Autism insight from Carly Fleischmann

[Brónach Druid]

I found this story very interesting. I worked with many people who had a diagnosis of MR and Autism. In some cases with some technology we used or with facilitative communication it had many of us wondering if they were really MR are all. Anyway, I thought I would post the info here in case anyone missed this story and was interested. :)

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4311223&page=1

[Lunacie]

What is "MR"?

I wish there had been more information about Autism 4 years ago when we were starting to worry about my granddaughter - if we had realized sooner she could have gotten some intervention and not ended up so far behind her peers perhaps, and maybe not so frustrated. She is 6 now, and we only began to suspect Autism about a year ago, maybe not quite that long. It has been confirmed by our therapist now.

[Brónach Druid]

MR is Mental Retardation. Of course, not all people with autism are assumed to be mentally retarded, I just worked with some who were dueling diagnosised. Part of why I found her story so interesting was that even some professionals had labeled her as moderately to severely cognitively impaired, and now are finding this was not the case at all.

[Sun Sprite]

I worked with one autistic child one summer while in college. In two months, he went from non-verbal to the class policeman. At first, I didn't know what was different about him, and trie to get him to join in story time. Then, I gave up, and let him gravitate to it on his own. He would play nearby, and not interrupt, so I know he was listening, just couldn't sit still in the middle of the group.

I cannot remember what the break through moment was. But, I knew when it happened. He wanted to be a member of the class, and would go around breaking up arguments, and trying to help those who fell down.

He was four or five at the time. At the end of the two months, he was makeing remarkable progress. I hope he found someone to further help him improve his social skills. That daycare was horrible, I wouldn't send my worst eneimies child there, yet I hope I touched a few lives in good ways that summer. I do remember some of those kids, and the changes they made, mostly for the better. (Even the class bully decided he didn't want to be a bully anymore).

[Lunacie]

MR is Mental Retardation. Of course, not all people with autism are assumed to be mentally retarded, I just worked with some who were dueling diagnosised. Part of why I found her story so interesting was that even some professionals had labeled her as moderately to severely cognitively impaired, and now are finding this was not the case at all.

Oh. I suppose it would be even harder to know for sure when the child cannot speak. With my granddaughter it depends on whether you catch her on a bad day or a good day - which can change from hour to hour even. One moment she is using baby talk and pointing at things instead of asking for them with words, and a short time later she is carrying on a one-sided conversation where we are merely an audience, and then a bit later she will have a very good two-way conversation where she can use big words and clearly understands them. BiPolar has not been ruled out, nor has ODD.

It was assumed my little brother was brain damaged at birth and he never spoke - but maybe he could have if the technology had been available 40 years ago?