tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441989712918579133.post3579042449771557564..comments2024-01-26T03:49:33.080-05:00Comments on Rarer in Girls...My Daughter with Autism: The Huffington Post articleSuzannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240262747073351481noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441989712918579133.post-44289845882477394132013-11-27T15:01:23.872-05:002013-11-27T15:01:23.872-05:00Forgot to mention earlier that the fact my DD did ...Forgot to mention earlier that the fact my DD did NOT experience any regression (only a slower-than-typical development) was one of the things that made me think she didn't have ASD. If she had lost skills, that would've been a big red flag. But it's hard to know when to worry with a toddler who just seems "young" for her chronological age. The discrepancies between my DD and typical peers is much more obvious now at 4 yrs. 10 mos. than it was back when she was diagnosed 2 years ago with ASD and especially 3 years ago when she was diagnosed with global developmental delay. Crimson Wifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03254830856234479999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441989712918579133.post-81034332186717046122013-11-27T13:15:05.179-05:002013-11-27T13:15:05.179-05:00I didn't understand the difference in symptoms...I didn't understand the difference in symptoms that girls with ASD often show compared to boys with ASD. I knew by 18 months that she had a speech & language delay, and she was diagnosed with global developmental delay at 24 months. But I had thought she was "too social" to have autism because she was sweet, affectionate, loved to be held, and very much wanted to interact with others (even if it was in a dysfunctional way). Definitely not the stereotype of the loner who hated being touched. <br /><br />It wasn't until she had 4 different evaluations around her 3rd birthday with all of them agreeing on the autism diagnosis that I came to accept it.Crimson Wifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03254830856234479999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441989712918579133.post-18651947272780011592013-11-27T12:43:58.591-05:002013-11-27T12:43:58.591-05:00Ha, my internal editor tilts occasionally even whe...Ha, my internal editor tilts occasionally even when I write!<br />As I have understood it, the regression seems to be prone to occur around the age of two. I have a theory that it might be related to the natural development of the brain. At the age of 2-3 a special programmed loss of a significant number of neuron connections occurs. (It is an important age concerning the development of the language and Ville's epilepsy is thought to be especially harmful at that age.) Perhaps something goes wrong with the process or something is already wrong and becomes manifested. <br />(I hope my editor made it.)Anttihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03698236723394477310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441989712918579133.post-14165483515270512302013-11-27T11:43:34.481-05:002013-11-27T11:43:34.481-05:00Great article! My girl, her nickname is Age, is i...Great article! My girl, her nickname is Age, is in her 20s and has autism and epilepsy along with a ton of other problems. Autism is rare in girls. I never ever met somebody like my girl. She has cognitive age of a 8 year old and suffers from daily seizures and constant biting and scratching. She's also a huge head banger.<br /><br />I just read your one post about how janeys mood changes extremely fast for no reason. Age is the same exact way. We never know what triggers them. We have done every single thing in the world to stop her behaviors. She's on a gluten and dairy free diet. Been to holistic doctor, takes certain supplements. Been to acupuncture. Etc. Even went to a DAN doctor. We enrolled her in jiu jitsu which helped her aggression a lot. She would just attack random people for no reason. All in all I figured if she is bathed daily, has a daily bowel movement, eats a lot of veggies(this is where a lot of shakes or purees come in),sleeps we know that she is happier that way. It's extremely common for autism to have very fast mood swings. <br /><br />What has helped age is making her room a place she can go to escape from reality if things get tough. 2 weighted blankets. Weighted hat. Weighted lap. 3 noise machines plus the app on her ipad. Air purifier cu as age got older her allergies and breathing got worse which is whole another journey at that. Got a candle with her favorite smell(which takes time finding what that smell is sometimes since they are all so sensitive). All the windows are blacked out. She has a personal AC and heater cuz of her other conditions. She's severely allergic to the cold and has seizures in the heat. Also needs to avoid the sun cuz of her rare skin condition the sun thins her blood vessels. Never. A. Dull moment. Ha ha. We also have a therapeutic swing in our shed. She Loves it! And a body sock for therapeutic use.<br /><br />Due to her constant seizures her mentality of functioning has since lowered to around the age of a 3 year old a lot of the time. So that doesnt help either and of course many doctors cant figure out why shes seizing so much. Except she's been on tons of meds for mood swings. Seizures. Muscle relaxers. Etc. they all made her even more aggressive and not sleep. It was a very scary time. She can't even take allergy meds cuz they make her aggressive. Just recently stopped allergy shots cuz they were causing her to have seizures. Allergies itself cause her go head bang and bite herself so every thing in the house and her room is constantly cleaned. So were stuck just going with the flow cuz it's like a ticking bomb and we don't know what could trigger a flip out.<br /><br />Have you ever tried a weighted vest in outings? Or noise canceling head phones? Or let her use the iPod when she's out? Age constantly has her iPod with her and EVERY song is on repeat constantly. Also has her iPad to help her communicate and some apps like giggle bellies which she loves. We also have noise canceling head phones to help if noise bothers her. We also began to notice lights bother her and she won't wear sun glasses or glasses even though she needs them but she will wear hats. Loves the sensation on her head. So she' has a ton of hats and hoodies. She now goes out with less a problem. Still got to keep her close cuz she's a wanderer and will bolt. No fear of anything. But it helps knowing less meltdowns. We also now bring her favorite snack wherever we go and water. They all help. Age is a big biter too. Our vocabulary consists daily of "no bite". <br /><br />She was in a day program but they knew she was aggressive and used her to fight other autistics Or also would leave her sitting in a chair almost the entire day so when she came home she was in full blown attack mode. We have since pulled her out and has a 1:1 who helps her. If you ever feel lost or need any advice. I might be able to help.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00414450699633308463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5441989712918579133.post-24616999144386644702013-11-27T09:05:16.435-05:002013-11-27T09:05:16.435-05:00I saw the link shared on another friend's Face...I saw the link shared on another friend's Facebook page and I was like "hey, I know this lady!" You know as a person with a journalism background I know they take the quotes that suit the style of article they were planning to write anyway. I know I have done that myself. But I think she did do a nice job, raising awareness for girls who apparently "don't get autism". People still do tell me, if autism "isn't only for boys?" <br />It's interesting you mentioned her regression. Sophie's regression has been on my mind lately too, I even reposted my first blog post on Facebook. My grandmother had a stroke a month ago and it brought back a lot of memories- she lost speech, she seems to have lost lots of comprehension, she can't communicate by eye gaze, pointing or shaking head yes/no. And she became left-handed. (That's why the hand question couple days ago). It made me revisit the stroke/hemorrhage theory in Sophie's case. Even my mom said "hmm grandma is like Sophie now". <br />I'm glad more people will read your writing and meet your awesome Janey!Sophie's Trainshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07774177895296697594noreply@blogger.com