[CRS]

That's fabulous!! I'm so glad he had a great time!

[Heatheranne]

I'm so happy that Josh had a great time during his visit. It's wonderful that he's been able to make friends and interact with them. I'm sure you'll have a great time planning his party this year. :-)

[Julie - scrapaholic]

Oh Becca, how exciting, especially cause you can see the joy he had. I'm really happy for you, and thanks for the update.

[CindyLuWho]

Becca...I feel your pain and I know your joy. Too bad our sons are half a country away from each other! Ryan is 12 and has social awkwardness due to his various disabilities...he would LOVE to have a best friend who needed a best friend like he does!

Oh well, we can wish!

Hugs,
Cindy

[HeidiD]

Just awesome. Go, Josh!

[bikeneday]

What an exciting thing to happen. I am so glad he had such a good time - sounded like fun at every turn.

[trishy]

Becca that is so cool! What a great thing for him and I can't blame him for wanting to spend time with just the boys. lol

[Becca]

CindyLuWho, on 29 March 2010 - 08:06 AM, said:

Becca...I feel your pain and I know your joy. Too bad our sons are half a country away from each other! Ryan is 12 and has social awkwardness due to his various disabilities...he would LOVE to have a best friend who needed a best friend like he does!

Oh well, we can wish!

Hugs,
Cindy

I know, Cindy! Was thinking the same thing - besides, I'd love to meet you in person, too!

[Sherry Lynn]

Becca thank you so much for the update --- I'm glad Josh had such a wonderful time!

[AnnBK]

One good friend....it's amazing what it can do. Lovely story, wishing you all the best.

[Smiles]

I'm just catching up on the boards and saw this.
I'm so happy for you and Josh, Becca.
May this be the beginning of a happier phase of life!
hugs,

[Brandy M]

I feel like a proud SG auntie! I am so happy Becca truly. I love hearing stories about the kiddos.

[Cheri T]

That is wonderful!! I'm so glad he's finding friends (PLURAL EVEN) *hugs* to you!

[Sara Arell]

Becca, today is National Autism Day and everyone wears blue to honor it - know you son doesn't fall into that category but is in the same one as mine is and I am definitely going to wear blue today! Just thought you might not know...............

[gophergirl]

That is great! I'm very happy for you both!

[B&K Mom]

Just saw this thread today, Becca! What a great thing! Friends are so important...and monumentous in this situation. I'm totally psyched for you all! Love it!

[Sara Arell]

Any updates? I looked and didn't see one - would love to know how things are progressing - what a great thing for your son! I am tickled to death for him.

[Sara Arell]

Also, we are having here in town three weekends of Motorcyle Meets to raise money for National Autism Week and awareness AND help for those who need it - this is the third year we have done it and it has always been a huge success with a lot of turn out and more mototcycles than you can imagine - and they themselves are so generous with donations and their time - they put on shows, do tricks, offer things of theirs on which people can bid and all the money goes to the Autism Fund. Just thought you might like to to know.

[StephRN]

Yay for Josh. I hoe he has a fabulous sleepover and his new friends bolster his confidence.

[kimmybutton]

Just catching this thread ... what wonderful news!!! *happy dance* Go, Josh, Go!!!

[SkRiders]

Oh I can totally share in your excitement! My son has Aspergers as well so I can totally relate! He doesn't really show an interest in friends from school. Although he talks about people from school each and every day providing me with updates on so in so's coming and goings he doesn't really have any friends. He plays outside with our dog avoiding other kids or spends hours watching the ants go about their business! He's so excited the ants are out again this year lol
He did have a sleep over not long ago with a boy he knows from the babysitter. Actually it's our babysitters son. I think his logic behind this is that he sees this boy every day and plays with him after school so he 'must' be his friend right. The sleep over was alright but I can tell he still has a ways to go with social development. He was playing lego's in his room while his friend was playing video games out in the living room lol

Keygan's big thing is his inappropriate comments. He's got the classic 'spit it out without thinking' thing happening lol this one time we were in the mall eating lunch. I was bigger then and hadn't lost weight. He looks at me and says 'Mom your so fat you can't fit at the table here to eat' Now I know his intentions were logical and he didn't mean to hurt my feelings but he most certainly did. He speaks his mind this way frequently and not just with me.

I'm so very proud of your son and his big accomplishment! That truly is a milestone for a child on the spectrum!
I hope he had a blast and I hope he gets invited over again!

[caprimom]

This is awesome news Becca! I'm so glad your son has found new friends! I know the warm feeling you get when you see your children so happy and excited about life!

[Shelbi]

I am so happy for you and him!!!

I have a son who is very very shy so the friend thing has been a tough road for us as well.

[RosemaryS]

Oh Becca I didn't see this before, but it's awesome. He's such a nice 'young man' (they're always our little boys aren't they? That he deserves some great friends to hang out with. Hope it's still going on. HUGS.

