AUTISM, ADHD, ADD, etc - SUPPORT GROUP!

Thanks for your ideas ladies. Since I quit to be home with the kids, we don't have a helper. I think I will need to let my younger one go over to my parents place in the afternoons, so I can work one-on-one with my older boy.

Eunice,
can you let me know more about the gfcf diet? I did try it, but it seemed so daunting and expensive, so I gave up! But since my boy has chronic constipation since birth, I am considering putting him on this again. Do you shop at any particular stores for gfcf products? Do you have any hot breakfast options that your child likes? Mine is hooked on peanut butter ( no transfat) and jam( low sugar, organic) sandwiches, and I really want him to have a warm meal in the mornings. Any ideas?
 


Its really not easy to go on the GFCF diet. I am not total CF as he still refuses to wean off formula milk but we exclude all other dairy in his diet, it is certainly expensive to buy GF foodstuff ad not easy to find. Organic shops carry them mostly. Places like Brown Rice Paradise, Supernature, EatOrganic are whereibuy my son's food from. Sometimes I order online from iHerb or Amazon. We have been on this for half a year now. Totally think its worth the effort. At the beginning, almost gave up cos expensive, hard to find and pity the fellow have to eat bland food. But looking at his progress, it's all worth it.

We also give him GF DhA oil, digestive enzymes and probiotic as part of his biomedical treatment. Initially, we also started him on a yeast treatment process to remove any traces of candida in his system. All that has brought speech, better moods etc. burnt ahold in my pockets but no choice.
 
Eunice
I also started biomedical treatment on my boy but not on GFCF. So far, his behaviour did not not improve much, in fact recently it got worse. His tantrums are bad and less responsive these two weeks.

Not sure if I should be patient enough to continue the treatment. As for GFCF, I can only control him not drinking milk and reduce the intake of food with preservatives, giving him organic snacks without wheat. As I work full time and has no helper, is not possible for me to go on full GFCF.

I really hope to be a SAHM to help my boy but with his therapies and school fees, the expenses are really too high for me to stop working. Haiz..
 
Scrumpee, actually once you get started with GF diet, it will be a lot easier. The beginning abit hard cos need to be very mindful of what should be excluded and all. But once you get off the runway, it's easy flight. NTUC sells gluten free pasta. You can give him brown rice and millet too. Cook porridge, fried rice. Get a bottle of GF pasta sauce for an occasional spaghetti treat, the sauce should last awhile. I also bought GF soy sauce, it's expensive but because I use so little each time, and cos he's the only one at home who eats it, it lasts a few months a bottle. I am not the extremist of GF diet, I know of some mums who are very sticky about cross contamination and all but we need to be practical lah. Just try yourbest I feel. Every little bit should count. Idid hear also, that biomedical treatments are best combined with GFCF diets. This was why my nutritionist insisted I stick with GF before he intro the yeast elimination treatment the Inent is to get rid of substances that any hinder the detox process. It's similar to us when we fall sick lorh. If doctor says gotta stop taking citrus fruits or cold drinks while we nurse our cough or cold with meds, gotta listen, if not the healing process is slower or won't happen at all.
 
But Scrumpee, I know where you're coming from when you say you feel like becoming a SAHM to help him. I did think of that too. But like you, the expenses for helping him outweighs the time needed to help him. So I chose to continue working hard to make more money. I hired an additional helper too so at least she can help cover a few hours of therapy a week. Hub hand I worked out all our financial options and as much as we'd like to stay homeland give him 100% support and guidance, it's not viable.private therapies is another killer! $180 an hour a weeks serious matter. So no nice, gotta work :-(
 
Eunice
same thoughts here. How I wish I can strike Toto. Haha. I always say so but I never bet, so how to strike right? The money I spent on my boy each mth is equivalent to raising 3 nerotypical kids.

Did you go to John Yeo? I actually go to him for neurofeed back but he asked me to try biomedical treatment instead.

Now I can only work with my boy like 3 times a week, each time half hour to 45mins. I work mainly on his academic and language. As for OT, I try to bring him to playground as much as possible. I am contemplating to take no pay leave for a few months and see what miracle I can make out of him.

How old is your boy?
 
