Brand v Paxman

[symyjym]

I agree that there are parents out there who want their kids diagnosed with something, but that will take the thread to a Munchausen’s syndrome or even a benefits advantage debate, so I won't even mention it.

 

[Questions]

Some people want their kids to be special. By any means necessary.

I think you have a problem with anything to do with children don't you. Something happened to you didn't it ?

 

[Guinness Boy]

I believe it is over diagnosed too, but are you saying that some parents are choosing to have their kids diagnosed with asperger's?

Some people want their kids to be special. By any means necessary.

I follow a few parent bloggers on twitter and there is a little sub group of ones who have a child somewhere on the autistic spectrum. They want a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) as this can make getting a place at the correct educational institution smoother. Without exception their complaint is that getting a diagnosis / statement is too difficult, not too easy.

 

[Questions]

I agree that there are parents out there who want their kids diagnosed with something, but that will take the thread to a Munchausen’s syndrome or even a benefits advantage debate, so I won't even mention it.

Most of the time the teachers will alert SENCO and they will approach parents to discuss further support steps. In many cases parents do not even realise their child's condition and it is the demands place on the children from the school environment and teachings styles that brings out the impairments. It is mostly only in the severe cases where parents push for a statement before school age.

You have to push for a statement of special educational needs to receive funding for that child whether through disability allowances to parents or funding to support within the classroom.

 

[KZNSeagull]

I follow a few parent bloggers on twitter and there is a little sub group of ones who have a child somewhere on the autistic spectrum. They want a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) as this can make getting a place at the correct educational institution smoother. Without exception their complaint is that getting a diagnosis / statement is too difficult, not too easy.

That was our experience 10 years ago. Getting a diagnosis was quite straight forward (once we had convinced our GP to get a referral), but getting a SEN was not straight forward at all. From what my friend says, this does not appear to have changed much.

What i will say is that we found the support and information/courses from the National Autistic Society, particularly the Earlybird scheme, to be first class.

 

[Nibble]

I think you have a problem with anything to do with children don't you. Something happened to you didn't it ?

No. And No.

 

[Nibble]

I follow a few parent bloggers on twitter and there is a little sub group of ones who have a child somewhere on the autistic spectrum. They want a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) as this can make getting a place at the correct educational institution smoother. Without exception their complaint is that getting a diagnosis / statement is too difficult, not too easy.

I never claimed it was easy.

Anyway, there is no point discussing this with people who are too close to the problem. They will never see it objectively. I may be wrong in my opinions but it comes from a rational standpoint not some hysterical parent's insistence their child is somehow different. It's no different to the swathes of people that claim the are allergic or intolerant. You're not.

With my generation if youhad social problems you were ADHD. This generation its Autism. It'll be something else for their children.

 

[Questions]

No. And No.

Denial denial.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I never claimed it was easy.

Anyway, there is no point discussing this with people who are too close to the problem. They will never see it objectively. I may be wrong in my opinions but it comes from a rational standpoint not some hysterical parent's insistence their child is somehow different.

You've made an assumption there that I have an autistic child. I don't. My interest stems the other way from knowing groups of parents in Brighton genuinely scared their baby would get measles because the place is a hot bed of trendy non vaccinating CTs. I read the book I recommended to KZN because it was recommended to me as a good read and I read every day on the train to work. I read / write parenting stuff because I understand that I don't have all the answers - no one does - so sharing experiences may actually help. Plus kids do funny stuff with poo and wee.

 

[Nibble]

Denial denial.

I question the validity of some diagnosis so therefore I have a problem with children and something must have happened to me and I'm in denial.

I can only hope Asperger's diagnostic procedures are more thorough.

 

[Nibble]

Anyway, I apologise for any offence caused or ignorance and respectfully withdraw until I know more about the subject.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

Every single kid I've met whose parents have had them diagnosed with Aspergers/Autism (or mucking about as it used to be called) just seems a bit wimpy to me rather than ill. They usually fall into two distinct categories, chavvy parents whose kid won't pull their socks up or upper middle class parents whose kid thinks they are a bit more special than the others and rules don't apply to them. Most can usually be found sitting on the couch at 11am on a schoolday. God help them when they get to working age, they'll be straight on benefits as they won't be able to associate work with reward as most of them just get allowed to behave how they want and get to go and do whatever their specific supposed savant trait is, usually they get to draw or play with model bricks or summat while the other kids get on with learning useful stuff.

Not up to your usual standard. Mediocre at best.

 

[BadFish]

Nibble really should give this a watch. In fact anyone with a passing interest in Autism should watch this, it provides both hope and a window into the world of a severely autistic child.

