Children with Autism not interested in people?

[Wallace]

I am doing an Access to Nursing course and as part of my course I get to go on placement. I have chosen to go to a school for children with special needs. I am really excited (and could waffle about it for hours..). I am going to be helping out (as a Learning Support Auxillary) in many classes including classes for children with Autism. I asked the Teacher if the children would be upset/concerned about having someone new in the classroom. She replied that they wouldn't even notice as they are not interested in people. Is this a generalisation?

As you can imagine I am keen to learn as much as I can before I start on Thursday as it will be a very steep learning curve once I am there!

Christie, interesting story but it is with familiar people though. Don't like the sound of the ASD school where they were "together but separate". Our school is always trying to set up peer interaction and play and the children's reaction is limited but does develop and it certainly won't if no-one tries. DS is wonderful with DD who is 7 years younger than him so a shock to his system! He spontaneously approaches her and lets her get away with murder (taking stuff off him!).
Wallace, I think what you're saying makes sense, basically I think most children with ASD can do and will do lots of things but you have to work at it and you probably need to get the hang of getting them to interact rather than worrying about language. You know, hold back a bit when they want something to promote communication but its not necessarily that simple. We had someone working with DS who was great in many respects but she didn't quite get this sort of thing right and it always seemed like she was taunting him, "you want x.... no you can't have it hee hee, what do you want?...." it just went on too long and her tone was teasing which did not go down well with DS!

Might be the right place for this.

DS1 came home from school today fairly calm. I was changing ds3's nappy and he came up to me and said "de deen mmm". I had no idea what they meant so I told him to wait until I had finished then I would help him. he started shouting dee dee hmm over and ooaver again. I finshed the nappy and asked him to show me. he just stood there. So I told him to get a PECS and sarted hitting himself. Still shouting "dee dee mmm". Hallf an hour later he was screaming the place down shouting "dee dee mmm". And I was stumped. I was still syaing 'show me" but that just made him scream louder. Then he started coming up to me pulling my mouth down and it occurred to me that he might want me to say something. Then I realised that "mmm" is school and had a brain so I said ""where did you go today?" "mmm" "oh school, whjat did you do at school". 'dee deen" Swimming!!!!

he's been trying to tell me he'd been swimming at school (obviously after last weeks successful interchange). I think this may become a predictable routine on Tuesdays now.

No wonder they get so frustrated- it took 40 minutes for me to understand that he was telling me he'd gone swimming. Amazing that he did though.

had a brain? I gave birth to my brain 4 weeks ago. had a brainwave I mean.

well I happened to sort of put this to the test today because I had to help out at ds2's preschool session which has a little boy who is on the autistic spectrum. Now he does know me in the sense he has seen me talk to his mother and a few times I have held his hand or talked to him but I never had any impression he really knew me. Today he took my hand and led me into the play house and we sort of interacted in that he stamped his feet (the floor made a good noise) so I stamped my feet as well and talked to him a bit and then he got to closing all the cupboard doors so I went back outside. Straightaway he came to get me and more or less insisted I stayed with him for the time we were outside. We played a sort of peekaboo through the house window and stamped a bit more.

Anyway am trying to say I am not a total stranger but neither am I a close family member and I turned up in his structured preschool session where I wouldn't be normally and he certainly didn't just not notice.

My ds appears to be uninterested as he displays nothing if someone comes into the room and won't say hello or goodbye. However he likes playing with other kids and will often follow them around in the park and plays with his peers at school. I was told last week that he notices if one of the teachers isn't there and will ask where they are.