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Please follow the link below to direct you to the survey. The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Below the link is information pertaining to your participation in the study if you choose to do so. We thank you in advance for your time.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q6ZMXPX
Dear Research Participant:
The research is being conducted by Lisa Tritschler, a doctoral student in the Education Department at Barry University, and is seeking information that will be useful in the field of special education. The aims of the research are to investigate the type of educational placement and services preferred by parents of students with ASD.
Your consent to be a research participant is strictly voluntary and should you decline to participate or should you choose to drop out at any time during the study, there will be no adverse effects.
There are no risks involved in your participation of this study. The following procedures will be used to minimize these risks: You can skip any questions you do not want to answer. There are no direct benefits to you for participating in this study; however, your participation will contribute to research in the area of autism and special education. All data collected will be destroyed after five years (2016).
As a research participant, information you provide is anonymous, that is, no names or other identifiers will be collected. SurveyMonkey.com allows researchers to suppress the delivery of IP addresses during the downloading of data, and in this study no IP address will be delivered to the researcher. However, SurveyMonkey.com does collect IP addresses for its own purposes. If you have concerns about this, you should review the privacy policy of SurveyMonkey.com before you begin.
By completing and submitting this electronic survey you are acknowledging that you are at least 18-years-old and that you voluntarily agree to participate in the study.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the study or your participation in the study, you may contact me, Lisa Tritschler, by phone at (954) 993-8170 or by email at lisa.tritschler@mymail.barry.edu You may also contact the Institutional Review Board point of contact, Barbara Cook, by phone at (305) 899-3020.
Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely,
Lisa Tritschler
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I'm sorry I haven't replied sooner. I see that WebMD finally allows a weekly activity newletter that can alert me to new posts. You are the main reason for me setting up this group and I feel badly that it took me so long to respond.
First of all, if your son gets diagnosed with autism, there is an adjustment period for you and your husband. Many expectations, that most parents take for granted, will change. This is neither good or bad. One of the biggest things I need to tell you is that your son's diagnosis is not because you did or didn't do something. It is just who he is. Your job is just to love him and help him.
What to expect:
I'm assuming you are in a birth to three program in your state. If not, you need to call them. They will do an evaluation of your son's deficits. Once accepted, you will be an equal team member in the development of your son's services. An individualized family service plan (IFSP) will be developed. It will list the services your son is entitled to. Many doctors are prescriptive in their suggestions or methods of help. You need to tell the team how your son learns, what is the best method and how you engage your son. Service hours are important but only if they are well spent and effective. Also, sometimes you won't get what you don't ask for. Know your son's rights for appropriate help. Some of the areas to discuss: Special education services (how your child can learn appropriate developmental behaviors and begin to learn essential skills for progression) - usually behavioral methods are used like ABA (applied behavioral analysis), Floortime (Dr. Greenspan) or RTI methods. Your son's personality will be able to tell you the best method. Most therapists use ABA because it is "research based" and is "measurable". However, for social engagement, many therapists resort to the floortime or RTI methods of teaching. Socialization is a huge part of the diagnosis. What is important to you, for your child to learn? Tell your team. Occupational therapy is important to work on any sensory issues (texture, fine motor/grasp, loud noises, proprioceptive/equilibrium) - this is important because these issues will cause obstacles in your child's ability to fully learn. They are very distracting. Physical therapy is important for problems with gross motor skills (your son's muscle tone and/or trunk of his body needs to be developed in order to eventually walk, sit at a desk or participate in PE with his typical peers - an important part of socialization). Speech is recommended when your child is repeating phrases (echolalia) or can't talk at all. The speech program will give your child tools to communicate with you to prevent frustration (some examples are a picture system - PECS, sign language). Other possible areas to consider are asking about the ability to participate in a play group or a swim class. If the need is there, the state should write it in the plan and incur the costs. Just make sure everything is written down.
Once your child turns 3, he will be transitioned (provided he is still eligible) to a early education pre-school. The IFSP turns into an IEP (Individualized education plan). The IEP works the same way as the IFSP. You will have a different team to work with.