 

[BadFish]

I follow a few parent bloggers on twitter and there is a little sub group of ones who have a child somewhere on the autistic spectrum. They want a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) as this can make getting a place at the correct educational institution smoother. Without exception their complaint is that getting a diagnosis / statement is too difficult, not too easy.

Don't know about the UK but over here the process is a long drawn our affair that involved many visits to doctors, Occupational Therapists and Psychologists. It was exhausting and frustrating and took about 18 months. How someone could get a diagnosis without a child having autism is beyond me.

FWIW I agree with the others that suggest Nibble is talking more about ADHD than autism.

 

[BadFish]

Well as a kid that was yanked in and out of hospital appointments, special education units, one on ones etc in a bid to diagnose me with anything from food allergies to Autism I can tell you, sometimes it's best to let a kid develop as they will without all this nonsense.

Maybe this is so but in all cases i have been involved in or aware of am autism diagnosis has helped the children and the parents by letting them know what they are dealing with and giving them access to professionals who can assist with specific needs.

My own child has gone from a child who flew into uncontrollable rages and threw things and hit us and his teachers, who could not socialise with other children and would get into fights on a weekly basis. His education was really going nowhere and nothing academic was making it in as he could not organize himself or his thoughts despite being able to read way above his age range he would struggle to take anything in. Anxiety and a lack of self esteem was crippling him and being exasperated every day at school.

Since diagnosis, a massive change in diet, medication for his ADHD, endless visits to psychologists and Occupational therapist and us pressuring the school to send the teachers on Professional training to understand his condition he is now an A grade student. After two years he has a group of friends and can with assistance play with kids he has never met before. Some days he does not seem autistic at all.

The path his life was taking pre diagnosis was terrifying to us and put a lot of stress on our whole family, looking at his future was grim at best. Since diagnosis and a lot of work by many wonderful people we can now see a bright future for him (with some bumps in the road obviously)

My advice to any parent that suspects their child has the condition is to get them checked out and read as much as they can on the subject and that letting them develop as they will is foolish in most cases. If there is no problem and no diagnosis then at least you know.

 

[BadFish]

Most of the time the teachers will alert SENCO and they will approach parents to discuss further support steps. In many cases parents do not even realise their child's condition and it is the demands place on the children from the school environment and teachings styles that brings out the impairments. It is mostly only in the severe cases where parents push for a statement before school age.

You have to push for a statement of special educational needs to receive funding for that child whether through disability allowances to parents or funding to support within the classroom.

My experience is that often kids are worse in one of the school or home environment. My boy was fine at school for a year or so in prep (aside from being to anxious to and unable to make friends) it took us to get his diagnosis rolling before the school began to see what we were talking about. Often kids 'hold it together' at school only to explode at home.

 

[BadFish]

I never claimed it was easy.

Anyway, there is no point discussing this with people who are too close to the problem. They will never see it objectively. I may be wrong in my opinions but it comes from a rational standpoint not some hysterical parent's insistence their child is somehow different. It's no different to the swathes of people that claim the are allergic or intolerant. You're not.

With my generation if youhad social problems you were ADHD. This generation its Autism. It'll be something else for their children.

Attitudes like yours are one of the main obstacles autistic people will face throughout their lives. Thank **** most people are becoming more enlightened.

Yours, a hysterical parent (I have been many times, something i suspect other hysterical parents who are 'too close to the problem' will understand)

 

[BadFish]

Anyway, I apologise for any offence caused or ignorance and respectfully withdraw until I know more about the subject.

Accepted.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is a good starting point for finding out about Autism. As is the excellent Temple Grandin movie.

this video is quite interesting too



The trouble with much of the information out there is that it focusses on the success and amazing things that some autistic people can do. Although this is interesting it tends to take away from the negative side of thing and the difficulties that autistic people face. My boy is very clever especially in maths and science and his information retention is quite amazing.

I would not change him for the world but there are and have been many times when I would swap his mathematical and scientific intelligence for social intelligence (of which he has little and has worked very hard to lean what he does have). His life will not be easy and in many ways it would be preferable for him to be reasonably intelligent in all areas including the social ones which we tend to value above all others.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Anyway, I apologise for any offence caused or ignorance and respectfully withdraw until I know more about the subject.

FWIW you have not offended me. I am intrigued that you think that way though. I do agree that a lot of mis-diagnosis goes on, but it does not mean that all diagnosed children are like those that you have encountered. Anyway, let's leave it there.

 

[matthew]

He doesn't have to be poor or have ideas for a new 'utopia' to make a point.

There are also fantastic books like Paul Hawkens 'Natural Capitalism' or Thomm Hartmann's 'Crisis of Western Culture' which go into more depth and present workable alturistic ideas.

There are also modern day democracies that do work such as Norway and Finland which are really shining beacons.