What were you like at age eleven?

[alfierose]

That sounds like a great situation and would be much more ideal. I'm in the UK and ASD services here are way behind the US even when trying to go the paid route.

It's not like that in all states here either.

Luckily I live in one where we are the fourth largest employer in our city.

I'm in management now, so I don't get to go out with clients anymore. But back when I did, I'd have clients that I did intense therapy with........and then others that I'd just take fishing or go play basketball with.........and then others I'd just teach how to cook meals, ride the bus, operate a computer, and integrate themselves into normal society events. Or help them get paying jobs. Just whatever help they need. And to be honest, sometimes it's just to help give the rest of the family a breather.

We are kind of "paid friends"......who just happen to be experts in the field of the customer's disability.

It is fascinating to see how different states treat people with disabilities.

You can go eat dinner in one state and have a disabled server. But the next state over, you wont see any disabled people in a public job, and they still have institutions.

We did a one point consider moving to the US purely because of the better support services to be found there but the upheaval would be massive and he doesn't cope well with small change never mind something like moving country.

There are similar buddy services available here but not on the same scale and they are hard to access. We tried to get Social Services (not sure what the US equivalent of this is) involvement at one point and got nowhere because they only have capacity to deal with acute cases where a child is at risk, in poverty etc... at the risk of sounding poor me, and I don't mean it that way because I know a lot genuinely have a tougher time, if you are an affluent, two parent family with an SN child there is very little support allocated. It's just presumed I think that you will cope and get by, which of course you do because there's no choice. If I left my husband it's possible I could access a lot more - we have also considered living separately due to this which is pretty sad really.

You obviously love your job, it's great that there are people committed to making a difference.

[wasted]

Cant you get location notifications on iphones now or iwatch. You get an app and that shows your location.

[DR DOOM]

I'd list some of the shit I was doing at 11 but I'd more than likely be labelled an *internet badass* or something.

Here's one though, my friend (who was full on into Skid Row) and me (into Ozzy and GNR) used to ride our BMX's up to the phonebooth and call up the Kid's Helpline and spin them bullshit stories about getting molested.

Sounds worse than it was, I doubt they believed us because of the giggling.

[wasted]

The coolest thing I did at 5 was throw a brick through mext door neiighbours car window. Got sent home from kindergarten for putting a kid in a tire and rolling him down the hill. We both were doing it and it was fun. I dont see the problem. I finally came a cropper riding my tricycle down a slide into bench and broke my face. By 11 I was okay a bit scared. I used to catch snakes in the creek mostly and just ride my bike around, play soccer and go to arcade to play Miss Pac man very badly.

[Snake-Pit]

Poor girl probably came here for reassurance and she gets 'ahhh he's probably out smokin' weed' and 'he's probably bangin' birds in an alley somewhere' 'Sexual awakening', do leave off, you sound like a Jackie Collins novel

lmao!