I agree...

I also think parents would pop us one if we acted out of order back in the day... I don't know many of people my parents age or older who would absolutely not take down trees to beat us with switches.

The issue with child behavior and autism is that these children are well over the top of "reasonable" child behavior... Falling out on the floor kicking and screaming in the grocery store for 10 minutes is one thing... Doing it for 10 hours is another... There is absolutely little way to manage public behavior like that. When it is 1-2 y/o it's one thing... 6-8 y/o another...

And you cannot corporal punish for that for these kids to "get" it. They just don't...

Which makes child rearing functionally different than it was 40+ years ago...

You're right, at least as to some of these kids. Not all autistic kids will have such extreme behavior, although every parent I know with a kid on the spectrum has, at one time or another, had to deal with the kid doing something in public that they just can't control and that draws the looks of everyone else, especially other parents.

The looks can get old and can really wear on you. We almost ordered these cards one time. Fortunately, we really haven't needed anything like that in a good while.

*Raises hand!* I'm one of the GCers that works with kids on the spectrum that will answer your questions.

what kind of work do you do, EC?

I work as a mobile behavioral therapist for kids on the spectrum. This usually means that I'm working with them at their homes, schools, or in their communities.

I love my job and the kids that I work with.

What type of degree do you need to have for this type of practice? Are you an occupational therapist? I have a friend that works with autistic children, but he is a psychologist.

I have a BA, but am working on Master's degree as we speak. I'm a TSS (here's a link to a job description: http://www.jobs.net/Job.asp?jid=JQ6CY67KQ1WYL33FCS.)

I'm not a OT, but I work with a lot of OTs, PTs, and speech therapists in the course of my day. I've learned lots while working with other professionals.

Sometimes, I even do ABA with my clients.....

Interesting...there are so many fields in medicine to choose from! I have a cousing with Fragile X...while not autism, he has many of the same issues with sensory integration, poor social interaction, etc. My aunt has worked so hard to find therapies to help him interact better. Thank God there are people out there willing to work with these children...it's very often hard work!

Thank you, AOII Angel! It's very hard work, varying from day to day! I'm in my job to make sure that my clients become independent as they can be. :)

Awesome. My wife and I have talked many times about how much more effective therapy might be if it were on the kid's "turf" instead of an office somewhere. Good luck!!