Popular Post Longjohn ★ Posted July 31, 2017 Popular Post Share #1 Posted July 31, 2017 I volunteered to work with special needs people on Sunday mornings. After all my background checks cleared I was given a 16 year old boy and we spend an hour and a half to two hours just one on one. He has no verbal skills but is a sweet guy. I can see that he has intelligence but he gets really frustrated easily. I have started reading everything I can about autism. I would love to eventually be able to find a breakthrough. We got along well this morning, I talked briefly with his mom. I can see he gets really frustrated with not being able to communicate. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted July 31, 2017 Share #2 Posted July 31, 2017 Jack. We were friends with a fambly where we all suspected the oldest kid had at least Asperbeger's syndrome but we sorta lost touch. He was a good kid but was just very quiet and didn't read people too well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Airehead Posted July 31, 2017 Popular Post Share #3 Posted July 31, 2017 Pick me, pick me! Pm me your emai. I have so much that many help and a million questions. My doctorate might be good for something after aLL 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Kzoo Posted July 31, 2017 Popular Post Share #4 Posted July 31, 2017 One on one special needs volunteers are a great blessing to the mom. You are a good man, LJ. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted July 31, 2017 Share #5 Posted July 31, 2017 I haven't worked with many autistic kids, but worked with many Special Ed. kids who either came out for the Cross Country team I coached or whose classes I covered during my planning period when there was a severe shortage of substitute teachers. Until I worked with special needs kids, I had absolutely no conception of what working with them was like and the great patience and insight and understanding required. Even those who can communicate easily often interpret a conversation in a different way than is usual. The sort of entertainment you do with regular kids to keep their attention - a quick joke, a sudden change in voice and tone, a funny picture or odd name - can upset Level 5 (severe) special ed. kids or start them laughing so much you, as a teacher, wonder how you'll ever regain control of the class: and we're talking about a class of only SEVEN kids! Way to go, Longjohn! I have the utmost respect and admiration for anyone who works with special needs kids and adults. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted July 31, 2017 Share #6 Posted July 31, 2017 I don't have any information, but kudos to you for volunteering. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted July 31, 2017 Author Share #7 Posted July 31, 2017 I was thinking about my boy for half the night last night. I'm glad I don't have to go to work today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted July 31, 2017 Share #8 Posted July 31, 2017 The big thing is that people with Autism process differently than we do. Everyone knows about the Fight or flight feelings but there is also another one called fright. High alert, no need to flee yet but it could happen at any moment. What if you felt like that all the time but also had limited verbal ways to express how you were feeling? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted July 31, 2017 Share #9 Posted July 31, 2017 10 hours ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said: Jack. We were friends with a fambly where we all suspected the oldest kid had at least Asperbeger's syndrome but we sorta lost touch. He was a good kid but was just very quiet and didn't read people too well. Asperberger's isn't Autism. My son has mild Asperberger's. So does my nephew, both are highly intelligent and good kids. Asperberger's generally just have trouble with empathy (they have none) and some social issues. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted July 31, 2017 Share #10 Posted July 31, 2017 5 minutes ago, Indy said: Asperberger's isn't Autism. My son has mild Asperberger's. So does my nephew, both are highly intelligent and good kids. Asperberger's generally just have trouble with empathy (they have none) and some social issues. It all gets so confusing with the official diagnosis being so out of whack! People with Asperberger's need very different supports than those with Autism but both generally need help with pragmatic language, empathy, reading social cues and things like that. People with Asperberger's make great engineers because they generally have such great strengths in part to whole spatial relations and things like that. I believe my husband would be diagnosed if he was in school now. The common thing is that people with Autism are also good kids and many are intelligent. Thanks Indy for speaking out---- it is such a highly complex area!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted July 31, 2017 Share #11 Posted July 31, 2017 1 minute ago, Airehead said: It all gets so confusing with the official diagnosis being so out of whack! People with Asperberger's need very different supports than those with Autism but both generally need help with pragmatic language, empathy, reading social cues and things like that. People with Asperberger's make great engineers because they generally have such great strengths in part to whole spatial relations and things like that. I believe my husband would be diagnosed if he was in school now. The common thing is that people with Autism are also good kids and many are intelligent. Thanks Indy for speaking out---- it is such a highly complex area!! Yeah, they used to separate Autism and Asperberger's but for some reason they stopped. My son is getting all of that through the school but isn't officially diagnosed with Asperberger's but gets the support and the help as part of his ADHD diagnoses. We didn't go ahead with the Asperberger's because since they combined it he would be labeled just Autistic now, and both the school and my sister (long time special ed teacher and now program director) advice as it wouldn't gain him any thing and would just pin another label to him that wouldn't be accurate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted July 31, 2017 Share #12 Posted July 31, 2017 My wife's boss also has Aperberger's. People with Asperberger's do not make good bosses. One of her coworkers got laid off, HR had to explain to their boss why it wasn't a good idea to do balloons and cake for someone's last day when they were getting laid off. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BuffJim Posted July 31, 2017 Popular Post Share #13 Posted July 31, 2017 My nephew with Autism is fascinating. He's 17 years old now, and probably won't be able to be totally self sufficient. He has been obsessed with vacuums and hoses since he was tiny. He has a collection of over 40 vacuums and loves every aspect of them. Nothing makes him happier than using his vacuums. He is a sweet kid, but pretty relentless, which drives his same age brother who is also adopted, crazy. I can't see him ever driving a car, or having a girlfriend, but you never know. Here's my brother hiking with him in Wyoming last week: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotgun Posted July 31, 2017 Share #14 Posted July 31, 2017 Not a whole lot, but my daughter has a masters in applied behavior analysis and is an autism training specialist. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted July 31, 2017 Author Share #15 Posted July 31, 2017 Thanks everyone for responding to this thread. This is a new adventure for me but I felt I really needed to offer to help. The lady that heads up the special needs class told me they really needed men after I volunteered. The sixteen year old guys in this class are bigger and stronger than most of the women helpers. I can see that might be a problem during a meltdown. I'm not really sure how many are in this class because the high functioning ones will go to a regular class with their one on one helper at their side. I know of three 16 year old boys. My Zane, a high function Downs boy, and another boy who appears to be the happiest person I've ever met. I think our church is pretty cool to have a program for these people, I just need to learn more so I can be the most help I can. My Zane is the only one that can't handle a classroom setting but I have high hopes for him. If nothing else at least I give his mom a break. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted August 1, 2017 Share #16 Posted August 1, 2017 3 hours ago, shotgun said: Not a whole lot, but my daughter has a masters in applied behavior analysis and is an autism training specialist. Does she want to work in Rochester? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrapr ★ Posted August 1, 2017 Share #17 Posted August 1, 2017 1 hour ago, Airehead said: Does she want to work in Rochester? A. Attention. Do I have your attention I. Interest. Do i have your interest D. Desire. Do you have the desire A. Action. Are they buying what you are putting down Coffee is for closers. Go close that sale 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotgun Posted August 2, 2017 Share #18 Posted August 2, 2017 On 7/31/2017 at 10:24 PM, Airehead said: Does she want to work in Rochester? That would be a long commute from SW Missouri. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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