My son turns 3 this November. tell me about it! I have 3 kids in all and the one who needs help is my middle child so how to become SAHM? If you can afford, staying home to help him with therapy is good but I also think maintaining therapy with a qualified therapist at least once a week is helpful as they are ore expert when it comes to identifying gaps that the child may still have while he progresses. I myself am sometimes even confused with just OT alone so when his therapists gives advice on what I can do to help my son improve, I work based on her instructions.
 
Eunice
So yours is a year-end baby, then still have time to catch up. Mine is born in the first quarter of the year, as each day passes by, I worry because it means he has shorter time to catch up with his peers. He is also 3. Sometimes I wish time passes slower so that my boy has more time to catch up.

Yeah, agree, no matter what we do, we still need the experts to guide us. Like last time, I didn't think my boy has fine motor or sensory issues until the OT point out to me what he is lacking and what he should be performing at this age but he doesn't. So we slowly work towards those goals like cutting, writing, pulling down his pants, wear shirt, opening the cover of a lunch box, turning to open a cap, climbing ladder etc. He can do all these now with some guidance and yesterday, he managed to write his own name with a bit of guidance from me.
 
Hi mummies,

need some support/advice for my boy. My boy is five this year, was send to KKH for assessment and suspected ASD. We quickly sought for 2nd opinion from a private PD and was adviced Aspengers Syndrome.

We are still waiting for the appointment for final diagnostic by the psychologist in KKH. We are in a fix, we have requested for placement for EIPIC but waiting list was super long so we intend to spend more by sending him to private EIPIC leapfrog whom was under the sudsidy scheme (PIPP).

Any mummies have any review on leapfrog? Any home speech therapist to recommend?

We are praying hard our son do gets better since he only left with 1.5 yrs to catch up before he get to P1.

Both my hubby and myself are so sad and guilty for not realising this earlier....
 
find.jfam
My boy is with leap frog's special ed therapy, once a week. I wasn't at his first session so can't tell if is good but he was sent there because I heard good reviews.

For EIPIC, you may want to try to request for SPD? As it is a new centre, they may still have vacancies. They are located at Tiong Bahru and Jurong.

If you and hubby did not notice anything wrong with him earlier, why now? teachers feedback?
 
I withdrew from Leapfrogs. Initially placed my son for speech and spec ed. Both had some overlap in terms of activity used to teach. So from a financial and time standpoint, we chose to just go with 1, which is speech. First therapist assigned had no chemistry with my son. Changed to another and was a little better but she didn't give me that feeling of being passionate about her work or that she really care a lot about the kids under her care. Felt like she was just doing what she had to do as a job. I feel as therapists, you need more than just treating this as a job. Don't take this comment literally. I think to each his own. Everyone has different expectations and opinion about therapists and what they want for their child. Try them out, importantly, your child must have chemistry with them so they can improve.
 
Speech at leapfrog since dec 2011.. It is ok but hus kkh st can only see him.once a mth...scrumpee yourson goes for a few classes..how do u cope? Itis costly so my son went leapfrog once a wk m kkh ot
 
Cope as in financially? I just had to plan my financial well every mth. As for the fetching to and fro, my husband does the job and I will take leave if he can't make it
 
Wow but u are really doing a lot.home therapy wee care leapfrog and spd..a lotof ferrying.is your teacher mandy? I find st n special ed about the same so I stopped after one session..too costly.. So my st is teacher grace..yes I did hear feedback from a frd who tried leapfrog and dun like it but my son likes the teacher so I decided not to change cos need to adjust again
 
Sorry scrumpee if I missed your earlier post but your son seems to be quite advanced that he can write his name. He is not diagnosed right? Sorry I missedyour earlier threads..mine is suspected due to his rigidity to changes n not much eye contact.. I praying hard that he will walk out of it
 
Good Try, I stopped weecare for my boy as the progress was stagnant after a while, that's why I switch to Leapfrog for special Ed. Yah, his teacher is Mandy.

As for writing,he started learning two mths ago with his tutor. He can spell his name so I try to teach him to write, still need guidance, can't do it all by himself yet.

