Tommy came home from school jolly. Had to sit and do homework and got cranky very quickly. Once it was finished, his mood shifted again. I ran an errand and I walked in the door to the sound of Tommy screaming at Dad. He has a very throaty cough that sounds like he could be forcing it, but who knows. The last time he had a cough like this there was nothing wrong and the doctors decided it was one of his tics. Tics isn’t really the right word. Habit would be a better word. Tommy tries out sounds, faces, moves, etc. and when he finds one that feels good to him for whatever reason, he does it over and over and over, until I feel like screaming.
Archive for February 23rd, 2004
Mom says:
Monday, February 23rd, 2004Asperger Children Can Be Functional Adults
Monday, February 23rd, 2004 Fantastic article! Our son is proof that experts can be wrong (note: there is no anchor on the page so I’ll reproduce the whole article below)
Our son is proof that experts can be wrong
MY SON, now 32, has Asperger’s Syndrome (Letters) and his life is as successful as that of any man his age. I encountered a lot of ignorance about his condition when he was growing up Doctors told me that autism didn’t exist alter the age of 12 and that there was no such thing as Asperger’s Syndrome. Christopher was first diagnosed in South Africa where he was put on Ritalin to try to calm him down. When we came to Britain in 1979, Asperger’s Syndrome was unknown to both doctors and teachers. I fought and won the battle for Christopher to be allowed to enter Leeds Park Lane College. He passed several O‑levels and A‑levels and went on to work as a deputy warden for the RSPB for three years. He was so good he was asked for by name by the wardens of RSPB sites. Christopher eventually went back to his studies and gained a 2:1 from Essex. He is now in a Third‑World country teaching English to foreign students. Yet, as a boy, he was written off by many teachers and doctors who told him to find a hobby. He did what they all said was impossible and made a life for himself. It wasn’t easy but it was worth every minute. Most wonderful of all is that he has been in a relationship with a wonderful girl for the past three years. Doctors don’t know everything; nor do teachers. Mothers of children with Asperger’s Syndrome know a hell of a lot more and could teach the professionals a great deal.
MY SON, now 32, has Asperger’s Syndrome (Letters) and his life is as successful as that of any man his age. I encountered a lot of ignorance about his condition when he was growing up Doctors told me that autism didn’t exist alter the age of 12 and that there was no such thing as Asperger’s Syndrome. Christopher was first diagnosed in South Africa where he was put on Ritalin to try to calm him down. When we came to Britain in 1979, Asperger’s Syndrome was unknown to both doctors and teachers. I fought and won the battle for Christopher to be allowed to enter Leeds Park Lane College. He passed several O‑levels and A‑levels and went on to work as a deputy warden for the RSPB for three years. He was so good he was asked for by name by the wardens of RSPB sites. Christopher eventually went back to his studies and gained a 2:1 from Essex. He is now in a Third‑World country teaching English to foreign students. Yet, as a boy, he was written off by many teachers and doctors who told him to find a hobby. He did what they all said was impossible and made a life for himself. It wasn’t easy but it was worth every minute. Most wonderful of all is that he has been in a relationship with a wonderful girl for the past three years. Doctors don’t know everything; nor do teachers. Mothers of children with Asperger’s Syndrome know a hell of a lot more and could teach the professionals a great deal.
Mom says:
Monday, February 23rd, 2004Tommy read “Haze” quickly and effortlessly. Didn’t want to discuss it with me though.
Friday he was told by his bus driver that he would be changing buses because theirs was too crowded. I didn’t believe that was the reason. Last night the new driver called and said the bus was changing because he was on the other bus too long. I didn’t believe that either. My belief was confirmed when she informed us that she would be picking him up at 7:15 instead of 8:15. That has him sitting on the bus an extra hour. This morning Dad walked him to the bus and learned that all but one other boy on the bus are so disabled that they are non-verbal. I am now VERY ANGRY! Tommy needs appropriate peer role models. I called the school and the cheerleader, I mean classroom teacher convinced me to wait one week and see what happens.
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Monday, February 23rd, 2004Tommy’s bus picked him up right at 7:15. I turned down the street returning from carpool with the bus right behind me. There will be many mornings he has to load himself onto the bus unchecked. He and the school will have to deal with the consequences of whatever gets snuck to school. The driver and I discussed what to do if Tommy doesn’t come out. After 3 minutes she will leave and call my cell phone to let me know that I need to drive him.
He was groggy but stable this morning. As he awoke he became more cheery. To avoid morning fights between Tommy and his sister I’ve mandated that he use the downstairs bathroom until the siblings have left. That may not seem fair but this is the child that can spend an hour sitting on the commode.
New bus
Monday, February 23rd, 2004A New Day!
Dad reports This Morning:
Tommy received his medicine at 6:20. He has a new bus that the school said he is on “because his bus ride was too long.” His previous bus was picking him up between 7:47 and 8:15 but usually 8:15. We were told to have Tommy at school between 8:15 and 8:30. His new bus will probably pick him up at 7:15. It sounds like he went from the 2nd to last stop to either the first or second stop. The kids on this bus are “non-speaking” except for one that “won’t stop talking.” This will be short-lived.