lingle's "leaving" party - please pop over to the pub

[lingle]

DS2 turns 5 on Saturday. For the last two years, this board has effectively been my workplace - but I (tentatively) think it's time to move towards semi-retirement - though doubtless I'll be like one of those retirees who still insists on popping into the office, and indeed may seek to return on a consultancy basis . Ds2 is still a bit different - but we're basically there. He talks, he understands, he's tuning into others at a steady pace, he has friends. As a teenager, he may or may not decide to seek an ASC diagnosis. But the key issue for me is that I now think he will one day be independent in the full sense of the word. I will not be responsible for him when he is an adult. So it's no longer appropriate for me to be as intensively focussed on his differences from other children as I have been. It's better for him and me if I decompress a little!

This forum is an extraordinary phenomenon really, and has changed the life of everyone in my family, especially DS2's and mine.

Two semi-parting thoughts - Firstly, I believe that a SN clasic threads section would be appropriate. The days in the life of Amber, Moondog's miraculous ABA techniques for teaching the concept of time, MrsTurnip's patient explanations that autism is not one thing, these would be among my nominees. People move on, but some of these discussions should be preserved - some of them need reading and rereading, they are of such high quality and so rich. I'd also unabashedly nominate my own threads disseminating the information on receptive language that was so disgracefully hard for me to find.

Secondly, I believe a SN book review section would also be appropriate, with one book title per thread, and would be glad to cut and paste my comments on Hanen books and Greenspan's work into such a section.

Drinks are on me

Oh and Happy Birthday DS and can I have a large G&T. x

Best wishes for the future for you and your family Lingle. Over the months you have given some advice/links which I have found incredibly useful. Happy birthday to your DS on Saturday I hope he enjoys himself whatever you decide to do!

Mine is a large glass of rose please

So glad to hear your DS2 is doing so well and that you feel you can get on with life as it is I hope one day I feel the same, we are nearly there as well.

Best wishes from me too - I have always looked out for your posts and have one on receptive language printed out for reference. Happy birthday to your DS. xx

It's wine forty five, so I'll join you in a drink.

Goodbye, lingle. I'm glad you're able to move on, but I hope you can keep a toe in here, since you have so much to offer.

Amberlight- I am chuffed that you know who I am as you once said you found it hard to distinguish us all! That's one good thing about not name-changing . If mumsnet HQ would do a "classics" thread, I would urge you to gather up some of the testimony you have given in your threads about life as you see it as people find it so valuable.

Sphil, I hope your DS is doing well. I recall this was a time of change as he becomes more engaged and challenging. How is he doing with the auditory sensory issues? Ds2 has found his ear-defenders to be like magic. However, he would not have been able to tolerate the constriction of the defender at an earlier developmental stage.

Thank you to everyone who has signed in.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/1022675-Three-year-ols-speech

someone jump in please! I'm retiring! It's like resisting the tempation to deal with one last fax.......

should have trusted you totalchaos.
see, I can leave, it's ok....

He's doing well thanks Lingle - I've been doing some more detailed research into biomedical approaches recently and have changed his supplement regime to include digestive enzymes. Cautiously optimistic at this point - though as ever it's hard to pinpoint exactly what is influencing his behaviour and abilities at any particular moment. Auditory sensitivity comes and goes - no fingers in ears at all today at shrieky swimming pool. Speech is coming on slowly - latest phrase being 'I can't wait' - which, as you can imagine, he is finding very useful!

so sorry to hear that you are leaving, lingle, but like everyone else, pleased that your ds has made so much progress.

we are in a similar position, in that ds's difficulties are now very subtle and will be addressed in his deferred year in a language unit.

i've always enjoyed and benefitted from your thoughtful posts and wish you and your family all the very best in the future.

Yes, she is thank you Lingle-better than I ever believed possible.

Having a child with communication needs has been an.... unforgettable experience. it has led me on a path I never thought I would ever be on but it's one I wouldn't have missed for the world. it's turned me into a radically different person and a better therapist.

I genuinely believed that what was on offer was good enough a few years ago. I really did! Boy, that's flown out the window.

I don't post so much these days because now I've got my MSc (with a distinction if I may blow my own trumpet a bit) I'm trying to get bit more of a life. Cutting down on work so I can spend more time taking my kids to after school activities and you know, having a bit more fun generally.

But I love this field. It consumes me. I have some big plans afoot with my posse of amazing colleagues. The tide is changing, these interventions have had a big impact on so many kids and families and teachers we work with and where I work at least, aseismic change is underfoot.

For those of you moving beyond an intensive early years sort of intervention and onto honing and refining academic skills, I urge you to look into Precision Teaching and the use of the Standard Celeration Chart. Also reading programmes such as Headsprout (online) and Direct Instruction programmes from people like Zig Engelmann and Michael Maloney.

Morningside Acadamy, Kent Johnson., Michael Fabrizio and Carl Binder are establishments, practitioners and academics who have transformed thel ives of many, including my own child.

I shudder to think of how our lives would have been had I not come across these individuals via my MSc.

Moondog, can I just take this opportunity to thank you for all your posts in this area? You have been an inspiration also, and at least for me personally, taught me to question the 'therapy' DD1 was getting and it was found severely wanting. Armed with that I was able to get a meeting with our service lead, who was very interested in my views on what needed to change. Perhaps too late for DD1 in terms of pre-school intervention, but hopefully a change in favour of the next wave of children.

Pleasure again.
Lougle are you an oldie with a new name? I thought you were Lingle with a new name for a while (as she used to name change a bit I think.)

Note to self: do keep up.

Yes, its lou031205, moondog. I am very glad that you have got your MSc, it's great to know that you will use it for all it's worth, too

Sorry to read that you'll be going lingle, but delighted to hear about your son's progress - long may it continue! Hope you'll be back for regular visits. I'm not much of a chatter but I've enjoyed reading your posts.

Ah, now I know you.
Thanks
Best thing I've done in years.
I'm appalled and terrified at what I didn't know before I did it.

It must be thrilling and daunting at the same time, having the opportunity to make changes to the whole SALT service from within. What a privilege though.

Hmmmmm. I don't flatter myself that I can do that much. People resist change.
That's all I have to say on that topic.

I've just read Roger Scruton's 'The uses of pessimism and the danger of false hope' (excellent).This quote resonates with me greatly

'.. the Third Law of Politics tells us the simplest way to explain the behaviour of any bureacratic organisation is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies'.

Sounds like a good book.

Good luck, lingle. We have had many 'conversations' over the last few years and I am so pleased that DS2 has made such great progress. I have not been on this section for a long time, as my DS2 is very much improved, to the point of being signed off SALT. School made a massive difference to how he communicated.

Hope your DS2 enjoys school as much as mine does .

Hi Lingle!

So happy for you that Ds is doing so well, it's been a real struggle and he's such a resilient wee man!

Enjoy the breather and change of focus.

Sending you a large chunk of M&S victoria sponge, it's my favourite! x