Autism Times six.. on discovery health

by Cc81 92 Replies latest social family

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  mrsjones5

  so if i knew a child was going to be handicap i would continue the pregnancy

  That's the funny thing with autism, you don't know until it manifests itself with behaviors that aren't apparent until the child maybe a year old. I have four children, my last is autistic. I had no warning that this would happen. I have a first cousin, she has three children. Her first two are on the spectrum but her last is not. She could have stopped at two but those first two didn't predict her having a normal third. So get this, autism can happen to anyone, whether there is a family history or not. No family is immune.
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  Cc81

  absolutely. You never know with autism. i understand that. What do you think about immunizations and autism? I have heard so many conflicting reports on it. I also know many mothers who feel as if the immunizations had something to do with it.
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  Fadeout

  Simple, just make abortions mandatory for genetically inferior fetuses, and have post-natal abortions for kids who develop problems later on.
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  LDH

  There is NO scientific link between autism and immunizations.

  And while Mrs Jones is right, there is no guaranteed predictor....

  I have a first cousin, she has three children. Her first two are on the spectrum but her last is not. She could have stopped at two but those first two didn't predict her having a normal third.

  I'm not a gambling woman. Me, personally.

  And I saw that preview. The woman was sitting on the floor crying while mayhem happened all around her. I'm sorry, that's not my vision of a peaceful family home.
• 

  LDH

  Autism X 6 October 1 at 8 pm

  e-mail share bookmark print To email this article, type in your friend's name and email address, your name and email address, and a message. Then click "submit." Friend's name: Friend's email: Your name: Your email: Optional Message: </form> Message Sent! close Yahoo! Buzz del.icio.us Digg Mixx MySpace Newsvine Reddit close

  Imagine a family with six children under 14 living in an 1100 sq. ft. house, with one bathroom. Now imagine that all 6 of those children are autistic.
  
  Tune in Wednesday, October 1, for Autism X 6.

  In this one-hour special, we'll explore the everyday reality of John and Robin Kirton and their children — who range from 3 to 14. The Kirtons may well have the largest of autistic children in a family ever in history.

  Logistics and problem-solving on a daily basis are daunting tasks. On any typical afternoon when all six Kirton kids are home, life can spin out of control in a millisecond. Turn your back, and anything can happen. Aamon is likely to climb up on a high bureau and teeter atop it while he tests how far it will rock before it falls over. Meanwhile, Sarah might be tearing at the walls; Nephi and Emma are fighting over computer time and both melting down. Little Mary has gotten into the garlic powder, and Bobby's trying to fix everything by constantly cleaning.

  We are going to get inside the experience of this family and live with each of them. We'll go to autism school where Aamon, Mary and Sarah get intense, in-your-face, behavioral training. We'll see what it's like for Bobby, who goes to regular school but has never really fit in. We'll see what happens when the parents try to take this unruly brood to a restaurant. And we'll be in the room when John and Robin have to face up to the results of having their kids evaluated.

  In the end, we'll have seen struggle, learned a lot about autism and, above all, witnessed the strength of a family bond against staggering obstacles.

  So let's all sit around and watch other's misery and bad fortune in the name of entertainment....
• 

  LDH

  When we married we wanted a larger than average family. When each baby came we felt there was still one more little child waiting in Heaven to be a part of our family. After Mary that feeling was gone and we felt complete as a family. We didn't know something was going on until after the last baby, Mary, was almost a year old. Also, we did not have an official diagnosis for all the children until November of 2006.

  In February 2007 we watched an episode of “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”, we enjoy it as a family to see if the family's story is as tough as our own. The show said that the family, they helped build a new home for, had the most documented Autistic children, five, for one family in the United States. My wife and I looked at each other, we have SIX documented Autistic children. It looks like WE have the most in the country, who knows maybe the world, isn't THAT special?!

  The 3 youngest are still in diapers and the 4 and 6 year old are completely non-verbal, they are also our biters (chomp!). We have to put them in backward one piece outfits to keep them from stripping and smearing their poop everywhere. Our 4 year old climbs on, breaks and rips EVERYTHING. His nickname we've given him is “Ammon the Destroyer” (like Conan the Destroyer).

  Each day is a challenge, something happens EVERY day. It was recommended that my wife be evaluated. She found out she is borderline clinical depression and has generalized anxiety disorder (we weren't too surprised about that one). We also believe she has fibromyalgia as she has those symptoms too. She is taking Prozac to help her through each day.

  We're trying hard to be the best parents our children need. Unfortunately our lack of space (1100 sq. ft. 3 bed, 1 bath, no basement) at home and our finances make it a bit difficult. Our 3 and 4 year olds go to a preschool for Autistic children. The 6, 9 and 10 year olds have an IEP in place for them at their elementary school. The 14 year olds situation is similar at his Jr. High school.

  We feel we should be doing more but we're just not sure of what and where to get more help and how to do it all. Last Fall John was no longer able to maintain a job outside the home. "They were just tired on all the time I had to be away from work". John came up with the ideas for this website that is a place where we hope to help other parents of Autistic children and hopefully earn a small income. The progress is slow. But by the grace of God we are hanging in there and hope that our example can help other Autistic parents.

  —John and Robin Kirton

  http://autismbites.com/aboutus.html

  That's their blog.
• 

  StAnn

  LDH said:

  St. Ann for your other two there is always therapy.

  Thank you for your astute observation that my children only need therapy. You are so wise and informed about all of these various illnesses. To think, all these people with disabilities, all they need is therapy. How stupid we parents are!

  Of course my kids get many therapies, have since birth. And amazingly, they're still handicapped.

  StAnn
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  StAnn

  Quandry said:

  Many times, those with "special needs" children feel that the state should help provide for them. Schools must hire extra personnel to help, many times in classes with only a few children, because it is very time consuming to deal with several disabled children.

  I understand if a person has a child with special needs, then a second, but then, get a clue, there may be more. I don't feel that I should have to help support them.

  The government mandated education for special needs children. This was something Hillary Clinton worked on when she worked for the Children's Defense Fund. If you don't like it, tell your legislators. Oh, and while you're at it, tell them to fire all of the "reading specialists" and other classroom aides and school psychologists, too. Especially school nurses. Having to spend tax money so some little brat can get their asthma medicine at school is a huge waste of my money. I shouldn't have to help pay for that. Let their parents come to school and medicate them. All we need is one teacher for 50 kids. And make their parents pack their lunches. Why should we subsidize school lunches and pay people to cook for these brats?

  I'm glad you don't feel you have to support special needs kids. When your grandparents or parents get elderly and have to go on Medicare and Medicaid and are in a nursing home, I'll send the Feds a letter telling them that I don't feel like paying for nursing care for these old, unproductive, useless eaters. If they couldn't earn enough money in their lifetime to provide for their end-of-life care, throw them in the gutter and let them die.

  What a lovely world we live in.

  StAnn
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  mrsjones5

  i understand that. What do you think about immunizations and autism?

  I've look at both sides and I'm still up in the air about it. I do know that my youngest son was the only one to get a 3 shot combo when he was an infant, some say that those combo shots could be a contributing factor.
• 

  mrsjones5

  That was your choice and I completely support your right to that choice.

  LDH, I don't quite understand what you mean by that. I took a precaution, it didn't work. I had sex, got pregnant with my fouth child. Never did it cross my mind the option of aborting that child simply because I would have rathered not have a fourth. The autism thing came along about a year of more after his birth. If I had know he would turn out this way abortion still wouldn't have crossed my mind. He's not a choice, he's my son, my baby boy and my responsilibility.