I stopped posting on IRD in the spring when Joey finally came off his prevacid and seems to have beaten reflux. He has now been diagnosed with autism and I find myself in search of a SUPPORTIVE autism board but can not find one. For those of you who have been doing this autism thing for a while, do you know of any good boards? i just need a little boost for those times that I get down. I love him for everything he is, but sometimes his whole future and its uncertainty seem to close in. By the way, he is now 20 months old, non-verbal (except for the word ball) is exhibiting sensory issues, he craves input, does not respond to his name, make eye contact, play with toys and etc, etc.

I'm so happy that it appears he's beaten reflux! :yahoo: Congrats!!
As for a supportive Autism board, I'm sure some moms on here know of some.
When I was doing some research, found a fantastic site that you may not be aware of, www.autismspeaks.org (http://www.autismspeaks.org) -it is amazing. There might be some links or perhaps even a support board there. Good luck and dont stay a stranger! So glad to have you back!

Amy, I am so sorry that you have not been able to find any support. You must be going through a really tough time right now.

I am a rec therapist and work with children with special needs. My last job was as a nanny/tutor, for a young boy with severe developmental disabilities. His mom would often get overwhelmed with having to worry so much about his day to day needs as well as planning for his future. It is a lot to have to deal with.

I wish I knew of a place where you could find more supportive parents. Hopefully someone hear will be able to help. If not I am sure you will be able to find support on this site even if it is for reflux. I think having a past refluxer should count.

Yes, you are absolutely more than welcome to stay here and get the support you need. We may not have a lot of autistic kids here so we can't all understand everything you go through but many of us have children with varying degrees of other difficulties so can really relate to having a special child.

Sorry, I don't personally know of any autism websites...maybe Shannon (zapsmom) will.

Welcome back! As the parent of a special needs child, I know how difficult it is and how much you need that extra support from others who truly understand and care. Thankfully I've been able to find others here who care and some who are going through similar things. You're welcome to join us; we'd love to have you around! Who knows...Perhaps by being here, you can even lend support to other parents of autistic kids as they come looking.

BTW, if it helps to know, we're dealing with a 4 yo. who is just beginning to talk, sensory issues (including craving sensory input), and global developmental delays.

Welcome back! :hug: We are always here! I'm sure there will be other members (Shannon :wink:) that can relate to what you are going through. I am so happy that you're no longer dealing with reflux, though!

Hi Amy...I can understand what you are dealing with! My Ds, Hobbes is 4 yrs and is autistic! He was non verbal when he was dx but is slow getting some verbal skills now. He craves sensory input as well. Hobbes doesn't make eye contact and it is rare to see him smile. I too am uncertain about his future and what his life will be liek when he is older. I have find a good site at Babycenter.com. It is not as great as IRD. They didn't always reply to post right away there like here!:smt047: If you need to, you get always PM me and vent. :hugs:

Glad you found this site so supportive, I think it is pretty great too.

Asher's Mom may have some suggestions for you. Check out her info under the membership list...Quick links

Best wishs

Well, there is a lot of support at IRD, that is for sure. My son's reflux is caused by the fact that he had poor muscle tone that seems to be a neurological issue. He is very low functioning and who know what kind of future he will have. The docs can not even come up with a diagnosis. I would not even know where else to go for the kind of support that I have received on IRD. Welcome back.

Hi there and welcome back :hello2: I am so glad that you have come back for support.
I am so sorry that you have not been able to find a specific support forum for autism.
Having said that.. you will get loads of support here.. even though many of us do not have a child with autism, we experience other challenges with our kids and that makes us very empathetic and understanding. We are always here for you hon :hug:

Welcome back! While most of us can't offer first-hand experience with autism, we have broad shoulder to help you get through the tough days and congratulations to offer for all the accomplishments.

Well said Lesley.

Welcome back. I am glad you find this place supportive, but sorry you can't find one for autism. We all are here for you anytime you need us!

Amy,

I too have an autistic child... my daughter Jessie who is 4 (almost 5). She was officially dx at three-years-old, but it was long suspected before that. She was non-verbal starting at 18 months, but with lots of speech therapy she has made her way back and is now almost age appropriate for her speech. She was also dx with sensroy integration dysfunction and with lots of OT has managed to work through most of those issues. She has been in special ed classes for two years and is going into her third year starting next week.

I have never really found an autism message board/online support group that I liked. Most of them seem to be such a wide spectrum (like autism) and I just could never find anything that seem to fit us. I really haven't looked lately for one because I can only deal with issue at a time... and right now it's the whole reflux thing. This is such a loving and supportive community... I can see why you came back here.

Please feel free to PM me if you ever need to chat or vent. I really would love to hear more about your son. He sounds so much like my daughter at that age. Hope to chat with you soon!

Baby James--Thank you for your response. I really hope that we have as wonderful an outcome as it seems your daughter is having.