Does Any One Deal with a Child Who Has Autism?

My son was 5 1/2 before he went on the potty. (he is in the spectrum for autism with autistic like tendencys and he has sensory intergration dysfunction) He didnt start kindergarten untill after he was potty trained (just happened that way) but the public schools here in AZ are required to have an aid for him that can deal with diaper changes. If he is a lower functioning autistic child he will more than likley get a dedicated aid that helps him through out his entire school day. I am very fortunate that my son is doing really well and has not needed a dedicated aid. The teacher and class aid do have to help him with activity transistions. But he is doing exeptionally well. Now when it comes to life skills he still struggles, every morning I need to remind him to go potty, then I have to tell him to take off his P,J's then, put his shirt on, then his pants, etc.. He really is doing so well with school work though. My daughter who is also in kindergarten has wonderful social skills, she is ADHD (and medicated, it works so well for her) but really is struggeling with school work. If he attends public school, they usually have a 10 to 1 ratio of "normal kids" to special needs kidos. Good luck.

S. I work for a school district in Southeast Michigan so I see this every day. In Michigan there is a law that states that all special Ed children shall but put in the least restrictive classroom. This said you as the parent have the choice of that, a regular classroom with an aide or a special ed school (if there is one in your district or a close one your school district must provide transportation by law). It all depends on what your childs IEP states as to if he will have an aide full time with him or just at times of the day, ie: lunch when a teacher will not be there. We have two children in kindergarten at my school that are not potty trained, one is Downs so yes potty trained should not be an issue. JUst be sure you know your childs rights and don't let your school district tell you what you have to do.

Hi S.,

My son has a typical autism and is in public schio. He is in ARP (Academic Resource Program) room which is assisted. He attends whatever general ed classes he can handle with a para. It sounds like what you are describing. My son is potty trained, but I do know of at least one child that isn't in the class.

I would think that schools would have to allow kids that aren't potty trained.

I don't know just what a PPI program is but I am sure that it is something similiar to what my son went through when he was little. He was in Special Education classes all of his life and only attended a few "regular" classes like gymn etc. when it was appropriate for him. My son is now 28 years old and lives in an assisted living home and is doing quite well. I think I would follow the teachers advice on the assisted Kindergarten as they are more then likely able to handle his problems includeing his not being fully potty trained. Go and talk to the teachers of the class that your son's teacher is recommending and see how you feel about them. You could meet with them seperately at first and then bring your son to meet them at another time as he will need to know what is going on to and become a little bit familiar with them. My own son is still in briefs (adult diapers) as potty training was not working for him. I just told him that he should never be ashamed of what he has to use. I also told others that they should not do anything to make him feel ashamed. Your son will be potty trained when he is ready for it. Boys often take longer to potty train then girls do anyway so don't make a big deal of it. Just have the extra things he may need with him at all times maybe in a backpack or kept at school. My son had extra things in a backpack on his wheelchair plus extra briefs etc. kept at school just for his use. I preferred that they be sure that there were always at least 2 briefs left in his backpack at all times in case I needed to take him anywhere and I might need to change them. Of course I also tried to keep extras in my car also just in case of anything. Your son may have his difficulties but we all have our own difficulties and/or handicaps. Your son may need extra help all of his school years or for only a few of them but that will become obvious to you as time goes on. Meanwhile enjoy that child as he is precious as are all children.

I have not had a child with autism but someone I know suggested becoming involved with a program called PECS. I think it means picture exchange communication systems. This mother has found that by using pictures she can easily have her child understand the various tasks she needs them to do. The best of luck to you. A.

I have never had a child with autism, but my stepmom has. He is grown now, (18) but he also had Aspergers and something else... Anyhow, my moms name is Melody, and she is a mother of 5, very smart, well educated, and one of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet. I told her about your question and she said if you ever need any advice from a mother who has been there, please feel free to call her at home anytime. ( she said to call because she lives on top of a mountain now, and there is no internet available to her there so she has no way to get online)
her # is ###-###-####

I was a parapro in a spec ed elementary classroom for a while. There are schools that have programs for kids who are not fully potty trained. The school district you live in is required to give him the education he needs, even if they have to pay to send him to another school district. (That is why you see Deans busses everywhere, they transport the majority of these kids.) Most schools are part of a type of co-op... kind of like "I'll take your kids who have this need, you take my kids who have that need" and it's based on your son's IEP.