Yes alot of ferrying around but no choice. Just do as much as we can to help him.
 
hi scrumpee,

actually the playgroup teacher did feedback when he was 3yrs (2yrs ago), her concern is speech. She felt that my son is not speaking much, however all of a sudden my son start talking alot with alot of vocabulary thus we thought maybe he is slower.

But we still call up Polyclinic to enquire about the assessment, the lady told us they can only do the assessment when the child is 4. I seriously think they need to re-educate these lady from giving the wrong information...

We try potty train him at 3years old and he has no problem at all. I mean literally no wetting of bed not even once! And it took us less than a week to fully train him, and again we thought its fine since he can understand us well and diaper free at the age of 3.

The only thing we notice is he is not good at social skills, but once he know his frenz he will try to play and mingle with them.

When he is in good mood, he greet everyone he sees but when he is feeling moody he just keep quiet.

His previous kindergarden teacher feedback to us he is doing well in N2 and K1, so we also forgot about it since no one brought up this subject again.

Its only recently this Feb we switch him to a full day childcare, then the child care teacher tell us her concerns that my son not expressing himself well.

We are bringing him to leapfrog for assessment this afternoon, to find out more....and to see what else we can do for him...
 
usually the leapfrog assessment or any centre assessment is to tell us to sign up for their package.. i paid $180 for leapfrog n she told me at the end of it 4 times a week which iw as rather unhappy..who can actually afford 4 times twice st and twice special education n then after talking to other mums, i reealised their also 4 times a week and!! so i really dunno how genuine is their assessment but wihtout assessment they dun let you start their proagramme. but the loop in kkh is even if u need weekly they can only see once in a m th cos st calender is PACKED in kkh...
 
find.jfam
I see. From what u describe, he seems doing fine. Does he has any obsessive behaviour? Don't worry too much, it may just be his character?

As for assessment by KKH, is not true that they only assess when the kid is 4. By 3 years old can assess already. I don't trust those people at polyclinic, that's why I insisted them to refer me to child development unit at KKH and let me talk to the doctors there myself.
 
My child's childcare owner told us about this pte special ed centre Kidspace Learning Place. Think they offer EIPIC, school prep, speech therapy and enrichment classes.

Heard that some of my child's schoolmates will be starting afternoon classes there.

Has anyone heard of Kidspace? Do share if you have any experience with them.
 
HI All mummies!for pte intervention ctr,k4k also is one of it,my son was there for almost 3mths plus and saw improvement,my son more on behaviour!i still not send him for dignose yet...in Q and also thk of mayb send him when he is turn 3.5 yo first...
 
Scrumpee, congrats on your boy writing his name! I know what a milestone that is
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We are still working towards it.

My son is horribly constipated..sigh.Today I had to give him an enema.We have changed 3 different PDs, and now I am considering homeopathy or even GAPS diet seriously. Any comments from you guys? I used to think these were crazy options, but I am at my wits end. This has been going on from birth, docs have been suggesting various things, nothing has worked so far - for the past two weeks he has been on 1 laxative, 1 IBS med and probiotic 3 times a week - in addition to drinking plenty of water, eating veg and fruits
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Caramel
My boy also has constipation problem since he was about 2 years old. There's a period he passes out lumps of blood, like our menses! so scary.

I started him on probiotics advised by my nutritionist and my mum gives him lots of vege everyday and prunes. He is slightly better now but there are still times that he poo only once every 3 days.
 
The problem is, he is fussy about fruits - he will take only papaya, banana and pureed pear. The problem has been getting worse, now the fruits and veg doesn't work on him, neither does probiotics. Trying prune juice now
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Will try Kiwi next - pack for his school snack. Thanks for the tips!
 
You can try the following for constipaion relief:

Food - whole grain bread and cereals, broccoli

Toileting - put a stool under your child's feet as the leverage will help him push. Encourage him to sit for at least 10 mins.

Physical activity - make sure the child gets at least 30 mins of active play each day. He's likely to get more constipated if he sits too much in the day.
 
Caramel
My boy also only eat certain fruit. He only eats del monte banana, kiwi and pureed fragrant pear. He does not eat sliced pear. He is such a picky eater and it hindrance his jaw development. His speech is delayed. After 2 months therapy and my own routine therapy, he is able to sound 2 syllabes words now. Do you mind to share how is your boy's speech?
 
