NEVER underestimate the will and the ability of the autistic kid.

[Fridays Child]

Lou Dobbs just did a short piece on an autistic boy who waited three plus years to play in one of his school basketball team's games. The coach finally put him in for the last four minutes of the last game of the season and he scored something like twenty points, sinking one basket afer another.

It was very cool.

[kstewart33]

1. that's a wonderful story - makes my day. nt

[MadMaddie]

2. I love stories like that....they make me happy!!

:loveya:

[proud patriot]

3. I work w/ Austistic and Down preschoolers

This is a great to hear :D thanks for sharing

[MichiganVote]

13. Hey Proud..this off topic but I need to work up a behavior plan

for a 5 yr. old Down's Syndrome kiddo. Reactive, throwing things, basic 2 and 1/2 year old stuff. Do you have a favorite site or tool that I could look at?

[Ilsa]

20. I'm using ABA with my 9 year autistic son, and I am seeing

improvements. Do you know what is setting off the tantrumming?

[MichiganVote]

24. ABA? As to the tantruming, no, not yet. I have to do some observations

and am getting info. from the aides and from S&L in case there is a lang. problem. Its a funny case. The child's parent is insistent that he learn things that he is not ready for; mucho drills at home. I suspect this leads to frustration that finds it's way into the school. Sleep may be a problem too. Parent in major denial, believes she will go away to college, that kind of thing. So, not sure how deep I need to go as yet but the last account from the aides reported that she tossed a lunch bucket that almost hit one of the aides in the head.

So where do I find the ABA info?

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. Good luck Michigan!

Let's keep in touch. I just found out today they are sending me an autistic 9 year old who runs away. It will be a challenge I am sure.

[MichiganVote]

32. In Michigan I only worry about them running in the Fall

By winter its too cold and by Spring they've usually settled in. Find his interest and stay on it. Watch the noise levels, all my AI kids are sensitive to noise.

[proud2BlibKansan]

37. Thanks that's good to know about noise

The runners I have had usually don't leave the building. They run somewhere and hide - like in a broom closet. You know what works? We page them: "Michigan, please come to the office, you have a phone call" And they COME!! Now how many kids get phone calls at school and get paged to the office??? But the runners always come when we page them for a phone call. LOL Makes me laugh every time.

[MichiganVote]

38. That's a great idea! I love it and I'll use it!

[FreedomAngel82]

44. That's what we do with my cousin

When he's at my grandmother's we turn it on the SciFi channel (he likes that stuff apparently) or let him find a cartoon he likes and he watches it.

[Ilsa]

43. This section of the thread has alot of ABA

info in it. Just google applied behavior analysis.

Sounds like the parent needs a TON of training. Alot of people dont realize that Downs doesn't just mean "slow", but there could be more severe learning difficulties.

A good night's sleep and orderliness at home are extremely important, IMO, for any kid to do well in school. I think some hyperactivity is due to inadequate sleep.

[proud patriot]

29. I just started in Nov . 2005

So I'm learning right now . But I will ask tomorrow at work
for you. :hi:

We use the PECS (picture exchange communication system)
in our district . here's a pdf on PECS

http://www.pecsaustralia.com/Brochures/pecs_myths.pdf

I also encourage looking at this Natural way too
http://www.naturalhealthcalifornia.com/Autism.htm

on edit :

If the child is having tantrums at transitions we make
"it's time" "to go" ("recess" "circle time" "home" etc)
sentence PECS.

it gives them a chance digest the transition and I have
found extremely helpful in the class I work in .

[MichiganVote]

35. Thanks Proud.

[phylny]

30. Do a functional behavioral analysis first.

It's vitally important to see what's triggering any behaviors you want to see reduced.

[proud patriot]

31. I totally agree with that

:thumbsup:

[MichiganVote]

33. I need some basic data first. The I'll see if we need it but thanks

[Ilsa]

40. Ditto that. You learn alot from it.

Also. be sure to write down sequelae. I have found it makes it easier for me to see what the reinforcement for the undesired behavior is. And for parents, sometimes we are doing things on auto-pilot that reinforce the undesireable behavior.

Two weeks ago I took the kids out of town with a friend to stay one night in a hotel (a real treat) while my husband was gone. My autistic son went awol on us while we were leaving. We weren't far from a Code Adam when we found him hiding in the stairwell, hoping to stay behind at the hotel. Sometimes he does the running away routine also, usually just for attention and "fun".

[susu369]

4. Same wonderful story on CBS

tears streaming down my cheeks. Beautiful.

[babylonsister]

6. Me, too! So nice to hear such a great story; his team mates

and the crowd were so inspiring, too!

[teriyaki jones]

5. When I read the title of this post

I thought "the autistic kid" was a new way to refer to B*sh!

Don't think anyone's been misunderestimating his ability, though!

[sam sarrha]

8. as an autistic i consider that an insult.. bu$h is just a FOOL..!!

a wet brain alcoholic drug addict preppy sociopaty moran

[patricia92243]

7. It made me cry.

[Daphne08]

9. Me, too. I was sitting there weeping.

[erinlough]

10. I loved that story and the boy....

I work with the autistic sometimes in school and what made me giggle was his comment that he was late to every class because of kids congratulating him. For some of my a.u. kids that would be what they remembered, the being late. Time is often very important for them, as is routine.

He seemed like a great guy!!! Congratulations to him, there are so few times that the truly great aspects of this condition come to the public's attention. Amazing determination and an ability to concentrate on something to the exclusion of all else make the children I've worked with very interesting individuals.

