[blparent] Anyone Who Has a Child WithAutism?

Tue Aug 14 14:50:50 UTC 2012

Thanks.  While my stepson is verbal and has been in public school, his 
issues are definitely noticeable.  I started pushing for testing and 
treatment years ago, and when we finally got the insurance company to agree 
to an evaluation this summer, I've been a nagging bee with an itch to make 
the process happen.  It's sort of made me persona non grata with the 
biological mom, and to some extent with my boyfriend, too, because they 
still want to try and put a good face on for the professionals even after 
three rounds with the juvenile courts and an endless list of school problems 
and social and family upheavals.  But I don't care whose toes I have to step 
on at this point.  Nobody's going to tell me, as a disabled person, that my 
stepson's life is over at sixteen, and that living with his mom till she 
dies, playing video games and watching Family Guy and Ghost Whisperers, is 
all there is for him.

Anyway, I digress a little.  My stepson and his mom, as we speak, are going 
through the latest round of tests and questions, which I fought very hard to 
get rolling.  Rene, what specific questions do you have that we might be 
able to answer?  Even if none of us are in your exact position, there may be 
behavioral concerns or communication issues, or other problems, that we've 
had experience with in one way or another.

Jo Elizabeth

I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's 
brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and 
died in cotton fields and sweatshops.--Stephen Jay Gould
-----Original Message----- 
From: Rene Latorre
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 6:28 AM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Anyone Who Has a Child WithAutism?

Thank you Tatyana and jo Elizabeth for your replies. I will look into
the archives and see what I can find. Yes, it is very difficult and
it's frustrating to keep hearing from the professionals we are working
with that they've never had a blind parent of a child with autism
before. Surely, I cannot be the only one and with autism on the rise
like it is, I sure won't stay the only one if i am. My hope is that
one day I can be a blessing to others that may find themselves in the
same situation I am, but I need to figure this out for myself first.
There just has to be tips and techniques to be an effective blind
parent of a child with autism.
I wish you luck Jo Elizabeth as your stepson goes through the testing
process. It is a very broad spectrum and even if he does fall on it,
take comfort that there are a lot of support services out there and
many children are so mild that no one would even notice.

Thanks again...I appreciate the help.

Rene

On 8/13/12, Jo Elizabeth Pinto <jopinto at msn.com> wrote:
> There was a mom named Sarah who was on this list about three years ago. 
> She
>
> had two kids with autism.  You might search the archives for any relevant
> posts.  My stepson is getting tested for autism now, but if he has it, 
> then
>
> it must be quite mild because he's verbal.  I wish I had more knowledge 
> for
>
> you.  It must be difficult.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
> I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's
> brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived 
> and
>
> died in cotton fields and sweatshops.--Stephen Jay Gould
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tatyana
> Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 5:07 PM
> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Anyone Who Has a Child WithAutism?
>
> Rene,
> I heard  that someone who's currently working in NFB head quarters
> previously worked with autistic kids as a teacher. She is blind, so I just
> thought you might subscribe to other lists as well. And I think there is a
> blind  educators list- teachers  might have  an information you  are
> looking
> for. Just my thoughts, sorry I don't have more practical help.
>
> Tatyana.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rene Latorre" <rlatorre4 at gmail.com>
> To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 4:12 PM
> Subject: [blparent] Anyone Who Has a Child WithAutism?
>
>
>> Hello All,
>>
>> I've been looking for resources regarding parenting blind a child with
>> autism. I haven't found a lot of help in this area. Although I can
>> find plenty of information on autism resources, I'm just not finding a
>> lot involving a blind parent and the unique challenges this brings.
>>
>> I'm a mom of four beautiful children ages 23, 21, 9 & 6. They are all
>> sighted and typically developing other than my youngest. He is sighted
>> but was diagnosed on the spectrum at the age of 2. At first, he seemed
>> to be mild, but now as he is getting older he has been moving more
>> towards classic autism. He goes to a 6-1-1 self contained classroom
>> for children with autism and has a one to one personal aid. He is
>> mostly nonverbal although he can say 1-3 word phrases when highly
>> motivated such as when he is requesting things that he wants.  He has
>> been receiving services (speech, OT, Special Ed) since diagnosis but
>> progress has been slow. I constantly search for resources from his
>> team of professionals but I often get limited responses when asking
>> questions that are specific to my blindness parenting issues.
>>
>> I'm mainly looking for others who may also happen to have any children
>> on the spectrum.  Over the years, I have developed many tips &
>> techniques in parenting my children, but everything seems to go out
>> the window when parenting my youngest. I struggle with knowing where
>> he is, getting him to come to me when I call for him, following
>> directions, etc. Also, he is bright and he has it all figured out that
>> I cannot see and he takes full advantage of that.
>>
>> If anyone in this group can offer any support and/or information, I
>> would be very appreciative. Thanks in advance.
>>
>> Rene
>>
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