Hi Star, his speech is fine.His issue is with communication ,this was actually why we only made a diagnosis much later when he was 2. he can mimic words well, and understands object words like ' dog' , 'cat' etc. But he has problems understanding abstract concepts such as 'you' and 'I', 'yes' and 'no'. We are making good improvements now with regular therapy and also with us constantly correcting him - I'm sure we drive him nuts with the corrections, but he is learning
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A mum I met at a talk once, shared with me that she helped her son with the jaw development by getting him to chew different types of foods; different consistencies. I am also doing this now,but in slow stages. First week has been cubed papaya ( previously he would only eat mashed papaya). So now he has a familiar taste but different texture. Next week, I will try cubed watermelon - crunchier, but sweet and he has eaten cubed fruit before, so will be more open to trying it. You can also try getting him to taste different things - no need to finish, but just try different strong tastes such as sour stuff. When he makes the involuntary face, it actually works his muscles! I was suprised, but it works
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Rainbow- thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately we already do everything on that list, but with no effect.We are planning to get him tested for allergies, so we can work on a special diet for him.
 
Hi Mummies
Is there anyone sending their kids to Rainbow or Thai Hua Kuan EIPIC at CCK? Could I have your feedback on their teachers, therapist and facilities? I am thinking which one to send my boy who has DS to. TIA.
 
Hi Scrumpee,

Went to leapfrog but their EIPIC programme are full so direct me to their ed therapy instead.. Quite expensive $110/1hr session. Twice a week...we are considering how to maximise our financial now. The therapist told me my son has behavioural problem so good to send him to such therapy as well.

But we are lucky, we approach THK @ Wdls and Metta @ Punggol and apparently their waiting time for EIPIC are relatively short as they are making exceptions for us as our son is 5years old le.

CEL have called us and we are now deciding which centre to send him..

Hi Sunny,

I understand from CEL that Rainbow wait list is 6-12mths, u might want to consider THK @ CCK. I spoke to their social worker and they are very nice ppl who are willingly to go extra mile to help.
 
Find cel only sub if it leapfrog epic..very sad my son st called she resigned from leapfrog soon..if I follow her I will nd to forego my assessment of 180 and registration of 50.very sad
 
Caramel

The problem is my son refuse to try new texture of food. He is quite persistent.

Sunny
It is best that you make appointment with the social worker to vist the centre first and see whether you are comfortable with the teacher who is going to teach your child.
 
thanks find, star.

I went to both rainbow and CCK eipic for visit, didn't get to talk to the teacher. but from the look of the environment and the therapy rooms, i am more keen on enrolling my boy to rainbow. it's the distance to the rainbow which makes me consider twice.
 
Star, don't give up! I know its tough...it took me 2 years to get my son to try some new stuff. If its just to work his facial muscles, he just needs to get a taste, e.g. sour taste will make him scrunch up his face and work his jaw muscles. You can just let him touch the food, play with it ( yes, it will get messy, my son put stuff in his hair!), and gradually he can try putting in his mouth, or at least he is less likely to resist if you dab a bit on his lips so he can lick it off.
If you need him to eat fruits etc, I suggest you send it to school and get his teachers to do the dirty work - he may comply with them better. I used to kill myself trying to get my son to eat at home,and he just wouldn't. But in school, he will eat the papaya etc, with no fuss at all.His special ed teachers will be more than glad to help.
 
Hi, why are private therapists so ex? I know people who after a couple of years workingexperience have made enough money to open thier own. Woukd they be experienced enough or just blindly teaching new therapists. Any proper accredition?
 
Caramel
My boy only attends 3 hr preschool and always bring biscuit from home. He never eat food prepared from school. The teacher can not do anything.
 
Star, I find that with our kids, we have to 'woo' them. If my son really wants to please someone, he will do what they say - thankfully, he really likes his teachers and also one of my hubby's aunts. So I use these people to get him to eat. Once he's used to it, I will feed him the same stuff too. I'm a bit suprised actually, your boy is also in a special ed school right? So they should know how to use reinforcers to get him to eat. E.g. my boy will get his biscuits only after his finishes his fruits. I did have this issue of him not eating in school, but that was only in his mainstream preschool.
Another thing that works for me is to take him outside - he just loves going out, and is more likely to comply if we are outside, because he's in a good mood! So I might let him try some kiwi when we are at a foodcourt, it takes a lot of time and effort - and sometimes I think I must be a bit mad to be engineering all these situations just for a piece of fruit! But our babies are worth it;)
 
Caramel

My boy is GDD and not attending special ed school. I visited one eipic centre but find not suitable.

