hello i am new and have autism

I have autism and am Mum to two children, one who also has some ASD traits. I am interested in learning more about the experiences of others who are living with autism and how they manage all the day to day things in life. Also, as my son has some 'Aspy' traits I am keen to learn more about being the best Mum I can be for him.

Thank you for having me here.

mumandson (Christine)

one with autism one with aspergers one with traits one with lbd

if i can help in any way please ask away

shell

What is lbd? Please pardon my ignorance. How do you manage with six children, some with special needs? My husband finds just me hard enough and we both at times find it difficult being the best parents we can be to our son who has some ASD (Asperger's) traits.

I am discovering more and more about me everyday at the moment as I am learning to accept the things about me that make me different to other people and am also learning to consider myself as being extra special rather than a freak. I am very intelligent and am beginning to take pride in the fact that my mind is wired differently to what is usual.

I like to play with numbers in my head and I sing. I have a few very good friends who love me dearly and find amusement in my little quirks, which I don't mind as I care for them a lot and am pleased that I can make them smile. I smile only for theatrical purposes, but I am a very good actor and can 'blend' well with other people, though I find it exhausting and need some down time after being with people to have some sensory breaks and just be alone in my head.

Also, as you will have noticed I am sure, I tend to talk alot and here I suppose that tranlates to typing a lot. Please forgive me.

Thank you again for having me here,

mumandson (Christine)

Thanking you.

its learning and behaviour difficulties

and you are not ignorant i also have aspergers syndrome

shell xx

It is lovely to 'meet' someone who is a grown up with ASD too. I have high functioning autism which as you are probably aware is different to Asperger's but both are on the spectrum so therefore many similarities also. Sometimes people have said to me "OH, high functioning autism, that is the same as Asperger's". Usually I leave that alone though as I find the differences difficult to explain, more conceptual in my mind I suppose they are.

Do you find that you seperate your thoughts into some kind of compartments? I have mine in boxes, like train carriages. I am very fond of adding and multiplying and because I state the obvious all the time people think I have a keen dry sense of humour, I like that they think this as it means I have a base for building relationships. Most people in my world do not know I have autism...though I'm told often that I am a curious individual who is very predictable in my patterns of behaviour though have some surprises thrown in (I think that is mainly when people learn that I am actually very smart after thinking that I was rather unintelligent and also when I have meltdowns and do not manage to find a private place to do so first).

Oh dear, I did mention that I talk a lot. I have observed that most of the posts I have read are shorter than mine. I hope no one minds.

Thank you.

I love your wordy posts. Don't apologize. I am not on the spectrum (I don't think so, anyway). I have an adult son with some traits that I help him recognize and work with. I did not recognize his traits as being aspergers until I began working with high functioning spectrum children (ages 8-12) in my classroom.

I try to imagine my students' lives as they get older, and wonder where they will go. Reading posts in this support group gives me insight to their parents' possible frustrations, and hope for their futures.

I have experience working with many different types and levels of frustrations and sensory issues in the classroom. If I can be of any assistance, please let me know.

Liddy

I appreciate your offer of support and understanding. I think your son is blessed to have you as his Mum and also your students I am sure.

I find the sensory stuff overwhelming at best...there is always too much noise and too many sounds (I seperate these...noise is the level of the volume of all the different sounds that bump into one another and therefore make the noise volume even greater than the sum of the sounds as seperates). It makes it hard to concentrate on what I am supposed to be focussing on (like people talking to me, reading the Power Point lecture notes at uni, everything), this makes me want to withdraw into my own mind so I can be alone with my numbers and many different thoughts. When I allow myself to do this, however, I appear rather 'odd' and well...autistic I suppose.

My life requires that I need to be alert to the things happening around me and I am blessed enough to have had many years of drama, dance, music behind me and so fancy myself a brilliant actor...this allows me to be very good at appearing focussed and managing okay. It is just that as soon as the class has finished or the meeting done or my children's peer's parents have left, I have a total meltdown from being over stretched, this is something that my family suffers for. I wish that there was some way to change this, but there is none that I can think of.

Here I go being all verbose again.

If you have any suggestions of what might help or any encouragement or if anyone else has experienced similar issues, I would like to hear about them. Thanking you in anticipation.

Christine

Keep on writing - you are not alone - look out for my OTT / '' don't know when to stop '' posts !

Ask realy silly questions - I have some form of ASD , not aspergers - I call it AS - dee - 'cos , whatever it is it's mine !

I have asked safe '' big sisters '' [ NT girlfriends who like me for me ] how they understand '' family / sister / mother '' etc - 'cos I do not get it.

They could not answer , but it means something to her . She also knows that i can sense who she really is , though '' the words '' don't mean anything - Its' not just once , I have connected many times to other'' lost little girls / and tomboys , and have kinda been there while she feels listened to , believed , known - she sees it as a gift , but it's still scary sometimes .

I don't get grown up . or sense of time , age ... it's like I stopped at about 10 [ 1957 !! ] .

The best thing you can do for your little people , is to find out what is BEST FOR YOU . If you are OK with the limitations of your OOPS moments , can ask for help without feeling stupid , then your children will just know that Mommy is different , but OK with it . If you let it get to you worry about not being an NT Mum , whatever that is , then they will pick it up . Being a parent is not an exact science , and NTs make as much of a hash of it as anyone .

I have kinda found this with new people - when they know , it's better for everyone , and a shadow of 60 yeas has lifted .

I also have extreme '' boy / girl / me ? '' issues which are really scary and disruptive - but again , I have told friends and some colleagues , and not only have they been fine with it , some sense an understanding person whatever .

Which is something that the experts said can't be ASD - which is rubbish , I have read about many ASd people with a kind of empathy , but it's different from NTs idea of it !

Good luck , to you and all the group .

just dee