RN and Autism Mom

Shamrock, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2005

Hi Betty - my name is Valerie and I've been in the D.D. nursing field going on 5 years. I have obtained certification in the area. Your best place to start would be with the West Tennessee DD Nurses Network. According to the newsletter they are having a quarterly meeting in Arlington sometime this month. Another excellent resource would be the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association. (DDNA) It is the national organization. Website is:

http://www.ddna.org I love this area of nursing, it's the best! Good luck.

Renee_RN · Aug 24, 2005

I too am an RN and a mother of a four year old with severe autism. You will be a great advocate for your child and his care.

Good luck!

Renee

grace90, LPN, LVN · Oct 10, 2005

I'm an RN and have a 7 year old son with severe autism and severe developmental delay. Every day is filled with rewards and challenges. :redbeathe :icon_hug:

I have considered doing developmental delay nursing, after seeing his wonderful school nurse and what she does. I've only been an RN for 16 months, in med surg, and I want to gain a few years of experience first, though. I came here to see what I could learn about autism and nursing, since I am always looking to learn more about both. :)

mwbeah · Oct 14, 2005

Hi, I'm Betty. I am a RN who works in Geriatric Psych. But most of all...
I am an Autism mom. My son Jacob, 6, was diagnosed with high functioning Autism when he was almost five. I saw the s/s earlier but was in deep denial. Now I regret not getting help sooner, but since he's been in therapy, we have seen tremendous results.
I never thought about going into Developmental Disability Nursing until now. Can anyone give me pointers to where I might start. I live in TN.
Looking forward to chatting with you all.
Betty

Hey there,

I am Mike, a CRNA with a 5 year old with ASD. We found out at Denver Children's Hospital just before he turned three. My wife and I suspected as much but we were in denial for a period. All I can say is keep up the therapy sessions. When we were in Colorado, my son had OT, PT, speech, and dynamic platform (aka therapeutic equestrian training). He made great strides, but the Army moved me and he regressed and lost we figured about 3-6 months of progress. Obtaining our services again through tricare still isn't finished and my Wife is the expert when fighting Tricare (they stink about getting services, so much red tape). But we have OT and speech, working on PT, and take him to a local stable to ride.

Keep fighting the fight. I moved to study Autism, give me four years and I will tell you more :) . I am looking at endocrine abnormalities in males with autism.

Take care,

Mike

Renee_RN · Oct 15, 2005

Hey Mike,

Can you explain a little more about dynamic platform and the impact it has made on your son? Also, can you elaborate on your experience with relocation? My son was diagnosed early (1 year 10 months old) and I have been working with him for a little over two years with PT, OT, speech therapy, early intervention, socialization in the classroom setting, and some behavior modification principles. I am now in the process of moving in order to save money to apply to CRNA school next year. I am worried about my son regressing and am feeling quite guilty about moving when I have found something that works. He was completely nonverbal with just utterances and crying until he was almost 3 1/2 years old. Now at four years old, he is learning early imaginative play, acknowledging others, trying to socialize with other children, and speaking in short sentences (although garbled). I would love to hear more about your experiences. Thanks for posting.

Renee

judyblueeyes · Oct 15, 2005

My son is nearly 8 and diagnosed with Aspergers. He was also extremely premature (23.5 weeks, but otherwise healthy now) so we attributed his off-beat development to the prematurity. He was diagnosed at 6 throught the school district even though we had been followed by a pediatric neurodevelopmentalist annually. He is doing well and the school district is and has been very proactive and helpful regarding the dx.

lisamc1RN, LPN · Oct 15, 2005

My son is 12 and has Asperger's. You are not alone here. :) Welcome to allnurses!

mom2twinz · Oct 18, 2010

Hi everyone, I hope you can help me out here. I have 4 kids (8, 6, and 3yo twins), and my 6yo has autistic disorder. I was just accepted to nursing school. It is a weekend program, so classes/clinicals are Fridays and Saturdays. I am so scared that I am not going to be able to handle everything: 4 kids, one with autism, and nursing school. For you who attended school with a child with autism, how did you handle it? I know that NS is a huge time commitment, but my family cannot suffer the loss of any care and attention. Am I crazy for trying to do this

manjaNurse · Jan 12, 2011

Hi all,

I am from Singapore and I have never heard of this side of nursing though I've been a RN for more than 10yrs. I have worked in a residential home for the intellectually disabled before, but there is no 'specialty' cert or degree for this.

I loved my work with them but I have changed to school nursing just so I can have more time to spend with my 3yr autistic boy.

It's out of the topic a bit, but I need to ask - My boy tends to sleep whenever he was "forced" to be in a new environment eg new school, a wedding reception, new therapy centres, etc.....What can I do?

Hope some of you can give me some pointers...developmental disabilities care and support group in Singapore is NOT well developed yet.

tiroka03, LPN · Jan 17, 2011

I have two kids with AS. One is 28 years old and the other is 20. So, I believe I have a lot of experience. My son has finished college and is working full time. He is about a month out in starting up his own company. My daughter is still in High School. She will be graduating next year and is in line to recieve Florida's Bright Futures scholarship. She will be the first kid to recieve that, as only "normal kids" qualifiy. I have had many a fight with the school boards, we have lived both in Minnesota and Florida. You can't believe how labels affect your child and how you are listened to in the schools.

My advise, if what ever you are planning on implementing with your kids seem weird or disgusting to your kids, don't do it. Your kids need encouragement, lot of it. Don't go off into some weird diet or anything else that makes them feel different. Just keep letting them know that they have to work harder and longer. Don't give in and let them get away with less homework or let your emotions get in the way of getting the best out of them. My kids have suffered with seizures, food dislikes, bullying, (also by teachers). They have had panic attacks and nightmares. It has been a very difficult path to follow, and I haven't always been a perfect parent. But, I don't want my kids to think just because they have a disability, they are different. When they reach adulthood, there just aren't any excuses not to live like a person without AS, you just have to want to do it. We have been through a lot with the school districts, you just have to hold on and keep it real. Don't let the system bully you. I could write a book on our experiences. But, we are now at a happy place, and the kids are doing well. I hope this thread keeps going for a long time.

PaddyCake · Jan 23, 2011

I would be interested in knowing more about the testosterone connetion and autism. Is there any suggestion that high testosterone levels have anything to do with self injurious behaviors?

My son is 11 years old, severely autistic. We are still working with him and he has actually made more progress this year than any other year.

Lisa