I'm a lifelong sibling of my lovely PDD-NOS 17 year old sister.

I hope that blogging here can be therapeutic to me, and maybe I can help people out with questions about at least one sibling's point of view.

Check out my blog at http://dontbitethedog.blogspot.com

My son Aran was diagnosed with PDD-NOS in June. Not really a surprise - you know how one day you just become aware that he's different somehow, and then that gut feeling grows? He seems like the other 3 year old kids at first, but then you factor in the screaming, raging fits when he has to stop an activity he  likes, and the 3-5 notes of little aggressive and tantrum-y acts at school each week, and the need for one-on-one intervention at school...well, you get the picture. Honestly, I was a little relieved when he was finally diagnosed, because I felt like I was losing my mind. I got vibes from friends and family that I was making something out of nothing, and that he would "grow out of it", and that he was no different than other kids, and why did I want to label him? I wanted to tear my hair out numerous times, and would get defiantly heated with friends and family that I wasn't imagining it, I had done the research, we had had doubts from 18 months, and I wasn't just trying to find an excuse for bad parenting. So, now we have a diagnosis, although the psychologist wants to reevaluate him in a year because he may be HFA or Asperger's, she's not sure.

Nothing irritates me more than when Im up to my elbows in kid poop to have somebody

ringing my door bell only to find out they want to know if I'd like the lawn mowed ugh.

So this is my solution & by the way it works BEAUTIFULLY.  On the front door I have

typed up a note that says:

Unless you are therapy, UPS, family or friends please respect our privacy and do not

ring the door bell. Thats basically what it says. That little note has saved us alot of

headaches. We no longer get door to door sales people which I know still come around

because my new neighbor told me. I think I posted this before but it's worth mentioning

again. Having a big intimidating dog helps too lol, but seriously that little note helps

ALOT. I think its ridiculous now adays to open your door to just anybody. A friend of mine

in Utah recently had a man just walk into the house while she was in the shower. Her

daughter whose 18 & a little MR opened the door to a man, come to find out he had

escaped a local old folks home and was harmless but he easily could have been a bad

guy (yes even in Utah).

I am constantly fighting clutter. It not only disturbs me, it also confuses me ugh.

But I discovered a little trick I'd like to pass along. I even managed to impress

my mother in law who has trouble keeping her little apartment clean (she used

to clean houses, kinda ironic). Anyway I keep a kitchen timer handy. I'll set it

anywhere from five to fifteen minutes and clean one room & then STOP soon as

it dings. You'd be amazed at how much this little trick helps. Set it for five minutes

if it's a chore you REALLY hate, like cleaning the bathroom or loading the dishwasher,

and never go past fifteen minutes for any room. I manage to keep the house pretty

clean even with three people and a boxer in about twelve hundred square feet of

living space. My husband helps when he can. He's THE best towel folder lol, & he's

a good organizer, he said thats from being in the service. ANYWAY I thought I'd pass

this little trick along.

Sometimes tiny things just amaze me. We get so wrapped up in appointments, therapy, home visits, melt downs, diets, house cleaning, we forget there are other things in life. I wrote the following a bit back in my personaly blog and thought I would share it here as well.

To the common glance, Michael has my eyes. Identical shape and shade of brown. I think he has remarkable eyes.

Michael was not born with the baby blues. His eyes were a dull grey for many months. One day they turned a brilliant green, though faded back to the grey. For several months they changed in hues of green and hazel brown. Even after his first birthday Michael's eyes were a wonder. At one time we could see circles of brown, hazel, and green all at once. For weeks they stayed a hazel brown and I had thought that would be the final color. Finally they changed to the identical brown eyes that I see staring back at me in the mirror.

Hi, I am Helen, I have a 12 yr old son diagnosed with PDD-NOS.   We have come a long way and my son is doing well in school.   We still have issues with anger.   He can become quite violent when he really gets angry, usually over the smallest of things.  If you have any input for me, please reply.   Most of the time he is a great loving child, but when he becomes angry he changes completely.

Also, I am working to raise awareness in the Katy, Tx area for Autism, PDD, Aspberger's, etc.   Go to www.healsickchildren.org to find out what Texas Children's Hospital is doing out west of Houston.  It is very exciting.

s

This is a compilation from about a year ago, from an Autism Yahoo group I belong to, when one member asked for contributions on this topic in preparation for a talk she was giving on Autism One Radio:

Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions

(they're not all snappy answers, but interesting anecdotes anyway)

***
A couple years ago I got a call from the PRINCIPAL of my son's District
run special education school. She called to ask me if I wouldn't mind
keeping my son home for a couple days as the STAFF NEEDS A BREAK!!
(from my son)!

***

After we had a meeting to discuss going from 10 to 20 hrs. of ABA for my
boys, she said. "They may not approve this in 1 week. It may have to go to
our behavior specialist. I had another couple with a set of twins that
asked for the same and it took two weeks. They did finally get approved but
then again, both of the parents were attorneys". I wished I would have had
that one on tape.

***

I feel so sorry for my little boy. He has been standing at the window staring down at the kids playing in the little wading pool outside. The kids are calling up to him. I feel horrid about thinking in very vulgar terms about the little girl who keeps calling up to Michael to come down. I would have brought him down expect for hearing a comment at 3pm from one of the women down there. She said her beer was getting watery.

I do not allow my son around people drinking. He has witnessed me and his father with beer-which is rare for me and probably already out of his memory, and as a baby his paternal aunt and uncle. But when it is not me and his father, simply put, I do not want him around anybody drinking, especially at this time of day and outside around lots of kids. I do not condemn people who drink occasionally in their own homes I just have my own rules about it. He does not understand why he cannot have a beverage, and I do not want him knowing about alcohol at the moment. I do not drink pop anymore. Actually that is more than just because I do not allow Michael pop. It is bad for your health and I simply do not need it.

Im just curious if any of your kids are fascinated by ceiliing fans the way Marcel is. My

brother has several fans in his house and we had to keep them all on last night otherwise

Marcel would get upset. We have a fan in our living room that has to be on & right now

my husband is at Lowes buying a kit so he can install a fan in Marcels therapy room.

Got me to wondering about y'alls kids. I know some kids on the spectrum like vacuums..........