[Sara Arell]

SkRiders, on 20 April 2010 - 09:35 AM, said:

Oh I can totally share in your excitement! My son has Aspergers as well so I can totally relate! He doesn't really show an interest in friends from school. Although he talks about people from school each and every day providing me with updates on so in so's coming and goings he doesn't really have any friends. He plays outside with our dog avoiding other kids or spends hours watching the ants go about their business! He's so excited the ants are out again this year lol
He did have a sleep over not long ago with a boy he knows from the babysitter. Actually it's our babysitters son. I think his logic behind this is that he sees this boy every day and plays with him after school so he 'must' be his friend right. The sleep over was alright but I can tell he still has a ways to go with social development. He was playing lego's in his room while his friend was playing video games out in the living room lol

Keygan's big thing is his inappropriate comments. He's got the classic 'spit it out without thinking' thing happening lol this one time we were in the mall eating lunch. I was bigger then and hadn't lost weight. He looks at me and says 'Mom your so fat you can't fit at the table here to eat' Now I know his intentions were logical and he didn't mean to hurt my feelings but he most certainly did. He speaks his mind this way frequently and not just with me.

I'm so very proud of your son and his big accomplishment! That truly is a milestone for a child on the spectrum!
I hope he had a blast and I hope he gets invited over again!

Oh, I can so relate to the "inappropriate comments" - our Chris, also with Aspberger's, has been doing that for years and still does and sometimes I just don't know what to do - it's part of the Aspberger's though and we've been working on it for 19 years now - he is some better but still will interrupt a conversation with something totally unrelated and completely inappropriate - many talks we have had - he thinks he is just being honest when he has something to say! I'm thinking we need a whole thread to talk about Aspberger's! This has been good for me to read this thread - Thank you Becca for starting this - and I am still thrilled that Josh has made a friend - and I hope he continues to make many more. The love that these kids have in their hearts is a big plus - Chris loves deeply when he is not acting out and I try to always remember those moments more than anything. God Bless You all! And thanks for sharing your stories - it helps us all.

[Becca]

It's so nice to hear there are other SG moms out there with Asperger kids. It always seems like a "one step forward, two steps back" deal.

Josh hasn't talked about his sleepover friends in weeks. And he's back to obsessing about one thing or another. Not focusing on chores or schoolwork which is frustrating, because the boy is super-smart and it's all fairly "easy" to him, but he's not learning good study habits this way.

Summer's almost here (certainly not according to the weather, but the calendar says so), and it's one of those times when I wished we lived closer to town. Out here in the "sticks", we don't have a neighborhood full of kids. But there's lots of bugs and land to roam and play... so I totally know what you are saying about the "ants", Roz. Here it's caterpillars. He'd stay outside all day, just playing with a single caterpillar.

I will share one thing I learned, though... Josh makes a great subject when I want to practice photography. He has that typical Asperger's trait of not looking at your face/eyes when he talks, but with the camera in front of me, I can hold an actual conversation with him while I'm shooting. It's good practice for both of us - because he forgets to look down, since he knows I'm aiming for his face.

[elibar]

Glad you're hanging in there and focusing on the positive, Becca. I appreciate the update.

[Sara Arell]

Becca, on 13 May 2010 - 04:53 AM, said:

It's so nice to hear there are other SG moms out there with Asperger kids. It always seems like a "one step forward, two steps back" deal.

Josh hasn't talked about his sleepover friends in weeks. And he's back to obsessing about one thing or another. Not focusing on chores or schoolwork which is frustrating, because the boy is super-smart and it's all fairly "easy" to him, but he's not learning good study habits this way.

Summer's almost here (certainly not according to the weather, but the calendar says so), and it's one of those times when I wished we lived closer to town. Out here in the "sticks", we don't have a neighborhood full of kids. But there's lots of bugs and land to roam and play... so I totally know what you are saying about the "ants", Roz. Here it's caterpillars. He'd stay outside all day, just playing with a single caterpillar.

I will share one thing I learned, though... Josh makes a great subject when I want to practice photography. He has that typical Asperger's trait of not looking at your face/eyes when he talks, but with the camera in front of me, I can hold an actual conversation with him while I'm shooting. It's good practice for both of us - because he forgets to look down, since he knows I'm aiming for his face.

Same with Chris - he will focus on a pile of red ants and watch them for what seems like an endless amount of time - but he does love to have his picture taken - but it's the same thing - I have to tell him to look at me - he wants to look down and around - but if I talk enough he will finally stop and almost pose for me. I think you are doing a great job with Josh - Not focusing on chores or schoolwork is frustrating but for us, it's all part of the Asperger's and as frustrated as I get, I can see that Chris gets frustrated with himself now that he is older as well, so maybe there is still hope for Chris too. You are working hard early on and I think you may see more success sooner than we did. Hang in there -
Hugs
Sara

[ginaMO]

Glad to hear Josh is moving ahead socially. And is is a movement ahead. All social interaction is a big step for these kids (shhhhhh, and adults). I can tell you that it gets easier for them with practice, but it is never "easy" for them. My DH of 21 years has Asperger's and he still struggles in some social situations, but he is a great Dad, has several close friends and has found a niche in the employment world that fit's him perfectly. Hang in there, and know his future is just as bright as he is!