Special needs role call :)

[Blossomhill]

I hope you don't mind but there have been so many new people and I thought it would just be nice to remind ourselves of who is who

Well I'll start with I am a 30yr old SAHM, been married 3 years (although together 9) and I have 1 ds (aged 7) who is nt but going through a bit of a teenage phase at the moment. I then have dd is 5 (6 in August), she has a high level pragmatic disorder which effects her ability to have conversations and socialise (although she does try really hard). Dd is currently doing very well in a speech and language unit attached to a mainstream school.
We have just recently come back from Bibic and it was such an amazing experience and we learnt so, so much about dd. More in 3 days with them than the whole 4 years through the normal channels!

international girl - I'm thinking about going on a brain gym course....

Hi, I'm another aged mum (48), who has learnt a lot from the Special Needs section of Mumsnet. I've two NT DSs (16 and 14), and was hit with one suddenly becoming special needs at 13, when he was diagnosed with ME/CFS.

What you have all had to put up with since birth, in terms of adjusting to your child's problems, and in dealing with the many and varied health service (excellent in our case) and educational (hmm, the less said the better) professionals, I have had to learn much later. It's been a steep learning curve.

I am both heartened and appalled by some of the things posted on this part of the website. Should be compulsory reading for many of these b**y politicians.

Hello, i'm another poster on here. I'm 34 and dd ( 2.7yo) has developmental delay too. She started walking at 2.4yo, and still says absolutely nothing. She displays many autistic tendancies, and has a head the size of a 6 year old. She is also absolutely beautiful and i'm so proud she is mine.

Jimjams - if you do go on the Brain Gym course I'd be really interested to see what you think. One of the schools we are considering in South Africa uses Brain Gym. I've taken a look on the internet and it looks interesting ... maybe something that could make a difference.

Mfh, I am really interested to hear more about your DS and what led to his ME and what are his special needs now?

I am 39 and have have a gorgeous son who is six years old and who was diagnosed as mildly autistic and dyspraxic last year. It is extremely rare for me to post on the SN threads as ds's autism and dyspraxia seem so mild compared that i feel a bit of a fake - yet he is 'too different' for me to post about in the other behaviour threads.

What a great idea!. I am 43, live London work p/t in magazines and been married to DH virtually since we were blind-dated 9 years ago. Christ I'm old. My DD is 5 now, has Downs, huge surprise at the time, kind of got used to it now. She is in reception at local school and getting on fine. Delayed speech, glue ear and the slowest potty training ever have been the biggest issues for us, so I know we have had so much less to worry about than so many of you on here. DS now 3 completes the family - no I am never going there again.

Dingle love I know you've CATed me and I promise to drop you a line asap, too busy at work this week to MN!

This is where the RDI I was referring to is...
www.rdiconnect.com (sorry can't do links)

This is also interesting to me as many families use ABA and RDI in conjunction and we had good results with ABA.

International girl- what is RDI? I've looked at the website but I don't get it- is it exercises or is it like floortime or something?

Sis - If you met my dd she is very mild too compared to some children with sn. However she does have special needs and I feel so at home posting on here! There are lots of people who have children with autism and dyspraxia and would be able to share there experiences with you and vica versa
Please post on here as it's not about how mild or severe but that we all have the same thing in common, that our child has special needs!
Sorry I have gone on a bit haven't I????

SIS...I often feel like you do as Tom IS mildly AS (if there is such a thing!!!) & very VERY bright and able....I mention this not as a BRAG....but because I too am in total awe of the families where they have profoundly disabled children. Tom also has ADHD....which makes for a bit of agro sometimes....and he is not diagnosed DYSPRAXIC...but certainly should be. Leigh is also more on the mild side of Aspergers.....and alex is exhausting......

DON'T feel daunted by what you see as the diference between your SN experience and that of the rest of us- YOU need the chance to talk about things just as we do.

The best i can explain it as is that sometimes, every minute of the day that the boys are up there is some isssue to be sorted and i feel exhausted- individually my boys would be manageable (especially Leigh who as long as no one inteferes with his games/talking/t.v programmes etc...would /could be 'the perfect child'....but spookily so- he really is too rule bound....i was shocked the other day when he couldn't work something on the t.v....when i asked him why...he said no-one had showed him....he would never dare to do anything that he had not been specifically told he could do etc)

hope that helps SIS....feel bad that you don't feel 'worthy 'to post....as part of my 'therapy/relaxation' is posting all my rambling thoughts...the bonus come when u get replies.

BH...YOU thought what i did about SIS....and around the same time!!! (and no....YOU didn't say too much....I did!!!!)

Ooh, what a good idea - I am coming up the big 4.0. this year (you're all invited of course), and have 1 ds who is 7.5 who was dx with AS and ADHD 2 years ago this month. Although the ADHD is more managable with medication, his AS is now coming to the fore and is a real problem.

He started his new school 5 days ago (had to remove him as his school were clueless about SN), he is much happier now i'm glad to say.

