As a parent of a child on the ASD Spectrum you will read and hear a lot about what you should buy or do to help your child. It is overwhelming. Our son was diagnosed two and a half years ago and I want to share products that we use to help our own child and I believe will be a good resource.
We have several different methods we use to help Nolan calm down when he is feeling overwhelmed, which can be quite a bit some days. It is better to have a variety, when one thing may fail, and plan ahead of time before they happen. We use a calm down chair (just a normal chair, removed from noise), a weighted vest(my review here), chewing gum, breathing exercises and he likes to play piano to calm down. Every child is different and what may work for us, may not for you. The important thing is your child is comfortable and what you are trying makes them feel safe and secure. Always check with your child’s doctor or occupational therapist first.
I know cuddle swings and swinging are a great resource too. Dream Gym makes a variety of indoor swings, play gyms and more to give parents and children opportunities for therapeutic play. We were sent the Door Swing for review. They were amazing to work with because they first wanted to make sure we had the correct measurements for safety reasons before sending one. Everything came in a kit with thorough instructions. My husband took about an hour to install it in our doorway (again,make sure it is the correct measurements!) It stays in place with screws so it is firm and doesn’t move. Below is a video of Nolan enjoying it and a closer look.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHJNTjP0Xa4
Every day since we have installed it, Nolan has played on it several times a day. It was the first thing he rushed to do after breakfast this morning. I also heard Nolan on it today saying “I’m getting strong.” He then came out and told me his hands were getting muscles. Ha. The website has all of your support needs including installation guides, safety tips, and special need resources. I am grateful for safe and caring companies like Dream Gym that provide quality products for parents with special needs. I highly recommend their products. We are thrilled with ours. Most important they put safety first and meet or exceed all current applicable American and Canadian Standards / Guidelines. You can purchase the Doorway Swing at
PRODUCT DETAILS (from website)
We have the trapeze bar with rings combo that we entertain any child for hours. Children can somersault, swing, twist. The combo offers all the benefits that rings and trapeze bar provide alone. The rings do not move freely during exercises, making it easier to turn a somersault. The combo encourages children to practice and develop their gymnastic abilities.
☼ The doorway support bar has maximum of 95kg (210 lbs) weight capacity, therefore parents can do chin-ups too. You can hang many other accessories, such as: hammock swing, rope ladder, gym rings, cuddle swing, platform swing, etc.
☼ IMPORTANT: do not use disk swing or any other accessory that rotates freely to avoid bumping into door frame.
Chrome plated bar with padded grips, adjusts to fit most standard width door frames from 28″ to 36″, 210 Lbs weight capacity
☼ Mounting hardware
☼ Two hanging straps
☼ Two spring clips
☼ Trapeze bar with rings (pick color of the rings, when you checkout)
- Disclosure: I follow all FTC rules and requirements and all my opinions are honest. This product was provided for review/giveaway by the company or pr agency
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Marina
Thank you for a great review.I am glad Nolan enjoys it. We have a video about Trapeze bar and gym rings combo on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PkCz4i28XA
Marina
Louise
I really had no idea how much you have to consider with Aspergers, I’m really enjoying your series and all the products you are reviewing for it.
.-= Louise´s last blog ..Mother’s Day Gift Guide =-.
Tracy
Sure. Thank you!
Head Coach
I’m an Aspie…while never officially diagnosed by a psychiatrist, all others who have been diagnosed as Aspie know it after talking to me for about 5 minutes and me likewise with them. I really don’t remember how I was before the age of 6 other than that my mother said that I squeaked a lot instead of spoke. But after the age of 6 I remember that I became obsessed with reading and 1000 page puzzles, and actually taught myself to read before I entered 1st grade. Of course, even though I had a college reading level by the 2nd grade, my teachers thought I was lazy. After learning nothing in high school, I still managed to game the system until I gradated, memorizing and dumping information from my mind to pull off a 4.0 out a 4.5 system.
Before I forget, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT put your child in a public school. You have no idea of his potential if he was to be home-schooled. In fact he could probably test out of his first two years of college by the age of 14. Aspies should NOT go to public school. We do not deal well with people that we don’t know. But if you let us explore our own interests, we will amaze you with what we can do since no matter what it is, we have to be “the best”…and not for anyone else but to prove it to ourselves.
Working by myself, I finished as a Dean’s List graduate in biochemsitry, passed on medical school (Imagine a real-life Dr. House…many people call me that now), and went on to became a Navy Aviation Officer. After proving it to myself that I could get through that, I started up a web consulting company and decided to separate from the Navy after my minimum was up. It just wasn’t for me since I thought most of the other pilots (Navy) were a bunch of tools. Maybe I should have been a Marine since I got along with all of them really well. In fact, I would bet that most Marine aviators today are Aspies. So at age 28 my web company made its first million net profit and a few years later I sold it to keep only a royalty share. Now I’m working with college level and pro athletes where I live.
It’s not easy being Aspie sometimes. We have all of the characteristics of a sociopath as far as how we deal with our relationships but in contrast our feelings are very deep. Most Aspie men tend to gravitate toward very intelligent women who are usually autistic or aspie themselves to one degree or another.
What I can tell you for sure is this: Let your son choose his own path. Give him options. If he doesn’t want to do anything, wait for him to get bored and he’ll figure out what he wants to do. I was already writing 2 programming languages by age 9 just because I wanted to see if I could. Most aspie parents who are “bad” parents are those who trusted the “system”. Your son is far smarter than any of his doctors or teachers could ever hope to be. He is a “doer” even if he comes across as a dreamer. Some aspies that you probably know or have heard of:
Leonardo Di Vinci
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Franklin
Albert Einstein
Michio Kaku
Eminem
Michael Jordan
Larry Bird
Vanilla Ice
Dennis Rodman
Lindsay Lohan
Tupac Shakur
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
President John F. Kennedy
Congressman Dr. Ron Paul
Conan O’Brien
Charlie Sheen
Robert Downy Jr.
Alex Jones
Brad Pitt
Bruce Willis
Jim Carrey
Notice the pattern here? All of these individuals were private people who were the best at what they did whether it was well known or not. For example, few people know that Vanilla Ice was headlining and performing to sold out all-black clubs. He was happy with his loyal following and basically had to be forced to sign a record deal and leave his club tours behind. After the media destroyed him for him doing what he thought everyone wanted, he went into seclusion and won several national motocross championships where he was a champion in high school also. I use Vanilla Ice as an example since most people think he is a “loser” but actually he has, at one point or another, been the best there is in three different areas.
I hope this helps. Again most parents with aspies make the mistake of listening to “authority”. All I have to say about their so-called credentials is that they are useless to understand what we are thinking. Listening to their advice, more often than not, will only drag your son down to their level, and even hold him back.