the difference it makes in my treatment style and patience both at home and at work is really valuable.

My DS is echolalic as well and uses his echoes/learned scripts to communicate. He's in an integrated preschool right now 4 afternoons a week and in a university's school 2 mornings a week. The university's training school follows the Reggio Emilia philosophy. I wasn't thrilled with the lack of structure, but his biggest area of deficit is social, and he gets a LOT of facilitated social interaction practice based around his interests which has turned into an amazing opportunity to reinforce some of the skills he's learning in the public preK.

lite-bright

Just saying hi and welcome. My DD1 has autism as well, dx'd a little more than a year ago at three. 

This is her second year of public preschool, and she's making very good progress. It's been a bumpy road and had its moments of being very hard to deal with emotionally, but she's a sweet little girl and lots of fun. 

We're a really supportive bunch!  

malcivar

Welcome!  I've been here for quite a few months now - maybe a year?  I'm not sure but sometimes I still feel new.

Anyway, everyone's great here.  You can celebrate those milestones that seem so trivial to everyone else.  You can vent when it gets too much.  Or just hang out and read everyone else's (mis)adventures.  Our world is a crazy one but it's our world.  Also our kids are the bestest - even when they're pitching a fit because long sleeves are the worst thing ever invented.  (that's for you Chris) 

funchicken

malcivar:

Welcome!  I've been here for quite a few months now - maybe a year?  I'm not sure but sometimes I still feel new.

Anyway, everyone's great here.  You can celebrate those milestones that seem so trivial to everyone else.  You can vent when it gets too much.  Or just hang out and read everyone else's (mis)adventures.  Our world is a crazy one but it's our world.  Also our kids are the bestest - even when they're pitching a fit because long sleeves are the worst thing ever invented.  (that's for you Chris) 

It's so nice to have people to sympathize with about things like this!  I dread switching from summer clothes to fall clothes every year!!!

His(1&only)wife

-auntie-:

mrszee2b:

malcivar:

Welcome!  I've been here for quite a few months now - maybe a year?  I'm not sure but sometimes I still feel new.

Anyway, everyone's great here.  You can celebrate those milestones that seem so trivial to everyone else.  You can vent when it gets too much.  Or just hang out and read everyone else's (mis)adventures.  Our world is a crazy one but it's our world.  Also our kids are the bestest - even when they're pitching a fit because long sleeves are the worst thing ever invented.  (that's for you Chris) 

It's so nice to have people to sympathize with about things like this!  I dread switching from summer clothes to fall clothes every year!!!

At my house, winter to spring was tougher. He hated the feel of a breeze on previously covered skin and spent most of April trying to tug on sleeves, shorts and socks to make them longer.  My son did this as well!  Now he keeps trying to shove his pants and long sleeves up.

Welcome to our group.  My son is 3.5 with an ASD dx, severe OCD, and sensory processing issues.  He was diagnosed a year ago and it's still a learning process but it is nice understanding why he does what he does.