Oh for FUCK's sake

[getbackinyouryurtjimjams]

First ds1 was kicking off in school so I got called in (he was loopy- have never seen him like that - attacking any adult that went near him).

Then I got back to find that my fucking windows which I had been assured were on their way to being sorted and would now go through smoothly have been rejected because the quotes were for wood not uPVC. We have been through this with them- in fact THEY told me - the person who wrote the sodding letter told me- it's a conservation area so has to be in wood. We're leaving half the window in at the top anyway- so we can hardly have half in uPVC and half in wood.

In the meantime ds1 is climbing them constantly - do they actually need him to fall through a first floor window before they actually do anything? This has been going on for over a year. Luckily I have a lovely OT who said she will sort it out.

Anyway am now suitably pissed off and wound up enough to write a letter of complaint about my cut in dp's as well.

sorry you continue to be dicked around with the window issue - hope that the letter gets seen by someone sensible.

Oh fgs! When are they going to get their act tgether about your windows?!

Hope ds1 calms down soon, and at least you now have the pent up frustration at the boil for the complaint letter...

And I need to ring up and find out which days ds1 is going to his playscheme (they forget to tell you that sort of stuff) so I can sort out ds2 and ds3 and work over the summer and I can't because I'm bloody blubbing from frustration.

When I see ds1 kicking off like he was in school I realise how close we are to not being able to cope with him (a few months of that and it would be impossible) and so it completely pisses me off that they won't even help make his environment safe/give us sufficient help without a fight. If he has to go into residential because we can no longer cope he'll be costing them a lot more than a bunch of sodding windows and a few hours of dps.

What is the matter with them! Not supprised you are wound up!

im really sorry i cant offer advice. but i am thinking of you {{HUGS}} (im sorry, its a bit pityful.)

this window saga has been rumbling on hasn't it?

ffs indeed

I wish I could wave a magic wand all over the SN board and make it all ok and/or a lottery windfall

is it too early for wine?

xx

Lottery would be nice.

Have written letter of complaint about direct payments

Sorry you've had a bad day JJ. Any idea what made DS1 kick off?

Oh bollocks JimJams. I gave up with DFG. Just hope you can get it sorted.

Hope things are a bit better today.

The DFG has been agreed in principal for about a year now It seems to be one guy putting up obstacles at every stage.

Have found out that SS are actually effectively cutting my hours of support this summer (as the playscheme isn't running all summer and some sessions are on Saturdays when I don't need help), so I do need to make sure they don't cut the hours. Person who runs the playscheme is lovely though.

We brought out the melatonin last night and that seems to have helped (again tonight).

Mega pissers.
Visit to MP re windows or contact local press?

(Do you know about RDI btw? Did a very good 2 day course with Partington in E'burgh last w/end and a lot of parnets talking about it. I recommended your website to quite a few of them. Also have had lots contacting me and linking me to vids posted on Youtube demonstrating various techniques and points. There are some amazing people posting on there.)

I know quite a bit about RDI - have seen it doing good things with one friend's son in particular (she has a video on YouTube ) and ds3 used to 'help' out in her son's programme. Don't think it's right for ds1 though.....

They have until Monday to sort the windows then it's another complaint copied to the MP accompanied by photos of the broken window tha ds2 and ds3 have had in their room (boarded up) since the winter and photos of ds1 climbing.

i would skip the mp and tell them if it is not sorted you will go to the press.

I hate threatening that but sometimes the shame of people finding out how crap services are is what seems to spur them on sometimes.

sorry that it is still going on jj.

Hope you can get it all sorted.

Perhaps we can sort out the one person who is making it all such a drama. I am sure someone on the sn board has contacts iykwim

Floortime has a similar philosophy to RDI- both are relational for example and place importance on co-regulated interactions. Gutstein (RDI bloke) is anti ABA though whereas Greenspan (Flootime bloke) is pro using ABA to teach specifics such as speech sounds/imitation etc. Gutstein does say somewhere on his website that if a child doesn't develop speech then they will need a different therapy as well- but doesn't say what. Greenspan says use ABA. Greenspan also says if a child doesn't develop speech to try typing - but to make sure you do it in a back and forth interactive type way. Floortime is far cheaper and easier to implement imo. We've been able to implement it very easily with DS1 anyway.

Greenspan does an online training course now- you might like it - it's not expensive and I think would be great for your work.

Thanks for thAt. Will check it out.
Blimey, there's a lot to take in isn't there?
How is your ds getting on typing wise btw?

I am busy cranking up the pace on my research project, which is on this reading programme. Headsprout I want to see if we can get autistic kids using it. I've got 9 kids, multiple baseline design, 3x3 groups.About to do comprehensive assessments on all before summer then after summer before starting programme to demonstrate the sadly inevitable deterioration of academic skills over summer.

Am also doing lots of talks and presentations on ABA. Have been invited to do one for heads of all special schools and units in this county which is heartening.

We're just starting. You start with pre-reading so we're doing that, it's all broken down into very small steps. I can really see how and why it works now. It's all manageable.

Headsprout looks good but is way too hard for ds1 I suspect - are you using it with moderately/HFA kids?

There's a woman in Edinburgh Maggie something? I will need to check. She gave a presentation at IMFAR - she's developed a computer program that teaches severely autistic kids to produce sentences. She showed a video of some kids using it and it looked great. They use a touch screen and have to touch things in the right order. So if they touch monkey jumps then the monkey does just that. If they touch jumps monkey then nothing happens. All children were able to get to 2 word sentences, a number 3 or 4 and one boy (completely non-verbal) flew up to 5 or 6 word sentences or something.

That sounds good JJ - do you have any more details?

They are a mix. Some are profoundedly autisitc but respond very well to computers and games so we shall see. It is broken down into tiny tiny steps and instructions remain uniform so no nasty surpises to deal with once the format has been established. Headsprout very keen to refine it for use with kids with ASD and other SN.

I did look her up after IMFAR but there was nothing about her program on her webpage. I need to check it out again and email her directly. The children on the video were more severe than your ds though sphil - it would possibly be too simple for him.

Sounds good moondog. The typing program uses a piece of software later on adapted for use with the ds1's of this world. We haven't reached that stage yet though. We have been given the all clear to start properly tomorrow, had our practice session and feedback....

Beauty of HS is that it is online and adapts continuously to child's needs. Also analyses every click and gives you constantly up to date progress report.
A child cannot pass onot a higher episode without consolidating the skills. So the child is fed exercises to do until he has reached the pre determined criteria.

I think a major difference between RDI and Floortime is that the child takes the lead much more in Floortime. RDI is based on guided participation where the parent is taking the lead.

Yes that's true. I think another difference is the way the underlying problems are viewed. Am I right in thinking that Gutstein takes a cognitive approach to the difficulties (for want of a better way of putting it) whilst Floortime takes in a sensory approach in many ways?

Sensory integration is integral to Floortime (which is the bit I find particularly helpful for ds1).

I am sure I know some (maybe one?) child with ASD who has done Headsprout. I have certainly heard of it before and that is how I would have heard..... do you want me to find out Moondog?