It really just depends on the severity of his autism and what services are available in your particular state/school district. My son has Asperger's and has been in a "regular" classroom since kindergarten (he is in 2nd grade now) and has not needed an aid at all. He was potty trained (daytime only) by 4 1/2 but was not staying dry at night until the end of 1st grade (he was almost 7 1/2).

Good luck,
K.

S.,
I used to work for an early childhood intervention program in Dallas. I had a couple of student who were autistic and we referred them to a special school for austistic children. I don't know if you have one near you.
When I was in graduate school at Universtiy of Texas at Dallas we had a professor, Dr. Stillman, who was doing research with autistic children and I remember his telling us to keep the children in a very consistent routine. I don't know if he is retired or not, but you might check into contacting him.
Are you interested in nutrition information?
Victoria

I second the person who said the school district has to give him the education he needs regardless of the potty training issue. I have a special needs child (not autistic) that wasn't day trained until he was 6. He is still not night trained. The way I've seen it work here in Grand Rapids is they will put your child in the least restrictive environment. (I believe there are laws regarding that very thing.) If he can function in a regular classroom, that's what he gets. If he can function in a regular classroom with the help of an aide, that's what he gets. If he can only function part of the day in a regular classroom or none of the day in a regular classroom, that's what he gets. It's all up to you and the school district to come to a mutually agreed upon IEP.

My son started in a center based (meaning a program specifically for special ed kids only) program with other deaf children. When his cognitive impairment became the greater need he switched to a center based program for cognitive impairment. Next year with the help of a sign language aide he will transition to a special ed classroom in a regular school and if he can handle any regular classroom activities he will be allowed to. The location of where he has gone to school, who will be needed to assist him, and what his IEP goals are has all been up to us and the school district. Never sign an IEP you don't agree with and schedule an IEP whenever you want to. Those are your rights. You know your child the best!

I would like to second the advice that Carrie gave about getting your son tested for food allergies and intolerances. Make sure you find someone who will do a blood test rather than the usual skin scratch test. My nephew was diagnosed as PDD-NOS (on the autism spectrum, relatively high functioning) when he was about 2 years old. My sister in law (after a ton of research) found him a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor that has really helped them treat the root causes of his symptoms - one of them being food allergies and intolerances - and he is a completely different little boy now at 7 years old. He is in a general classroom and has an aide that works with him but I think he's getting to the point where he often does not even need the aide. And they had him re-diagnosed a couple years ago and his new diagnosis was Aspergers (an improvement over PDD-NOS). He follows a strict no wheat (gluten free) no dairy (casein free) diet (also referred to as GFCF) and it makes an enormous difference. He's even getting to the point where he's able to integrate small amounts of wheat.

Here is a website that can lead you to a DAN doctor if you are interested: http://www.autism.com/dan/danusdis.htm

Another good source of education is a book called "Healing the New Childhood Epidemic: Autism, ADHD, Allergies and Asthma" by Dr. Kenneth Bock. I read the book just to better understand what my nephew was going through and it's an excellent source of information. Dr. Bock helps explain what is going on inside the body of a child with autism (and the other disorders) as it relates to their immune system, digetstive system, etc.

And to find information on what is in the law regarding accepting a non-potty trained child, I think some of the autism websites should have information for you or at least could point you in the right direction. Some good ones are talkaboutcuringautism.org and nationalautismassociation.org

Best of luck!

S.,

During the testing process, did any of the professionals suggest your son be tested for food allergies and intolerances? This can be done with a simple blood test. The trick is to find an allergist who will test for food intolerances as well as food allergies. Not all allergists do.

My son, now 8, started showing autistic tendencies at the age of 4. I called the county and got in touch with a professional who helps test preschool age children for lots of problems. She suggested we have him tested for food allergies and intolerances. A simple blood test showed he had no food allergies, but has seven food intolerances. We removed the "bad" foods from his diet and he showed rapid improvement. A year later he was back to the child I recognized.

Now, three and half years later, the "bad" foods have been removed. Socially he is a bit behind, but otherwise he interacts well with other children. He can tolerate loud noises. He speaks when spoken to. He can follow and participate in a conversation. I can hug and touch him, before it was too painful for him.

Testing your son for food related issues might be another route to go.

Good luck with getting your son into a school program that will work for him.

C..