Going ASD Rogue

While sitting in my back yard get away, it struck me. Rising up from my soul, came an answer to my dilemma, “what am I to do with this child?” I felt like I had hit a wall on almost every dimension. You know the spider Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web? Out of Determination and futility I have become like Charlotte, versatile; being able to move easily in any direction. Over the course of three days I had more and more peace about the decision to home school #5.

This goes against just about every autism educator and physician’s beliefs. Children on the Spectrum need socialization and inclusion. True. In this case it is a bit different. My #5, going into the 5th grade, has a complex set of diagnosis; Asperger’s, Tourettes, ADHD, OCD, SI (of course), and ODD. Now, the dynamics which ensues is as if observing a match of Asperger’s -vs -Tourettes. In his case the behavior problems which typically accompany Tourettes out matches that of the socialization challenges of the Asperger’s. I felt that if left in public school, he would be eventually either or both expelled from school, be slapped in a behavior development class, or wind up in a juvenile detention center. Not to speak of the fact that I had had it with trying to substitute teach receiving calls on numerous occasions about his behavior or what they had to do to discipline him or that I needed to go pick him up. This combined with my sophomore’s needs with the same set of diagnosis minus ODD, and a couple of other family dilemmas. My anxiety quirks were then acting up.

Although he has had a plethora of educators and medications which have indeed helped, my back was up against a wall. He simply could not be allowed to go to the Teepee and snuggle in the squishy blanket, which by the way would be in the back of his regular education 5th grade class room. He could not be allowed to go to the autism resource room when he was contrary. He could not be exposed to the ridicule of his classmates, who then had come to know what set him off and naturally ostracized him. At the end of 4th grade he was not even allowed on the playgrounds with the other children. Understandably so, after tying a life skills student to the tether ball pole, attacking a boy at the request of a young damsel, and pulling a girl down to the ground by her hood strings for ignoring him. Requesting and receiving a one on one was impossible without a court order and not good for him either. He needs to learn how to interact on his own.

Now, in all fairness, I must elaborate. What do you do with a child such as this in a class of 27? You take one or two children on the spectrum in a regular class and it is impossible to teach to the normally developing children as needed and give the challenged ones the help they need. As a teacher, I understand this. And being such, I was completely torn. Also, as being such, I knew I could teach to his level on all subjects and work on BEHAVIOR as public schools could legally not! We had a couple of other ways to help with socializing such as church related groups and activities. Group sports was out, after trying t-ball three different years, YMCA basketball, group swimming lessons, and blushingly, Upward soccer, of which the very first practice he ran after, tackled, and began punching a boy who had kicked the ball leading into his shin too hard.

After a full year of having Him at home, he has progressed in behavior by a milestone. The worst thing that has happened is he accidently said a curse word in children’s church. Of course this was the worst one you could say in a church setting. I believe, in his case, I have finally given him what he needs, my aattention, after loosing his father to cancer at age five, and a chance to forget that he can do the above things to get out of work, and an impulsive answer to social dilemmas.

We will do home school again this year. Hopefully, he will be ready for public school as a 7th grader. We do have hurdles to leap in the area of math after missing one and a half years of school because of being in a fully contained autism room at the end of 1st and all of 2nd grade. Luckily his autism teacher figured him out. He had learned if he acted like he couldn't do it, he could get out of his work. Now, he is on the spectrum without doubt, just not as far down as once thought. He is on a 7th grade reading level, has a surprising memory, and is very imaginative and loving. I plan to push him to the point of maximum resistance, as learned from his psychologist last year, and as I have unknowingly done since his birth.

Realizing that not all parents have the ability or luxury of such a decision, my heart goes out to all who struggle with these challenges. I definitely do not have all the answers. I just believe that all doors need to be left accessible in the world of autism. There is no cure all for these disorders and no child is alike. Never give up. There is always one more thing to try. And, there are thousands of us out here to share and to comfort.

*This title is a spin of of Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue."

Dear World,

Dear world,

The following information is beneficial to the understanding and validity of my writings, whether in this blog or elsewhere. Public and individual insights, self help for those inflicted and affected, and of course, education in the form of entetainment, are my goals for this blog. I hope this will help readers gain knowledge and understanding of the complexity of Tourette Syndrome and Asperger's Syndrome.  Neurological disorders and disabilities, especially the strange and bizarre, provoke some of the most ignored misundertandings and social prejudices.  The treatment is unbiased education and compassion.

The stories in this blog are non-fiction, and to the best of my ability and recollection, true to their happenings. I will admit, sometimes I am a little dramatic and release this through words. Toward the dream stated above,with the permission of my family and I believe, my God, I open my mind, my heart, and share my-self and family, from my world to your world and with the World.


Of importance concerning Tourette syndrome:

Tic: A repetitive movement that is difficult, if not impossible, to control. Tics can affect any group of muscles. The most common are facial tics, such as eye-blinking, nose twitching, or grimacing. Tics that affect the muscles used to produce speech are known as vocal tics, and can range from grunts or whistles to the repetition of complete words or phrases. Complex motor tics involve multiple, sequenced movements and can include behaviors such as twirling in place, tapping a certain number of times, or stooping to touch the ground. Tics are believed to arise in differences in or damage to the basal ganglia, a structure deep within the brain that controls automatic movements and that also affects impulsivity.
Definitions from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/)

Coprolalia: Coprolalia is involuntary swearing or the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks. Coprolalia comes from the Greek κόπρος (kopros) meaning "faeces" and λαλία (lalia) from lalein, "to talk".[1] The term is often used as a clinomorphism, with 'compulsive profanity' inaccurately referred to as being Tourette syndrome.
Related terms are copropraxia, performing obscene or forbidden gestures, and coprographia, making obscene writings or drawings.

Characteristics:
Coprolalia encompasses words and phrases that are culturally taboo or generally unsuitable for acceptable social use, when used out of context. The term is not used to describe contextual swearing. It is usually expressed out of social or emotional context, and may be spoken in a louder tone or different cadence or pitch than normal conversation. It can be a single word, or complex phrases. A person with coprolalia may repeat the word mentally rather than saying it out loud; these subvocalizations can be very distressing.[4]
Coprolalia is an occasional characteristic of Tourette syndrome, although it is not required for a diagnosis of Tourette's. In Tourette syndrome, compulsive swearing can be uncontrollable and undesired by the person uttering the phrases. Involuntary outbursts, such as racial or ethnic slurs in the company of those most offended by such remarks, can be particularly embarrassing. The phrases uttered by a person with coprolalia do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of the person.[4]
Cases of deaf Tourette patients swearing in sign language have been described,[5][6] showing that coprolalia is not just a consequence of the short and sudden sound pattern of many swear words.[7]
Coprolalia is also a rare symptom of other psychiatric disorders,[8] such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
Definitions from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/)

Copropraxia:
The involuntary display of unacceptable/obscene gestures.
Mentioned in: Tourette Syndrome
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Copropraxia

Copropraxia is involuntarily performing obscene or forbidden gestures. Copropraxia comes from the Greek κόπρος meaning "feces" and πράξις meaning "action". Copropraxia is a rare characteristic of Tourette syndrome.
Definitions from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/)

Tourette syndrome or Georges Gilles de la Tourette syndrome:
Tourette syndrome (TS) is an inherited disorder of the nervous system, characterized by a variable expression of unwanted movements and noises (tics).
For more on Tourette's, such as description, causes and symptoms, definitions, associated symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, and medications, please visit:
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Tourette+Syndrome