Help! Mom Seeking Advice

Hi J.,
My son has been wearing glasses since he was 2 months old. He is now 18 months and since he started so young he has no problem keeping them on since they have now become a part of him. He has metal framed glasses now but when he was younger he wore the plastic ones from solobambini.com, they were great. A great eyeglass shop that specializes in young children is "Eyes for Kids" in San Diego, they are located off of the 805 at Clairemont Mesa. They work a lot with little ones and might have some good advice to help you with your son keeping his glasses on.
You might want to talk with your opthamologist about contact lenses. I know this was an option for us but we didn't want to deal with it. But in your situation, it might be necessary.
Good luck!

I have a 10 year old daughter with Asperger's Syndrome who is also very farsighted and she has been wearing glasses since she was three. I rarely had a problem with her wearing them because I think she was so happy to be able to see clearly. I let her pick out her own frames and made a big deal over her "getting" to wear them. I would recommend offering some kind of reward as an incentive to wearing them. Good luck!

Wow!!! I am a mother of 4 children. 19,17,14,10. How i remember those days. I did everything possible to keep my 14yr old glasses on. It seemed like the older she got the worse it got. She is legally blind,and also suffers with mmr,seizures,mcp,add/adhd,mocd,etc.i had at least 6-8 pair of glasses for her at a time.i tried everything you tried. A friend(whos daughter has vision problems also) told me that one day she will stop because she will need them to see. Said that happened to her daughter(i think i just made it there). She is a lot better with keeping them on out in public. At home she will put them down any where. She still comes home from school with them in her hand or backpack every now and then. With a wild excuse as to why they are not on. At least they make it home. Just know you are not alone. My daughter was also told she would be blind as an adult. She doesnt want to use her cane because it is not cool! She cant let her friends see her with it. So she would rather run in to a brick wall or glass window. Go figure that. All for the sake of being cool.

P.S TRY THERAPY IT WORKED FOR MY DAUGHTER.SHE WAS WEARING GLASSES AT AN EARLY AGE (SHE WAS TOTALLY BLIND).WHEN SHE REGAINED SOME SIGHT WE NEW SHE WOULD WEAR GLASSES AND STARTED TOUCHING HER FACE AROUND THE AREA
THE GLASSES WOULD BE TO GET HER USE TO IT.
F. F

To talk w/ other autism parents on various topics, check out the new Autism Social networking (like MySpace for just autism parents). http://autismspeaksnetwork.ning.com

Hi J.:

This isn't a direct response to the eyeglass situation but it it related. I wondered if you had ever read the book "Say Goodbye to Allergy Related Autism" by Dr. Devi Nambudripad?

Hello!
I work with students with special needs and especially love working with kids with autism.

From the autism side of this picture, I would suggest positive reinforcement. Depending on his age and cognition, you might have a short period or long period reinforcer for wearing the glasses. Let him choose some highly motivating rewards (trip to favorite restaurant, museum or video game) and some "cheaper" motivating rewards (computer time, snack, tv time...whatever works for him) and then create a "token economy system" or token board. These can be printed on paper from the computer for you to just check off as he wears them (by the 1/2 hour, 1/2 day, school day or day depending on the reward) or you can put them onto hard laminated cardstock using velcro to hold buttons, coins, or whatever to make them fun.

Kids with autism are VISUAL LEARNERS typically so to have something tangible where he can see he is being rewarded for his hard work of keeping the annoying glasses on might help. Then as he progresses, you can slowly wean the reinforcer away until the glasses are part of his everyday wardrobe.

http://www.polyxo.com/visualsupport/tokeneconomies.html

http://www.autismonline.org/images/new/completevislg.jpg

You can buy programs that create these, but honestly, you can easily use google images or a digital camera or quick drawings to also create free "token boards."

Good luck!
J. K-V
www.AisForAutism.net

Do you wear glasses? If not, buy a pair that have only clear glass in them and start wearing them.

There are eyeglass frames made of a rubber-like material that go completely around the head and some that even tie around. You can get them through a pediatric optometrist or ophthalmologist. I can't think of a commercial or chain eyeglass shop that would have them. Just make sure the lenses are made out of polycarbonate! Polycarbonate is the most impact resistant lens material on the market and is the only material recommended for children. Alternatively, you might want to try contact lenses. Yes, contact lenses. A good eye doctor's office that handles lots of small children will be able to properly train you to insert and remove the contact lenses. There are a few contact lenses that, with proper eye care, can be left in for a period of time. I'm an optometrist, and some of my colleagues have fit children as young as three and even some babies. Developmentally ready children are just taught to care for the lenses themselves (it's just like brushing teeth!), but developmentally delayed children and babies can have their parents do the care.