Autism

[Matlock]

Hi all, Well the young fella is still at home, The week before last i was between laughing and wanting to choke him when he
said Mid term break next week, We have tried everything and are now at the stage where we are going to just go with the flow,
It is very sad to see him waste his potential and he does have potential,

I don't know if this will help, but if he has potential, it will still be there in years to come.

I know a girl who refused to go to school for 2 years (bullying and eating disorder issues). At the time her parents were tearing their hair out, but ultimately decided like you that they couldn't force her.

She is in her later 20s now and is a teacher. Took her a few years longer to get there, but she's now living independently and all that.

 

[jimmym]

I don't know if this will help, but if he has potential, it will still be there in years to come.

I know a girl who refused to go to school for 2 years (bullying and eating disorder issues). At the time her parents were tearing their hair out, but ultimately decided like you that they couldn't force her.

She is in her later 20s now and is a teacher. Took her a few years longer to get there, but she's now living independently and all that.

Hi Mattie, Thanks for that, It makes perfect sense,

 

[Swanforthelough]

Thanks folks, At times i feel like just cutting him adrift and letting him deal with the fallout himself but he is still a child,
Bank holiday monday he ventured out to a neighbours house to clean her car, That kind of thing keeps him occupied and is a challenge he enjoys,
Technology is a curse i am sure we are not alone in trying to set boundaries , We can only hope he pulls himself out of this hole,

Looking back on my own situation I can relate a bit to it, diagnosis only 30s too late but explained a lot looking back..Could be devil at home in school brain wandering but then was in my element when found things that interested and excited me. Used to spend summers working on uncles farm me and the cows loved it but come August thoughts of back to school freak me out…would often take 2 man tent cycle to west cork Kerry alone and was different person… Things have not moved on educationally where neurodiverse people are square pegs but expected to fit in round holes…after school which I flunked at some aspects thrived others but still did not meet the grades found a life in the outdoors mostly loved it but would not have lasted 5 mins in office job or college…

Looking back wouldn’t change a thing I did it my way… Key is to find some activities that stimulate mind of your kid as 90% of usual things will bore him make him react badly..easier said than done but there is something out there for him…

 

[Blue Jasmin]

Percentage of children diagnosed with autism rises threefold in less than a decade​

Increase posing challenges for education authorities to find appropriate places for those with additional needs​

About one in 20 schoolchildren are being diagnosed with autism, a threefold increase in less than a decade, Department of Education figures show.

The growing incidence is placing strain on the education system as authorities scramble to find appropriate school places for children with additional needs.

Dozens of parents protested earlier this month outside the department as part of a sleep-out to draw attention to shortages of school places for children with special needs.

Official records show the department has moved from using an estimated autism prevalence rate of 1.5-1.6 per cent among schoolchildren several years ago to 5 per cent.

It says this means at least 400 new special classes and 200 new special school places will be required every year for the next three years to keep pace with demand. The need for special education places at second level is also projected to increase significantly.

Special schools support students with more complex special educational needs in cases where a full time mainstream placement is unsuitable.

Most experts put the rise in autism prevalence rates down to increased awareness, better diagnosis and widening of assessment boundaries for autism.

A government report in 2018 on autism prevalence also noted that in many countries, including the Republic, a diagnosis of autism gives children greater access to a special school or special class.

“This benefit makes clinicians more likely to diagnose a child with autism, even those who are on the borderline of the clinical criteria,” the report noted.

Last year, in the region of 8,000 children were enrolled in special schools and a further 20,000 pupils in special classes in mainstream schools.

The department says the significant rise in projected demand for school places reflects the increase in autism diagnoses and the rising number of children referred for special classes or school placements.

“There remains a high demand for special class and school places,” according to department briefing notes prepared for Minister for Education Helen McEntee.

“Since 2020, over 1,700 new special classes have been sanctioned and 11 special schools have been established. For this school year, 409 classes, mainly autism classes, were established nationwide. Four special schools in counties Meath, Wexford, Kildare and Limerick also opened.”

The department projects that about four special classes, typically with six students per class, will be needed in every second-level school to keep pace with demand. However, records show there are challenges in providing these places.

“There are a number of challenges in maintaining the accelerated delivery of additional specialist provision – particularly in relation to capital funding to refurbish existing school accommodation and provide additional accommodation as well as in relation to teacher supply to fill positions in new special classes and special schools,” records say.

