Julie on Autism

From my work experience people with autism needed explicit instruction and a special kind of support. Most of the people I worked with had violent tendencies were difficult to work with as they did not like eye contact or being touched. The problems with adults with autism in government care had to be controlled with medication as the staff could not cope with the violence.

When I was told that my second son had passive high functioning autism, I thought where is the outrageous behaviour I had to cope with at work! These day's the spectrum for autism has many other added words like passive or hyperactive, I now know most of the people I worked with were hyperactive and needed medication. My son is different as all people with autism every individual is different.

Things I had to work on

• Speech, once communication can be established a child is less frustrated and the parent!
• Speak in only small sentences.
• Diet, so many people have allergies these days! A gluten and casein free diet has produced dramatic changed for many people. Others may only be egg or soy or many things, it is worth the effort to find out what a child had an allergy to.
• Stopping, changing or improving behaviours, not accepting outrageous behaviour. Showing a child exactly the behaviour that is needed and reward them for their success.
• Teaching new skills in small parts and explicitly.
• Understanding that some children learn implicitly by just seeing or hearing while other need repeated explicit instruction (sometimes with physical help until they master the skill).
• Accept that sometimes when a new skill is learnt another skill may be lost for a while (the old one step forward two steps back).
• Keeping life as normal as possible while seeing specialist.
• Deciding what to spend money on to help our child.
• Hope that we are doing the write thing.
• Not to hope and pray that my son will wake up in the morning and be 'normal' (I used to feel this way when he was younger, I don't want him to change anymore).
• Have faith in my ability that I can do what is needed.
• Teach emotions of the face, quiz on what people may be feeling.
• Be an expert on the art of distraction, avoid a temper tantrum if possible.
• Not allow my child to physically beat me up.
• How not to loose my child when walking to the park.
• How not to give up.
• How to spread myself around for all the family.
• To keep researching autism.
• Hugs hurt my son when he was younger , now at 12 he just doesn't like them but kisses are OK. Affection is important Mum's need it.

My booklets are still being sold on ebay.