I wonder all the time how to explain to my son Benjamin what autism is all about and why his brother does some of the things he does. I try to make it simple but some things get very difficult to explain.
I guess I should added My youngest is the one on the spectrum. My older children are five and eleven year older than she is. So they knew something was going on before the diagnosis of any of the… read more
His sister has been invited to two birthday parties of friends' children. In one of the cases, the birthday child did not want to invite him. How should she explain to him why he isn't being invited?
It depends on why he wasnt invited...if its a "friends invite only" or if he was excluded simply because of the Autisim. if its due to the autisim...I would politely decline the invite. If its… read more
Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations about/for sibling support?
With our daughter we make special time once a month where we go out with her alone and spend the day doing whatever she wants. We also try to spend extra time with her during our sons therapy sessions… read more
With negativity and ignorance that deep going around, no wonder we have actually had friends who think our family would be better off dissolved with 5 and one moderately affected by Autism (not friends anymore). Well, I guess they weren't specifically interviewing Son-Rise Autism siblings. If you have seen our latest movie, you will note that Son-Rise provides opportunities to build positive, typical sibling interactions and the opportunity to discover the wonder of each other. They didn't… read more
My older two kids are homeschooled, so I wouldn't really feel comfortable using a school district-affiliated sibling support group. But it would be nice if there was something through the local… read more
Hi everyone! Looking for some opinions and advice.
My 5 year old has recently been diagnosed with autism. I'm a sensitive person so this journey has been hard and heartbreaking at times. I love my baby so much and my heart wants another child but the fear of having another child with autism scares me so much. its Not the actual diagnosis that scares me because my boys best attributes (honesty, caring, humour, infectious personality) are all apart of his autism it's more that I am scared of… read more
Our daughter was born in 2010 and was diagnosed with ASD/ADHD in 2015. Our son was born in 2011 so we didn't know autism was an issue at the time. He has no signs of ASD. Another factor is age of… read more
I am a sibling of two autistic young adults. I want to start my own family, but I am worried about (the possibly increased chanced of) having an autistic child. After witnessing my parents' struggle to provide my siblings with the support that they need, as well as the struggle to keep themselves and their marriage together, I question if I will be strong enough through that experience myself, as well. I would like to connect with families or siblings of autistic individuals who might have gone… read more
New study out about risk and severity of autism decreases for high-risk siblings of children with autism if moms take prenatal vitamins in their first month of pregnancy, according to research… read more
At what age do kids start to figure out that it's autism and not some kind of behavior by choice?
My ASD daughter is 5 years-old and her brother is 4. One day while driving in the car I joking asked if anyone in the car had autism. My son said "no". I brought autism up before but he doesn't get it and sees his sister as a lively but naughty kid. She been that way his whole so she probably seems pretty normal to him.
Does the younger kid pick up autistic characteristics?
My son does more… read more
There's some good children's books that explain autism in a child's terms. A good place to start.
I am interested in signing up my daughter for swimming lessons. She loves the water and I notice that she tries to float on her own, but I am not sure If she is capable of succeeding in that due to her lack of listening skills. Is there any other mothers out there that has a child with autism and has them in swimming lessons?
My ASD boy has loved the water since he was little. Baths are his favorite time of the day. He is an amazing swimmer and love his swimming lessons. The worst that can happen is that it does not… read more
For those who also have children not on the spectrum, how do you explain autism to them? Also, do you ever find you lose patience more easily with your neurotypical child? I do sometimes and I feel terrible.
Coulter Videos
I'm not sure what it's called there but here our Autism Support Group calls them "Sibshops". It's a sibling workshop and it's fantastic. My daughter likes it and really gets something out of it. It's… read more