If your DC has ASD do they

have any friends?

My LO is only 21 months and has a baby sister that she hardly even acknowledges. we often go to the park and when she is around other kids her age...it doesn't seem to me like she even notices them.

I am just anticipating what its going to be like and its just breaking my heart. I want her to be close to her baby sister and also to friends but if she doesn't seem to interact with them now...will she ever?

Do any of you have any issues with this?
I can't help but cry every night.

Re: If your DC has ASD do they

Yes he does.

when AJ was 4.5 months old i joined 2 mommy groups, and with luck on my side, almost all of the babies were 2007 babies.

over time we remained friend with most of the mommies, so the kids more or less grew up with each other (he is now 5)

when he was DX at 15 months, we had lots and lots of playdates at the house with the therapists, so he wouldnt miss out, we still went to all birthday parties, with or without a therapist.

his friends grew up knowing that is just AJ. when he began full day school at 3, e saw less of his typical friends, but he would see them on break and at birthday parties. again his behaviors, his actions, his language was just who AJ is, so no one really ever questioned it (meaning the kids)

now fast forward. he is 5 years old, in a self contained mainstream school and is pushed into a general ed classroom 2x a day with NO aide.

i have made friends with parents who have told me that their kid looks forward to when AJ comes into class, or they were one of the kids to be chosen to accompany him in the activity they are doing (he is usually in a group of 2-3 other students)

we have been invited to his 1st typical child birthday party from this school, with someone who just met him, and not someone who has known him since he was an infant.

the point of the story is, he is still very young, give him some time, his socialization didnt emerge per se until he was maybe 4. maybe join a mommy group, invite them over for playdates.

BTW he does have a sister and they interact like typical brother and sister and this happened when she was more engaging with him.

hugsssssss....

Re: If your DC has ASD do they

I'm with you. My DS is 4 1/2 and we have our very first playdate on November 3rd. I am nervous beacuse my son is very limited in his spontaneous speech. This boy in his class apparently talks about my son all the time so the mom contacted me for a playdate. I hope it isn't a disaster with DS not talking much and all.

DS is a twin and has a 6-year old brother. They do their own thing and he basically does parallel play. On occasion he will join them running around. It's rare though. It definitely bothers me. His therapist at home tries to engage them all.

It breaks my heart that he has no one to really play with and that he doesn't know it or care about it. He just bops along with his happy little existence.

It's hard for me to work full time and find groups for him on the weekends. We are thinking of joining Karate or something just to get him involved with kids his age. He is in a self-contained class now and goes into an integrated class for a few hours a day. I am hoping once he gets settled I can reach out to the teachers and see if there are others we can make a playdate with. Problem with taht is we live an hour from where he goes to school. I would love for him to make a buddy closer to home.

Good luck

Message edited 10/22/2012 8:45:06 AM.

If your DC has ASD do they

Not really, but I think it will come. It's one of my biggest hopes for him. He's almost 5, and has an interest in other kids, but doesn't really know what to do around them. Don't get discouraged, I see him having more interest in other kids now than I did when he was your DD's age. My DS does better with kids who are a little older than kids his own age.

Re: If your DC has ASD do they