Hi, I am new, thank you for welcoming me. I have a nine year old son who is high functioning Autistic. Very active, talkative, smart, very loving, helpful. My need is suggestions with school starting, preparing myself for another year of issues. New teacher, school, papers ect. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 Hi,

I am also new to this group and I too have an autistic son.  He is 6 years old and in life skills.  He is not yet ready to be mainstreamed.  I helped my son prepare for school by just talking to him about his new teacher, reviewing what he had learned from the previous year.  I also took him shopping to pick out clothes and his new book bag.  We also do aromatherapy and he gets waffles in the morning that are high in Omega 6. These two things helps him a greatly. When he gets a bath in the morning, I put a few drops of an aromatherpy oil I made for him in his bath.  The different components are supposed to be good for stress, anxiety and a few are recommended specifically for autism.

 When school started a few weeks ago, he was very excited because he gets to ride the bus to and from school and I really feel that this is a great help with him transitioning from being at home with us to going to school to be with other people.  When we dropped him off at school we had major issues with behavior.  This year the teacher has told me that he is doing great and that he is really doing well with the stuctured setting that he is in.  I don't know if any of this helps, I know that autistic children are are different and different things work for each individual.  Just be patient with him and give him lots of love. :)

Hi!  I don't have first-hand experience with autism, but I wondered if you had read Jenny McCarthy's book about her autistic son?  I always thought she was a total airhead, but I really think this book is tremendous.  It's called "Louder than Words" ... she is a great advocate for autism.  Best wishes to you both!