My boy really persistent. Last Sunday I wanted to give him apple but he had a fight with me. So strong until my arm ache now.

He has been on speech therapy for 3 months but now I feel that my boy not cooperative with the therapist and feel bored. He is very shy boy too.
 
Hi Mummies, would like to join this thread to gain more knowledge. My son shares a different condition. His self esteem was very much affected by a childcare teacher and he lost his confidence and need people's acknowledgement. He is working on sand therapy now as he will not share anything unhappy with us so we need therapist to work with him on his feelings.

My older girl also attended the holiday course at the centre for anger management and meet your monster programme. It is a development and therapy centre. You may like to check out Kids in Flow. They offered Yoga programmes too

http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/450761/7305003.html?1342761354
 
Hi Everyone...I am so pleased to read all the entries here. I am sure God has planned everyone a place in paradise for taking care of these children with Autism.
Firstly, I am an early intervention teacher in one of EIPIC ctr .My philosophy in life is always to treat these children like any typical children and it's just that they learn differently...I've seen some of my students successfully went to pathlight school and some went to mainstream while most went to SPED schools. Nevertheless, these are all the achievements that is priceless to me...
My dream is to start my own centre to help these children to lead a normal way of life where possible. I know that money is always a problem for parents to provide the best education for their child. I am wiling to provide the best that I can to help these children with Autism. Do contact me at 91736749 if you are interested. Always believe that "EVERY CHILD IS AN ACHEIVER" despite the quality and time...
 
Hi mums,

Have any of you tried music therapy with your ASD kids? We are currently trying it out, and I'm having mixed feelings about it. Just wanted to know if you have any experiences in this too.
 
Hi mums,

Just received this email today. We were introduced to Olive Tree therapy centre by a friend, and I attended their last parent's nite session, which I found pretty informative. They have another session coming up, just popping in here with the info if you are interested to attend
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Olive Tree Development Center is very pleased to bring you a talk at our Parents Info Nite on

"Managing Behavioural and Developmental Delays - finding the right Intervention for your child" by Dr Lian Wee Bin, Developmental Paediatrician

Date: Tue 28 Aug 2012, 7-9pm
Venue : Olive Tree Development Center, 179A Thomson Road , 2nd Floor Goldhill Center Behind Burger King
Register : Contact Chiu @ 96783211 / 62525200. (Talk is FOC)



Agenda : 7.00-8.00pm Talk by Dr Lian Wee Bin
8.00-8.30pm Q&A (free to ask any developmental Qs)
8.30-9.00pm Parent's sharing & fellowship over coffee/snacks

Children with any developmental delay need to have work-ups that may involve consultation, physical examination and investigations (blood tests, genetics, scans, hearing and visual assessments), leading to a formulation and recommendations for intervention. Tracking then becomes important to ensure best progress and most appropriate educational placement to permit greatest learning opportunities. Long term follow-up will allow better chances for better outcomes.

This talk will address the management of the issues and how to find the right mix of intervention and appropriate therapy for children with developmental delays. In addition, Dr Lian will be able to address any questions pertaining to your child that you may have.. .

About the Speaker
Dr Lian Wee Bin is a certified paediatrician and neonatologist, registered with the Academy of Medicine, Singapore. She has acquired more than 20 years’ of medical experience, the last 15 being in the domain of paediatrics, particularly in the field of newborn medicine and developmental paediatrics. She is also an Adj Associate Professor with KKH in the Department of Child Development..

She first received her medical training at the National University of Singapore and then went on to further her studies in the specialist field of paediatric medicine, attaining both the Masters of Medicine (Paediatrics), Singapore as well as Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, UK. Subsequent to this, she attended a Fellowship programme at the renowned Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, US, focusing on developmental paediatrics and newborn medicine.

