Nora or Devereaux Cannon

Autism is a spectrum disorder - meaning that the symptoms have a
wide range of severity. The extent to which a person with autism
is able to function in typical surroundings can vary from being
entirely dependent on supports for all activities of daily living
to the weird computer geek down the street.
http://www.teacch.com/
http://www.autism-society.org/
http://click.topica.com/maaavc3aaTkI0a4T3KNb/.


Non verbal kids with autism definitely need early intervention,
because autism frequently leads to explosive behavior if the kids
can't communicate. Other than the non-verbal kids or the ones
with such deficits that they need tube feeding, diapers, and the
like, separating them from the mainstream of life has never been
demonstrated to benefit the kid (although it does keep folks from
seeing weird kids).

Rather than addressing the issue globally ("I think your kids has
a disability") how about more specific bits and see how it goes:
"I was uncomfortable that Jane wandered away from where we were
and went into another part of the house; you might want to expose
her to more social setting so she can pick up those cues
asily." -or- "It seemed like Jane had a hard time settling down
to play 'with' Mary and Sue, why don't we go to the park and see
if they interact more easily when there are fewer distractions of
an unfamiliar place." Lots of folks seem to have great social
skills hard wired into them, but tips and techniques can help the
rest of us, LOL.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Bianco" <mummyone24@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 4:48 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] different children


| >From: SandraDodd@...
|
| >>The autistic child wouldn't have been in the normal range for
his age in
| the "your seven year old" books, but because my kids were aware
that there
| are some things younger kids are still not good at and they
were able to
| treat him as being at an earlier developmental stage, it worked
out.>>
|
|
|
| Now that this has been brought up, I have another question.
What a
| shocker!!!
| My kids also have no problem with children that are different
in so far any
| kind of way they have encounterd. Autistic, special needs or
CP. I had a
| fellow homeschooler come over to our house for a day of play
and swimming.
| She has a 6year old daughter that my daughter was thrilled to
meet. Most her
| age are boys in our group. I hadn't remembered this child but
for once at a
| park when she was 4. At that time I did notice she was happier
to be alone
| but when the mother said she was immature for age, I never
thought twice
| about it. She just seemed like she wasn't into playing with
other kids at
| that time.
|
| Well as soon as the mother and daughter walked into my house, I
knew there
| was something different. At the end of our play day, the mother
and daughter
| had fun, I was uncomfortable and my kids really didn't seem
different aside
| from the fact that they had no one to play with when they
thought they were
| going to. The child to me, as far as the info I have which
isn't much, seems
| slightly autistic. She doesn't interact at all with anyone. She
talks but
| not to anyone, not the kids or me or even her mom. She never
makes eye
| contact and just goes very quickly from one thing to another
like no one
| else is around. It was a bit uncomfortable for me because her
mother doesn't
| really watch her as if there is a problem. (my mother has a
connecting MIL
| quarters to our house and this little girl just walked right in
never saying
| a word and went into my mother's bedroom for awhile and then
just left) I
| found this out later. I've never had any child, whether
schoooled or not go
| through my house like that. So I had to watch her and make
comments when she
| did what we don't do here in the house. Like push people and
grab things
| from others and so on.
|
| My kids tried to play with her but it just wasn't possible.
They had nothing
| to say other than she seemed to not like them. The mother gives
no
| indication at all that she sees a problem. She just says being
an only
| child, that the girl is immature. Now the only autistic
children I know go
| to special classes daily. I'm not sure if that's the best thing
or not but I
| can't help but wonder that maybe this child could benefit from
some other
| type of help the mother isn't giving. The mother unschools in
as far as I
| know of, only not having work to do. I know nothing else of how
she is with
| the child.
|
| Do I say something to this mother? She frequently calls me for
advice and
| marvles at how I do it with 4 kids and thanks me greatly for
suggestions I
| have made that help her. Now I see things differently and
realize why she
| seems to need help with things. Not usre if it's for me to say
something or
| what I would exactly say.
|
| Mary B
|
|
|
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