Erica Boyce, one of the parents who protested outside the department earlier this month, said many parents do not have access to an appropriate school place that meets their children’s assessed needs.

Her son, five-year-old Marley needs a special class placement but has been rejected by 10 schools to date.

“We’ve to fight for our children. We’ve no choice,” she said. “The Minister needs to listen to what we have to say. We’re begging for them to have appropriate school places.”

Health services, too, are under acute pressure with thousands of children with disabilities waiting for an “initial contact” from child disability services. Many have been waiting years to access vital therapeutic services.

Department records say the National Council for Special Education is looking to introduce special classes to large primary schools that do not have any help to ensure an “even spread” across the system. The council is meeting weekly with the department to plan for “sufficient provision” in the coming year, the records say.

Percentage of children diagnosed with autism rises threefold in less than a decade

Increase is posing challenges for education authorities to find appropriate school places for children with additional needs

www.irishtimes.com

 

[El Guapo]

Not sure if this is the place for this, but it's a good read

‘He nails it on the first take’: how the Beatles helped my autistic son find his voice

After John Harris’s son was diagnosed, conversation always seemed focused on the things he would struggle with. But a shared passion for playing music grew into something James could do – brilliantly

www.theguardian.com

 

[Clairecarebear]

Firstly, I hope your lad is doing well Jimmy, and yourself and the rest of the family.

Last week I was assisting in the final stages of a study being carried out by Trinity on the school experience for Autistic adults during their education.
There was a mix of those diagnosed since childhood, and late diagnosed, men and women, various societal backgrounds etc. A very good representation of all cross-sections.
An enormous amount of extremely interesting information came out, both on and off topic. Without writing essays the main ones were:
- School is a source of bad memories and anxiety for the majority, particularly secondary school.
- Late diagnosed people had a far worse experience in school than those who were diagnosed before or during school
- Most carry a feeling of inadequacy in adulthood directly related to their school experience
- Girls had a better experience than boys
- If they were allowed delve deeper into subjects of interest then school would have been more tolerable
- The words "should" and "potential" were trigger words in many cases
- Transitioning between subjects/classes was extremely challenging
- Over 90% experienced bullying of some form. More so with undiagnosed school goers
- Never getting it right was a common theme of how they felt
- Criticism of behaviours they were doing to try and avoid criticism
- All energy was being used in trying to survive, with little left to focus on academia

 

[Meridian]

I just came across the below online, out of curiosity I read it and to those of us not on the spectrum I have to say this certainly is an insight ;

"Autistic brains produce 42% more information at rest (than neurotypicals). Our brains have LOTS more neurons, SEE IMAGE.

When we say we See More, Hear More, Smell More, Taste More, and Feel More, it's NOT an exaggeration or figure of speech!

We get MORE of ALL the senses. THIS is why we get Overloaded. This is why we have MELTDOWNS.

To you, it's a grocery store. To us, it's: VISUAL Overload (from the sheer number of items we see); COLOR overload (all the labels, plus all the colors of clothing people wear); MOVEMENT Overload (the people moving, the baskets, the forklifts, the cart returns), at All Times, Every Second We're In The Building;

SOUND overload (people talking, wheels squeaking, babies crying, boxes being sliced open, scales moving, forklifts beeping, beep goes the checkout scanners 100's of times a minute), and we HEAR IT ALL, at all times, at dozens or hundreds of times LOUDER than You hear it;

SMELL Overload (we smell every shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream, soap, deodorant, spice, fruit, vegetable, laundry detergent, and cleaning supply for sale- plus all of that for every individual person in the store!), and we Smell it dozens if not hundreds of times stronger than you smell it;

LIGHTS Overload, aka Photosensitivity. The lights are LITERALLY dozens, if not Hundreds, of times Brighter for US. Some lights are worse than others- and those long tube lights in grocery stores are Number One for Photosensitivity Overload.

DECISION PARALYSIS- Which way to go to start, what item was I getting again? What aisle was that on? How much money do I have to spend today? Oh that person is coming at me, should I slow down or speed up, are they turning, am I blocking what they're getting? Did I want chips? Wait- I have a list. Where's the list? What was I getting again?