CHOCCIE!!!!!!!!!

HOW the devil r U!!!!!?

have you posted anywhere about the new school...tell me....i'll go on that thread to save you repeating it all!!!!

Chocol8 - no way are you nearly 40

Thank you Blossomhill and TheRealMrsF, I will try to be more involved on SN instead of lurking but won't post on this thread again as I don't want to interupt the flow of introductions.

glad you are back sis!!!

BH, this is a great thread. I'm going to print it out and keep it next to the computer!

I'm 37, have been married for 8 years and we live in SE London. We have one ds, age 3. He was dx-ed in January with ASD, they think he is towards mild end of the spectrum. He wasn't talking at all at 2, but is quite chatty now and a real character. He is at a ms nursery, which he loves.

I worked in music PR for 12 years, and dh worked in marketing, but we both jacked in our jobs a couple of years ago and now we renovate houses for a living. Sarah Beenie, you have a lot to answer for! . We are skint but much happier.

HITC, that is fantastic news about your dd, way to go W!

Ahh, thanks Bloss - that's sweet!

MrsF - I will post a special thread tomorrow about ds's new school. (was going to do it earlier but just come off the phone with my best mate after 2 and three quarters of an hour!!!). I HAVE to go to bed now - knackered.

Sweet dreams - oh, MrsF, did you get your card? x

I am 38 and have been married for nearly 14 years.

DS {DT2} is nearly 10 years he is a surviving identical twin.

They were born at 27 weeks + 5 days.

DT1 died aged 5 hours 30 mins

DT2 was in NNU ITU for 3 months on Oxygen etc.

He has Dyspraxia and Hypermobile joints especially knees, which cause him pain after walking for long distances.

We put all of his problems down to his extreme prematurity and so it was a surprize when his physio and OT that gave the DX a few months ago.

He has many problems with balance, hand-eye co ordination, socially he behaves in what his classmates call "weird"

He now has an IEP and is doing well with that ie learning to ask questions and answer questions and not to delay so long in thinking time when speaking.

He has appointment to see Consult Paed on May 27th for full assessment and then Ed Pych @ school on June 8th.

Have no idea what they will involve.

Pages, we don't know what caused DS's ME. The doctors here see it as post-viral, and link it to growth spurts.

Apart from general fatigue, he has cognitive dysfunction. He can't concentrate, and gets what is described as "brain fog". He can only do schoolwork for a few minutes at a time when he's tired, and has to build that up gradually over months. He had six months off school, with home tuition when he was well enough, then built up the number of school lessons gradually. Now with a relapse we're back to square one.

He was on school action plus, but we never got an IEP, and that seems to have been forgotten about. I had to arrange the home tuition.

mfh - sorry to read about your ds's ME - dd suffers from chronic fatigue but thankfully in short bursts of maybe a month or so. Last winter was very tough for her, she was in bed most days straight from school and I think actually got pretty depressed about it. They link it with her to growth spurts and post-viral too as her heart is working at full capacity all the time it can't take an added workload. I had problems distinguishing the elements of depression from the fatigue. Does your son suffer from depression?

Thanks to tech fixing my member profile, I am now viewable here

I have started a new thread on rdi as I didn't want to hijack this thread.

I am 38 and a single mum to three adorable children - DD1 aged 12, DS1 aged 8 and DD2 aged 3. DD2 has Sotos Syndrome, a genetic syndrome causing overgrowth and global delayed development. She currently goes to nursery while I work and is due to start mainstream nursery in September. Just heard I have got the school I wanted which I am pleased about. Just going through the statementing process as she will definitely have some sort of special educational needs although they are hard to assess at the moment. Luckily for me, the education psychologist is based at the school she will be attending which is good.

Was married (suppose I still am as we have not divorced) but separated when DD2 was 11 weeks old. Get on very well now and he has the children over night and one day at the weekend and one night during the week.

Got my mum coming to live with me on Wednesday this week. She suffers from depression (but is better now). Has been in hospital since 1st December - numerous hospitals and homes - now in psychiatric ward but has been discharged as she is so much better. She has neuropathy (numbness in legs and feet) and cannot walk without a frame - this has occurred only since December. Hopefully she will get the full use of her legs back in due course. Have converted my dining room into a downstairs bedroom for her. She lives on her own (since my dad died suddenly 5 years ago at the age of 56) in a 5 bedroom house but cannot live independently at the moment because of her legs. Hopefully she will either move into her own home at some time or sell the house and buy a nice bungalow. If she was still depressed I could not cope with her living with me, but because she is better it won't be a problem.

I work part-time (2 days in the office at the moment and 2 days at home). Worked with my company for 20 years (just got my long term loyalty payment - £300 for 20 years service !!!!). They are very good to me with my ever changing home circumstances.

Life is sometimes hard but also good at times. I always try to focus on the positive and don't think too far into the future. Just take each week as it comes really.