"Irrational Number" <nospam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:ceCdne1iVZJApx3VnZ2dnUVZ_uednZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> My next-door neighbor railed into me this
> morning. My 5-year-old Pillbug is autistic
> and screeches a lot. I honestly had no idea
> it was this bad, though - I've learned to
> block out the sounds of his tantrums... So,
> that's my fault.
No, blocking out is not your "fault". We once lived a couple doors down
from a woman that had an autistic boy. He was about 13 or so. I'll just
say at times, it was very interesting living near this family!
It was quite often he would screech or run around or seem, basically, out
of
control to the new eye viewing. There was a time he jumped out of the
second storey bedroom window, and many times there'd be something.
My heart went out to this woman, that had to live with and deal with this.
I never once thought to tell her to shut her kid up or control him. I did
believe she was doing the very best she could with what she was given.
That
was her son, and although very different from maybe my son, I doubt she
went
off and signed a contract to have a child that was a little harder to
manage
than the average. I also knew that HE wasn't doing what he did to piss
the
neighbours off or anything like that.
> Anyway, apparently, neighbor's wife is now
> getting migraines, which she had not gotten
> in decades. Pillbug's noises wake up the
> neighbors across the street, including their
> baby, something about Pillbug setting off the
> baby monitor. Across the street, they sleep
> with the windows open because they have no AC
> and the bedrooms face the street, which is the
> same for us. It's been nice at night, so we
> sleep with our windows open, too. Pillbug's
> screeches wake up their four kids.
Does he constantly scream or screech or make very loud noises 24 solid
hours
in a day?? I doubt that, and really, if the neighbour has issues with
that,
I would try and find a common ground for a solution of some sort. I have
no
real suggestions for this of my own, but I did read and see some others
had
some ideas.
> One time, Pillbug crossed the street on his
> own. DH was there and scared to death, but
> that was the only time in Pillbug's 5 years
> on this planet.
>
> My neighbor wants us to keep the windows closed
> and try to keep the kids out of the front yard.
> He is threatening to go to CPS - he has a friend
> at CPS who told him calling was the right thing
> to do.
Front yard, back yard, what's the difference? I would NOT be keeping
myself
inside every hour of every day, nevermind a child. That's rediculous to
even suggest. Children, and people in general, need to be outside. The
fresh air, running around... I'd be tempted to tell the neighbours to hole
themselves up in their basement and maybe suggest they completely
soundproof
it just to be on the safe side.
Tell them to call CPS. I believe that's the same thing as our Child
Welfare. There's nothing they'd do. Take your child away from a good
family that provides, loves, nurtures, feeds, offers comfort and
stability... to put him elsewhere? Like a change of scenery is going to
"fix" everything?? Do you pinch him to cause him to screech? I highly
doubt that! ;)
> Neighbor also hates our choice of Chinese
> nannies. He has a child psychologist friend
> who thinks I'm insane for trying to maintain a
> bilingual environment when my autistic child cannot
> even speak.
Being bilingual is a fantastic option if you have it. We're bilingual -
DS
and I are both fluent in English and Ukrainian. And I know French,
although
it's just enough to get by if I had to. Oh, and DDs will also follow
through with the Ukrainian bilingual schooling.
When I was little, my parents had a caregiver that was ****tuguese. She'd
speak to me in ****tuguese when I was little, and I was fully fluent in
English and ****tuguese by the time I was talking. With my brothers, they
had daily care from Italian families, and it was the same thing.
If you want a Chinese nanny for your family, that's not a concern of
anyone
else. It seems your neighbour has all kinds of friends that tell him all
kinds of bogus info.
If someone wants to speak to my child in another language, I have no
problem
with that (assuming it's appropriate and in a way that the child can
understand... ie, ____ in this language means ____ in English)
Just because a child can't speak doesn't mean he should live life in
silence. You still talk to them, there are things that I am sure he might
understand, even if he can't or doesn't communicate in the same way others
do.
I assume you have Chinese in your family, so even someone else helping to
keep the heritage there is a good thing for a child, or anyone, really.
> So, now I have to find the other neighbors, make
> nice, hope we can come to a reasonable accommodation
> (I most certainly will not keep my kids indoors
> 24 hours a day!), and hope no one calls CPS...
No, you really can't and shouldn't keep the kids inside all day, every
day!
THAT is unhealthy! The way he is is the way he is. There's nothing
that's
going to really change that or make it different. Maybe you could give
some
tips to the neighbour on how you've kind of blocked the screeching out!
LOL
I do hope it works out, though. No matter what, that sure sounds like a
really difficult situation. :(
> -- Anita --
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