[MadisonProgressive]

11. He tied the school record of 6 3-ptrs - in only 4 minutes on the floor!

You can see the video on cnn.com http://www.cnn.com/ . Look at the Watch Video section and scroll though untill you see "J-Mac hoops dream comes true". It's truly awesome!

[David Zephyr]

12. Well, I'm recommending this to the Greatest Page. Join me, will you?

With all of the depressing news drowning us drip after bloody drip, here's a great story that lifts the soul.

K&R


And thank you Friday's Child.

[mzmolly]

14. That was nothing short of amazing. That kid could go pro.

:wow: It would be great if canofun got a snip of that.

[annabanana]

15. I saw that too

GREAT story.... Everyone in the room was lifted up.

[Wheezy]

16. I saw it

it was heartening. What a cool kid. Good for him.

[roguevalley]

17. I imagine that a laser focus could happen here, amidst the noise.

that was amazing. he's very happy and so am I.

[stevedeshazer]

18. Video link here

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=83601

[Bosso 63]

19. I needed that.

As the father of two young boys "on the spectrum", that made my day. Thanks!

[Ilsa]

21. Thanks. That was really nice. I have an autistic 9 year old. eom

[Catchawave]

22. What a neat kid!

Thanks for sharing :hi:

[blue neen]

23. That was one of the nicest stories I have heard of in a long, long time.

These kids are truly inspiring. It is my privilege to be friends with a young autistic woman. She is very special and very talented.

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. That video is so awesome

My dad coached high school basketball for 40 years. So we all grew up in a gym. I was at my mom's tonight and they showed this video and she cried, knowing how much my dad would have loved to see this. (He died 6 years ago.)

[Ksec]

26. I saw that on CNN . It actually gave me goosebumps/

I found myself cheering as that kid hit three pointer after three pointer. It was the human interest story of the year IMO. The odds were astronomical that he would hit even one shot and to hit them over and over?? It was moving, and three cheers for the kid.

[Pushed To The Left]

28. I saw it on the news tonight

What an inspirational story! The crowd reaction was incredible. It's nice to see some good news for a change.

[Shiraz]

34. My son who is 15 and severely autistic

goes to the same school. He is in the special ed class there. I was very scared sending him to this school which he started last fall. He is doing very well there and I am so pleased that they are so inclusive. These kids seem to be so excepted. In his class they have a little business that all the students help with at there own level. It is a food cart that they take around and sell to students and faculty. The students who are able look through the newspaper and clip coupons and make a list ,go shopping for the items, we were surprised and pleased to find our son could label strawberry poptarts!

[TahitiNut]

39. The other kids, their parents, and (especially) the staff at that school

... deserve hugs and pats on their backs. It's amazing what anyone can accomplish with that kind of support and encouragement. EVERYONE has abilities. Everyone. But the ability to encourage one another is the most important ability we can develop. This should be the true meaning of "No Child Left Behind" - and it's really up to all of us.

[Fleshdancer]

36. I LOVE this story. It's going to make for a wonderful movie some day

I saw the story on headline news yesterday and was very moved by it. It must have been an incredible experience for him (of course)but as a mom, I can't stop thinking how happy and proud his parents must have been. To see the entire gymnasium go wild over the will and ability YOU know has always been in your child's heart must be intense.

I wonder what the kid thinks about all the national coverage. Must be pretty cool for him and the rest of the team.

[FreedomAngel82]

41. I have a cousin like that

He's very hyperactive (takes ritalin for now) and he has a bit of autisim in him. He's pre-kindergarten and, get this, can read at a second grade level. Last time I visited my grandmother on my dad's side she was babysitting him and his two siblings and my grandmother was playing cards with him (just a made up game) and out of no where he reads the name of the creator perfectly.

[liberalhistorian]

42. My teenage son has Asperger's Syndrome,

a type of high-functioning autism, and I can see him doing something like this. What really pisses me off is the attitudes people still have about things like this, that we've had to deal with these past eight years since his diagnosis. He's in honors classes in three subjects, and tests off the charts in all subjects, and yet they still hesitate to let him do things or give him full credit. GRRRRRR!!!!

[FreedomAngel82]

46. That's inexcusable I think

Ugh. They should be praising him and giving him honors since he's such a high student. Just like they would anyone else. :mad: How wrong.

[liberalhistorian]

47. There are still a lot of really ingrained

attitudes about this, unfortunately. Remember, it really wasn't that long ago the medical community officially blamed "refrigerater mothers" for causing autism. My son was furious when he heard that several years ago, after watching a PBS documentary on it. He gave me a hug and said I was a "sunshine mother." Kids, ya gotta love 'em!

[noonwitch]

48. I'm a social worker with all kinds of kids, but I like autistic kids

They and kids with Aspberger's syndrome are very interesting. They think differently than everyone else and it takes time with each kid to figure out where they are coming from, but it's worth the effort. I learn a lot from kids like that, because I make the effort to look and see how they perceive things. They have insights that others don't have. On top of that, a lot of those kids are actually brilliant, intellectually, and have a lot of potential in fields like engineering and such, because they are unconventional in their thinking.

[dogday]

45. My Younger Sister is Autistic

She did not speak till she was 14 and then something happened and she starting speaking and coming out of her shell some. She still likes to tap, always busy tapping something and she is very happy. She is getting older now and is having a few medical problems. I hope she can live a long and fulfilled life where she is now, she is the best person I know....