My best advice is to trust your gut and to take things day by day. The above is an outline of how to set up your child's day/week through thearpies. The best thing I've discovered is, through all my time trying to teach my own son, he is teaching me the most. These children have feelings and thoughts and incredible personalities.
I hope this wasn't too overwhelming and this helped a little bit.View Thread
My name is Chad Walters and I am a graduate student of Nursing at DePaul University. For my project I am asking parents of autistic children to complete a short anonymous online survey. The project is entitled "Current Perceptions of Childhood Vaccination held by Parents of Autistic Children". There is no obligation to take part in the survey. Thank you so much for your time and thanks to those who are able to participate.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3VFLYCT
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http://momnos.blogspot.com/2011/02/asd-and-ptsd.html
It is nice to have some acknowledgement that the expectations on the moms/parents/caregivers of an ASD child is a bit over the top.
An excerpt from the posting:
"you are a reasonable person who has been living with unreasonable demands without reasonable support for an unreasonable length of time."
I hope this has provided a little validation or newfound awareness. ASD affects the whole family.View Thread
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Often50% (2)
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Occasionally25% (1)
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PamView Thread
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I am having problems with my ex-husband when it comes to my daughter. My oldest daughter has to comforter and calm the youngest down when at their father's because he has rules! the latest is no juice at bed time. My daughter has had a drink at bedtime all her life. She gets dry mouth and even sleep walks in the middle of the night to get a drink. It is apart of her routine. Just going to see him throws her off. He is hurting them both emotionally! The court says I have to leave him see them and I don't know what to do! I moved last year from PA. to VA. I am trying to get the oldest back into counseling but my ex. will not listen to me now that he has a girlfriend. He doesn't want to admit that my 6 yr. old has PDD! I know I can take him back to court here but I don't want the judge to think I am putting words in their mouths! I feel so helpless! I hate seeing my daughters this way. The oldest cries all the time and the youngest has trouble sleeping and eating when they are with him! It takes me forever to get them back into routine especially the 6 yr. old. Please if anyone has any advice.I would appreciate it! Thank youView Thread
Off hand, I can't think of a concrete technique for your situation, but Michelle Winner is a renowned author in creating viable results in social skills and children with autism. You might want to try going to her website (www.socialthinking.com ). Hope that helps and keep us posted.View Thread
Wearing blue did nothing, but promote solidarity among the autistic community. Unless I wear a sign stating that I am wearing blue for autism, no awareness is promoted. The same goes for the blue lights on our house. Does anyone really think?...Oh, they have blue lights, they must be supporting autism! I don't think so.
That brings me to may last frustration in volunteering my time to promote awareness and represent a respectable organization, only to have the organization try to raise funds by selling magnets and stress balls with the organization logo on it. Guess what? Only the families affected by the disorder is stopping by the booth. I wanted to bring in cookies and create a "buzz" so that families that are (right now) unaffected would get the information that could be critical for early diagnosis. I was told that they had all that they needed. I admit that a face painter for kids did create a little draw, but the $5 donation seemed to overshadow the original intent...create awareness of autism and the characteristics associated with the disorder.
Does anyone else wonder if we are truly creating awareness outside of our autistic community?View Thread
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Fundraising efforts0% (0)
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Talk to friends, family and acquaintances0% (0)
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Write/blog0% (0)
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Spread the word through social media100% (4)
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Other0% (0)
If your son needs an aid for educational progression, then the state is required to provide that for you. Just make sure the aid is one on one and is not being utilized in other ways to save money. Sometimes occasional observations may help keep the school "honest".
Please know that the schools are not bad, but they are a business and need to count pennies. Just make sure those pennies aren't being counted at the expense of your child.View Thread
We bring goodies too! That's funny. I feel that if we keep feeding them, we will be able to slow down and make sure we dot our i's and crossed our t's. Good Luck with yours.View Thread
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Academic/Cognitive36% (4)
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Communication0% (0)
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Social/Behavioral55% (6)
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Gross/Fine Motor Skills9% (1)
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Self Help0% (0)
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