Her passion is in helping every child achieve his or her optimal developmental and learning potential. Her predominant focus therefore lies in screening for and the early identification of the at-risk child, starting from the perinatal and infancy period (such as preterm infants and babies with low blood sugars at birth), through preschool years (such as those with speech and language delays, motor and co-ordination issues and more complex disorders such as autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders) into schooling years (such as those with learning disabilities, specific language impairments and dyslexia). She believes in early profiling of a child’s strengths and weaknesses and the implementation of Early Intervention, especially in the first 6 years of a child’s life. She is also a strong supporter for Family Empowerment and Child Advocacy.

About Parents Info Nite & Network
We hope this regular support group meeting provides a platform for therapists and professionals in medical, allied healthcare to inform and for parents to rally and encourage each other. We were inspired by a Special Needs Parent's Cooperative in Australia called Lifestart http://www.lifestart.org.au/about/ where parents gather in playgrounds or offices in various part of the NSW on different days of the week to share, cry or help others. Come join us as we extend a helping hand to others in their journey.
 
Hi mommies,

You might be interested in learning more about how Music Therapy can be used and benefit your child with special needs. The 2012 Music Therapy Symposium is coming up on August 31st - September 2012. The focus is on "Music Therapy and the Special Child" I strongly encourage you to attend and explore music therapy as an avenue of therapy for your child.


Here's the link
http://singaporemusictherapy.blogspot.sg/2012/06/2012-mt-symposium-mt-special-child.html
 
Hi mummies

If anyone of you who are placing your kids on GFCF diets, and are keen in exploring some bake your own stuff, I have 5 pkts of these to let go. I bought too many boxes when I went to US recently so selling part of it away due to shortage of space in my kitchen to store it!

After baking, the end product is like yummy breadsticks which you can serve with a dip or eat on its own since its already flavoured.

View here:
S$5 a pack for this:
http://www.amazon.com/Chebe-Bread-Original-Cheese-7-5-Ounce/dp/B001ACMCNU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344842977&sr=8-3&keywords=chebe+gluten+free

S$3 a pack for this:
http://www.amazon.com/Chebe-Bread-Sticks-Garlic-7-5-Ounce/dp/B001ACMCLM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1344843162&sr=8-5&keywords=chebe+gluten+free

PM me if keen.
 
Hi Carol,

Thanks for sharing this info. It really help the parents. I just called to the centre and asked a lot of questions about this product. They sell at very reasonable price coz I had been asking with the therapist for brain wave it cost $100++ per session... with this we can use it anytime and anywhere...

Dear mummies...you can look for Angle. She's very kind and explain to me very details...
 
Hi Myap,

I would really suggest you proceed cautiously and with a tested and proven music therapy if you want to go this route. Music therapy is still on the whole, considered an alternative treatment, and not all music therapy is the same. I have heard cases of children who have regressed severely when the therapy did not suit them. This is because the kids are very sensitive to the music, and it is not an exact science - you have to trial and error slowly to see what fits your child. My boy is going through music therapy too, but under the strict supervision of his therapist, and even two minutes for once a week makes him overloaded - teeth gritting, tantrumming, less communicative, more violent. That's just two minutes a week. Some kids can take more and some can take less, and we are still trying to find the right combi for my son.

I would strongly suggest you speak with your child's current psychologist or therapist to get a referral to a programme that they are comfortable with, and then slowly try it under therapist supervision. We have been at it for a month, and I foresee another 2-3 months before I feel comfortable enough to adminster at home on my own.
 


I have a question for you guys, and would love to hear your experiences. I pulled out my boy from his mainstream preschool in Nov last year, so he could attend a special ed program ( ABA). This takes up all his mornings Mon-Fri, and he has made good progress in his speech and behaviour. A second milestone was when he started one-on-one ST and OT, and I realise that he needs more interaction. He is quite verbal,moreso than the other kids in his class.

I was wondering, how do you mums give them more opportunities for social interaction? Did you find enrolling them in a childcare or kindy useful, in addition to them attending special ed? Did any of you brave souls pull them out of special ed completely? Do your kids participate in their mainstream kindy/childcare? My son would just walk around and do his own thing, and the teacher would let him! Do let me have your thoughts..all feedback appreciated!
 

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