My best friend has a 19 month old little boy that they are pretty positive has aspergers syndrome. Right now, things are bad and they don't know how to help him. He's getting physical and occupational therapy every week but she's feeling alone. On top of all of this, she is homeschooling her three daughters. So what she's looking for is a student or something that needs hours working hands on with a child with this syndrome, it would help her out and the student. She can't pay but she's definately accepting any help she can get. Something else she needs is support. Any one out there that has dealt with this and can give her advice or how to function as a family with a child with this special need. Or even if there are websites or books she can check out from the library that helped you out, it would be beneficial for her.
Please, if anyone has any information on anything that I mentioned, I would happily pass it along to her.
Thanks!
Thank you for all of the responses, I've passed everything onto her. She is getting services through infant/toddler in priarie village but right now her son will only bite, hit, scratch and claw the therapists, and when they leave, he hides in the corner all day. I've done tons of research online for her and found an online support group and one that meets once a month. I think her biggest need is having someone like a para work with him so the other children don't fall behind in their school. We have also found in the local homeschool group that they are starting a new program next year where a homeschool teen (16 and older) will come to your house and help with grading, keeping little ones busy, and whatever else you need help with a few times a week. I'm really going to encourage her to look into that. I will welcome any more suggestions anyone else has. Thank you!
Definitely have her contact Soooner Start (I am assuming she is in OK?). They can get her support and help her get a definitive diagnosis. We all know Early Intervention is key with these children so the sooner she gets "hooked up" with the right people who can help her the better off her son will be. Good Luck
I went to college to be a special education teacher dealing primarily with Asperger's and Autism. I also have a good friend whose son has Autism (he is 6). The best thing your friend can do is to go to a doctor and get a diagnosis. Once she has a diagnosis, she can get help. She can get a paraprofessional to help her.
There is also a program called Sooner start in Oklahoma that is wonderful for helping children with disabilities. There may be a similar program in Kansas. Also, Parents as Teachers is a great resource to tap into to learn how to help your child and the family with a disability.
I wish your friend success. SUPPORT is KEY!! Be a good friend and help her call these agencies and others like them to get the help she needs.
R.
Has she gotten an "official" diagnosis? I know that Johnson County Mental Health offers services on a sliding scale, I don't know about Wyandotte. Sometimes kids are eligible for SSI or SSDisability (not sure which) based on having autism, so it may depend on how the diagnosis is stated. My 8-yr-old son has bipolar, and there can be a lot of overlap in the symptoms - so much so that some doctors are saying it's part of the same spectrum.
I'm also a homeschooler. My oldest is finishing 5th grade this year - his first year in public school. We put him in school so I could focus more on my younger son, who is going to school part-time and just finishing 2nd grade. The school here has been a valuable member of our team, but I hear they are an exception to several other local districts.
Here is the website for MPE if you don't have it. They have some links to websites that may help. There is a family from MPE that is starting a service for next school year, but it isn't free. They match you up with a student (over 16) to come in once or twice a week for a few hours and help - either doing crafts, or grading, or light cleaning, or helping keep the younger one busy while you teach the older ones - pretty much anything related to homeschooling. It's called "Completion" - and the info for that is on the MPE site as well.
http://www.midwesthomeschoolers.org/default.htm
Here is a website on aspergers - it has tons of links: http://www.orgsites.com/md/asperger_syndrome_info/index.html
Hi C.,
First, let me say what a special friend you are. Friends and family who are supportive are a key element in raising an Asperger's child.
I have an AS child who is now 14. In addition to AS he also is bi-polar and has ADHD. Over the years we have tried vitamins, therapy and medication. I think that the medication route would not be something available for a 19 month old. Prior to moving here from Colorado we belonged to a support group. I am trying to find a support group in Broken Arrow. My husband and I find the support is essential to our own mental health. It's a safe place to come and find out that you are not alone. And, in fact we generally find that we have it pretty good compared to some of the parents we meet in group.
Finding a doctor who will work closely with you is also key. We had a terrific doctor in Colorado and hope to find one here as well. We spent years having our son meet with our famly doctor only to find out that our son really needed the expertice of a good psychiatrist. We felt guilty (and tired lol). We have seen a huge improvment since we started seeing a psychistrist who specializes in mental health issues and children.
I'd love to tell you that it's going to be clear sailing through this journey. But I can't. Again I must say that non-judgmental friends and family are those who can help the most. If at all possible bring someone with you to your first appointment. You need to have a close friend who can listen for you and then fill you in to everything the doc said. Your first few appointments you might want to bring someone with you to take notes.
One last key issue...keep a binder to refer back to when you need dates and notes. I keep a current photo in the front cover sleeve of my book which helps be a reminder to everyone who "treats" your son that it is a little boy who is needing help and keep on course throughout your appointments. Take the binder with you whenever you have an appointment.
I hope I have been able to pass on some information that will be helpful for you. If you would like to discuss this further please have C. send me a message.
Good luck on your unplanned journey...you must be one special mom. Remind yourself that God has entrusted you with the responsibility of caring for a child with special needs. And, He has promised that you would not recieve more than you can handle.
W. Q
HELLO C.
My name is T. and I work for skil and they will pay for your friend to have someone come in and help with little boy and will also help with other things she can't afford for him they have a wonderful program. I'm not sure where you live but go through your local welfare office and ask for a list of groups that can help with a small child with a few problems they should help with the list.If they don't have one e-mail me and I will get a phone number that can help. Good luck
C.,
Where does your friend live? If she lives in Wyandotte County she can get in contact with infant and toddler services through the kck school district. They have a program that is designed for special needs students and they have a parents as teachers program too. Something else that she might want to look into is Head Start. They have an early head start program that is designed to help little ones get that extra boost that they need. If you have any questions please feel free to email anytime!!
The only advice I can offer is...I search everything I want info on on yahoo.Just type in exactly what you want to know and it will bring up several websites to look at.You could try typing dealing with aspergers sydrome or what is AS or just type in AS.About finding a student to help.I am not sure about heading into the summer but the only suggestion I would have is calling some nearby high schools.Alot of them have child development classes and need to do so many hours of volunteering.So I would just try to speak to a teacher.You might even try a college.Also if he has a doctor confirm his disability she might be able to get approved for the state to pay for a aid to come over or to place him in a special needs daycare.Sorry to hear about this situation,GOOD LUCK!!!
Good luck to your friend. I don't know what school district she is in, but many of them have Infant Toddler Services who can help with this and it's free as part of the school district services. They won't provide the childcare help, but they will be able to get her services for treatment with a variety of developmental issues. They would need to do an evaluation and may also need a doctor's diagnosis if that hasn't already happened.
I don't know about Aspberger's at all. But there is a website. Cafemom.com that is basically a MySpace for moms. There are different groups for different moms, they have one for moms of children who have autism and asberger's. Good luck to her and you! We all need it!
i am sorry to hear about your friend's situation. Has she tried to contact a group about her needs? I know that Catholic Charities is a great organization that helps out people or can at least direct them in the right direction. Hope this helps! :)
Doctors thought that my son had aspergers and it can be hard to deal with. My son actually has adhd. We created ways to solve parenting problems by turning them into positive memories. This was necessary due to his language processing problems. A simple 'follow the rules' approach didn't work for him. If it weren't for these solutions, I'd have been scolding the whole time and not enjoying his childhood.
This book can help in raising your friend's son no matter what it turns out to be...aspergers, autism, or adhd. It's only $9.95 at www.twominutemom.com
Good luck!
B.
