Hello, I Googled Christian teens with autism and found this site...
My adopted son (who is biologically my great-nephew) has been diagnosed as having 'some kind of autism". I was just informed of that dx about 8 months ago. I don't even know when it was made or by whom. He was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome(FAS) or as it is sometimes called Alcohol-induced encephalopathy...and developmental delays--years ago, and had Kawasaki's Disease when he was 4--which I have been told also affects the brain.
The developmental disabilities case manager informed me of this additional dx--as we were ending his services as a child and preparing for his services as an adult.
I am STILL trying to figure out AUTISM????WHAT??? I've known 'something' was wrong, but just figured his FAS was different from that of twin girls (his cousins) who I am also raising. He is just so 'nothing phases me'. Don't know what I want for Christmas, birthdays, or anything else, most of his life.
In recent years, anything I have suggested that he do was met with "no", "i don't really want to..."
UNTIL THIS YEAR! The "I am an ADULT" syndrome has been added by counselors and HS friends.
Now he is a Senior, and he wants to do stuff to "have Senior memories" (words he would not have come up with on his own). All of the kids who used to ride the bus with him up until last year, are driving. So the second day of school, I was asked, "Mom can you take me to get my drivers' license?" Short form of the TOTAL conversation was: He thought a drivers license was something you just 'got' when you turned 18. And since the 'friends' want him to drive to school--he thought he would just be able to take the family fan and drive. (never driven before, only asked a couple of times in the last year about ANYTHING driving related--as a result of a school assignment.) No job, no $$, no insurance plans, no vehicle...just wants to drive to school.
He does not sequence things well and has a developmental age -- how he sees his world/understands it--of about 4th grade (HS counselor told me last IEP mtg last year. So, he hasn't understood yet that he has several ducks to line up before he can get a license.
Two girls have been his 'friends' since 5th grade, when we moved to this community. However, he never invited them over or anything, they would just show up at the front door, asking if he could come out.
THIS YEAR, there have been two girls--bought a huge kiss for Valentine's day for the first one--only to discover that she had a boyfriend--thankfully before he gave it to her. The second one is inviting him to activities...he doesn't know if she has a boyfriend or not, either.
He doesn't want her to invite her to our home and does NOT want me to meet her parents.
No problem? Well, in our small community it may or may not be a problem because we are a minority family and he does not comprehend that every family does not welcome interaction between their children and some or ALL minority children--especially male/female interaction.
Last year his interest was a new freshman--14 and he was 17.5 yrs old. I had to tell him MOST parents would not like a guy who was turning 18 to 'date' their just-out-of-8th-grade daughter. The long-time friends told him she was a "s....t'---and when he asked me about it and I explained that they shouldn't have said it, it might or might not have been true and he needed to tell them so. He was instructed to ask THEM why they said such a thing...were they being spiteful or concerned for him? He went to school and TOLD THE GIRL what the 'friends' had said, ASKED HER why they would say that--and was quite surprised that she was angry with that bit of information!
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Additional current problem--We are not dancing/partying Christians. He never was interested in becoming one UNTIL THIS YEAR. Now his position is, "I'll get back to God as soon as I graduate. Right now, He's keeping me from doing what I want to do."
Does anyone have any ideas?? I've asked him to invite her to play laser tag, she if she wanted to come over to watch a movie, play games...which of course, he does not want to do.
NEW COMPLICATION: Now at nearly 18.5 a NEW Freshman girl is asking him to go to events with her. The laws in our state are VERY strict on ANYTHING that can be construed as "suspicious" between an 18-yr-old and anyone 14. How (besides frantic prayer) do I get this young man to understand this is NOT a good plan for him???
My adopted son (who is biologically my great-nephew) has been diagnosed as having 'some kind of autism". I was just informed of that dx about 8 months ago. I don't even know when it was made or by whom. He was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome(FAS) or as it is sometimes called Alcohol-induced encephalopathy...and developmental delays--years ago, and had Kawasaki's Disease when he was 4--which I have been told also affects the brain.
The developmental disabilities case manager informed me of this additional dx--as we were ending his services as a child and preparing for his services as an adult.
I am STILL trying to figure out AUTISM????WHAT??? I've known 'something' was wrong, but just figured his FAS was different from that of twin girls (his cousins) who I am also raising. He is just so 'nothing phases me'. Don't know what I want for Christmas, birthdays, or anything else, most of his life.
In recent years, anything I have suggested that he do was met with "no", "i don't really want to..."
UNTIL THIS YEAR! The "I am an ADULT" syndrome has been added by counselors and HS friends.
Now he is a Senior, and he wants to do stuff to "have Senior memories" (words he would not have come up with on his own). All of the kids who used to ride the bus with him up until last year, are driving. So the second day of school, I was asked, "Mom can you take me to get my drivers' license?" Short form of the TOTAL conversation was: He thought a drivers license was something you just 'got' when you turned 18. And since the 'friends' want him to drive to school--he thought he would just be able to take the family fan and drive. (never driven before, only asked a couple of times in the last year about ANYTHING driving related--as a result of a school assignment.) No job, no $$, no insurance plans, no vehicle...just wants to drive to school.
He does not sequence things well and has a developmental age -- how he sees his world/understands it--of about 4th grade (HS counselor told me last IEP mtg last year. So, he hasn't understood yet that he has several ducks to line up before he can get a license.
Two girls have been his 'friends' since 5th grade, when we moved to this community. However, he never invited them over or anything, they would just show up at the front door, asking if he could come out.
THIS YEAR, there have been two girls--bought a huge kiss for Valentine's day for the first one--only to discover that she had a boyfriend--thankfully before he gave it to her. The second one is inviting him to activities...he doesn't know if she has a boyfriend or not, either.
He doesn't want her to invite her to our home and does NOT want me to meet her parents.
No problem? Well, in our small community it may or may not be a problem because we are a minority family and he does not comprehend that every family does not welcome interaction between their children and some or ALL minority children--especially male/female interaction.
Last year his interest was a new freshman--14 and he was 17.5 yrs old. I had to tell him MOST parents would not like a guy who was turning 18 to 'date' their just-out-of-8th-grade daughter. The long-time friends told him she was a "s....t'---and when he asked me about it and I explained that they shouldn't have said it, it might or might not have been true and he needed to tell them so. He was instructed to ask THEM why they said such a thing...were they being spiteful or concerned for him? He went to school and TOLD THE GIRL what the 'friends' had said, ASKED HER why they would say that--and was quite surprised that she was angry with that bit of information!
a
Additional current problem--We are not dancing/partying Christians. He never was interested in becoming one UNTIL THIS YEAR. Now his position is, "I'll get back to God as soon as I graduate. Right now, He's keeping me from doing what I want to do."
Does anyone have any ideas?? I've asked him to invite her to play laser tag, she if she wanted to come over to watch a movie, play games...which of course, he does not want to do.
NEW COMPLICATION: Now at nearly 18.5 a NEW Freshman girl is asking him to go to events with her. The laws in our state are VERY strict on ANYTHING that can be construed as "suspicious" between an 18-yr-old and anyone 14. How (besides frantic prayer) do I get this young man to understand this is NOT a good plan for him???
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