'I recommend the book .. The strange incident of the dog in the night'.. Yes, Im aware of this book.. thanks.
I will be writing a hub about how a gluten free/casine free diet has a positive affect on people with autism. I know it works, cos I got my son tested and his behaviour is 100 times better whilst on it.
Anyway... I thought I might post you a little something - before I hub it - I dont want to be accused of publising!
The Story of Daniel
Dan has mild aspbergers autism. He always was an enigma and such a quiet baby. His first words were 'car', I guess these beasts had a marked impression on him. Even as a baby, he had signs of obsessional behaviour. A text book baby, they told me in hospital as he was dying of dyhydration because he refused to drink. Fortunately, he did learn that this basic task and now he is approaching 14, he has somehow got through. I still, however, get frustrated with him through his lack of drinking.
I remember him spinning and making noises as a pre-schooler... obsessed at dressing up - a policeman, Darth Vader, a fireman. He always seemed a loner but as he was difficult, captured the teachers constant attention right through his early school life - guiding him every step of the way at the expense of the other children. He has learned that he can control his environment, particularly women, through manipulative behaviours in order to get total one to one attention.
Dan had a difficult relationship with his father. Paul could not cope with his difficulties which lead to a few instances of... err... heavy handedness. I remember constantly searching for the answers through education. It was this that gave me the impetous to do my diploma and, later, the psychology. Then...Eureka! I found it in amongst my text... 'Autistic Spectrum Disorder', one aspect under this umbrella known as 'Aspbergers'. It didn't help confuse the issue, though, that Dan had glue ear on many occasions. I fought for him to have gromets on numerous occasions and this did help, especially as the school he attended were doing their upmost to condemn us all as disfunctional. They even brought in a behavourist to develop programmes for him. They couldn't handle his dreamy, irritating behaviour... at the end of the day, why not blame it on the parents?? Easy option, eh? My response was to bring in someone from the deaf society, a speech and language therapist and a clinical psychologist to provide education to what appears the uneducated! I don't suppose it helped that Dan had sneaked out a vibrator and, presumably, waved it around the school playground as something hillariously funny! I can not imagine what conversations must have taken place in the staff room!
It was 2004 when Dan was diagnosed. I, essentially had to battle with the education system for years because they didn't understand him. As if this wasn't hard enough, I had to contend with the daily obsessions and lack of social skills associated with a child like Dan (as well as treat my youngest son with insulin dependant diabetes from the age of 18 months - see Christian's story). Through my seeking through my OU courses, I learned techniques to help him; although I feel today 'what good has it done?', I can not know where he would be without such intervention.
Every day is a battle to get him motivated now he has reached adolescence. I have to keep him to task every moment (not to mention the constant school reviews, assessments and letters to home telling me what Dan has done next!). He just slips into a dream and forgets to wash, dress and be on time for school. It is exhausting, but Dan just thinks... 'Don't worry, it will be alright'. The other day, whilst escorting my youngest son to the bus stop, I managed to get him to eat his fromage frais for breakfast prior to leaving. I told him (you have to be very black and white with instructions for autistic people) to go upstairs and get ready for school whilst I was out - he needed to be ready to leave by 8.10 am. When I arrived home at 8.15, I went upstairs and there he was, lying on his bed with a broken coat hanger, pretending to shoot whatever he was imagining in his mind. I said 'Dan, you needed to be ready and gone for school, I told you this before I left'. It was another one of those 'last straw' days for me. I broke down and cried. He said 'Don't worry mum, it will be alright!'. 'No Dan, it's not alright.' I replied, weeping. He went downstairs and brought up a cat that has adopted us and gave her to me. 'Ginger will make you feel better.' He said. He just didn't 'get it', did he? Despite the omega fish oils that I get him to take and the gluten free diet to help with the dreaminess... he just doesn't get it! Exhausted, alone with having to cope (Paul has since left the home now some 4 months - better for one person has a life, than none), I still, somehow, keep going - despite the feelings of the dark days - I can not give up on him ... he is my cross to bare and is the path that I chose when I begged the nurse to save him prior to the emergency section back in 1994. Both of us were close to death - I had pre-eclampsia toxemia followed by a near stroke and a staphlaccocus aureus infection through the dirty knives used to cut me at Milton Keynes hospital. I even managed a little suffocation as the oxygen canaster had run out during the op! Somehow, then, I managed to make my paralysed body be heard during the general anethesthetic ... I could hear what sex my baby was and with all my soul managed to get the attention of the anethetist who realised that I was suffocating! Still, we are both here and, all I can say is that I have done my best, in every way, with good intentions.
Dan can be a wonderful young man in his own quirkey way and I do love him, but it can be exhausting to teach him independance skills for the future but, by God, he will get there! I have every intention of travelling in the next few years and this is my focus.
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