Only ALL OF THAT hits in the FIRST TEN SECONDS of entering the building, leaving us FROZEN and UNABLE to proceed. Think of it like LAG, when you ask your electronic to DO TOO MUCH, TOO FAST. That is Decision Paralysis, and it's often brought on, not Just by all those questions (and more) listed, it's brought on because those thoughts are happening WHILE all the OTHER SENSORY items are Overloading our circuits!

This SHUTS DOWN our Executive Function- which is the ability to do things (like drive, get dressed, follow a recipe- grocery shop), and also causes Task Paralysis, the inability to START.

There's going to be a period of Nothing Happening, just Leave Us Alone during this time, and If Left Alone, we'll "catch up" in our brain and be Able to proceed. We may need to Stim during this time, or move our body to calm down- rocking, wringing our hands, twiddling fingers, twirling hair- leave us alone to stim, it's how we self regulate and are able to navigate the Drastic Changes we just experienced."

-Michelle Mason

 

[Swanforthelough]

I just came across the below online, out of curiosity I read it and to those of us not on the spectrum I have to say this certainly is an insight ;

"Autistic brains produce 42% more information at rest (than neurotypicals). Our brains have LOTS more neurons, SEE IMAGE.

When we say we See More, Hear More, Smell More, Taste More, and Feel More, it's NOT an exaggeration or figure of speech!

We get MORE of ALL the senses. THIS is why we get Overloaded. This is why we have MELTDOWNS.

To you, it's a grocery store. To us, it's: VISUAL Overload (from the sheer number of items we see); COLOR overload (all the labels, plus all the colors of clothing people wear); MOVEMENT Overload (the people moving, the baskets, the forklifts, the cart returns), at All Times, Every Second We're In The Building;

SOUND overload (people talking, wheels squeaking, babies crying, boxes being sliced open, scales moving, forklifts beeping, beep goes the checkout scanners 100's of times a minute), and we HEAR IT ALL, at all times, at dozens or hundreds of times LOUDER than You hear it;

SMELL Overload (we smell every shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream, soap, deodorant, spice, fruit, vegetable, laundry detergent, and cleaning supply for sale- plus all of that for every individual person in the store!), and we Smell it dozens if not hundreds of times stronger than you smell it;

LIGHTS Overload, aka Photosensitivity. The lights are LITERALLY dozens, if not Hundreds, of times Brighter for US. Some lights are worse than others- and those long tube lights in grocery stores are Number One for Photosensitivity Overload.

DECISION PARALYSIS- Which way to go to start, what item was I getting again? What aisle was that on? How much money do I have to spend today? Oh that person is coming at me, should I slow down or speed up, are they turning, am I blocking what they're getting? Did I want chips? Wait- I have a list. Where's the list? What was I getting again?

Only ALL OF THAT hits in the FIRST TEN SECONDS of entering the building, leaving us FROZEN and UNABLE to proceed. Think of it like LAG, when you ask your electronic to DO TOO MUCH, TOO FAST. That is Decision Paralysis, and it's often brought on, not Just by all those questions (and more) listed, it's brought on because those thoughts are happening WHILE all the OTHER SENSORY items are Overloading our circuits!

This SHUTS DOWN our Executive Function- which is the ability to do things (like drive, get dressed, follow a recipe- grocery shop), and also causes Task Paralysis, the inability to START.

There's going to be a period of Nothing Happening, just Leave Us Alone during this time, and If Left Alone, we'll "catch up" in our brain and be Able to proceed. We may need to Stim during this time, or move our body to calm down- rocking, wringing our hands, twiddling fingers, twirling hair- leave us alone to stim, it's how we self regulate and are able to navigate the Drastic Changes we just experienced."

-Michelle Mason

It’s overload everything question is how are you processing this information or how are you in the right frame of mind do ditch the useless information that a neurotypical does at ease or does not even see to piss them off..trigger them..Problem is when you are undiagnosed you have no idea what’s wrong with you..thankfully legal form of speed goes long way these days…

 

[Great-Bit-O-Stuff]

I'm definitely autistic. I heard people on about it in UCC but not in a good way. It would have been nice to have been told properly

 

[Swanforthelough]

I'm definitely autistic. I heard people on about it in UCC but not in a good way. It would have been nice to have been told properly

Why not take the test..if your on the neurodiverse spectrum makes life much easier.