Hang in there! I have a grandson who is a highfunctioning autistic 8 yr old. He was diagnosed early at age 2.
My daughter is a very hands on person and I can put you in touch with her if you like. She is strong on educating on autism. She has a forum she uses that helps to talk to others with similar situations.
Sara has a 10 yr old with bipolar disorder and we think auspergers (mild form of autism) and a tick disorder. Zach is 8 with autism and Rachel is 7 with Russel Silvers Syndrome.(a growth disorder-she does not grow as fast as she is supposed to will always be small)
So she has learned to deal with doctors and does a lot of research and canput you in touch with people who can help.
We have done alot of learning about sensory toys. I have a sling swing in the middle of my livingroom primarily for Zach. This gives him the stimulus he needs to help keep him in one place for awhile and it calms him down.
If I can help just ask and I will try! We are experienced grandparents of an autistic grandson and I have him two weekends a month to give Sara a break and a chance to spend quality time with her other two. Zach is a runner so you always have to concentrate on knowing where he is at all times. It wears you out!!
I feel for you but these kids can lead a close to normal life if they get the help they need both physical and educational!
We worried what kind of life he will have but he has been making leaps and bounds in his learning abilities so we are greatly impressed with how well he is doing!!
Yes he is handicapped and always will be but there are ways to cope and give him a full productive life!!!
Hope this encourages you and lifts your spirits!!
BTW My sil refused to believe anything was wrong with Zach for a long time! But he and his parents have come around over time and they all understand him very welll now. It takes time to get over the shock and to learn what autism is all about. We all did the oh he'll grow out of it. He's just fine. Stages
YOu will probably find Doctors who are not as helpful as they should be. ONe of Zach's earliest problems was he would sleep for a couple of hours and then be up at 1 am and not go back to sleep for 4 or 5 hours. Their bodies don't make enough Melatonin to tell the body it needs to sleep.
This is very wearing and especially when Sara had two othere children.
The doctor accused her of wanting to medicate Zaach just so she could sleep!!! Of course she and Zach needed to sleep! She had to be able to take care of him!!!!
Zach still did not sleep the night through for many months after but he slept for longer at a time. He now usually sleeps through the night.
Hope this helps to let you know you are not alone and there are lots of people that are more than willing to help you along the way! It is a fight to get the best for your child or children if both boys have it.
REALLY IMPORTANT
Educate yourself as much as possible so you have a good understanding of what is best for your child. Don't just take the doctor's word for anything. Go in prepared with questions to ask the doctor so you can have a say in what is decided and don't let them run over you!
God Bless you and your family and I know you will come out on the other end of this trial just fine!!!!
[email protected] Rhonda