should she know????

[laurie]

as i have said befor i work with a child with autism 10 hours a week two hours each day, she is very bright .i have a great line of communication with her parents and we seem to be on the same page when it comes to all issues dealing with our girl,,,,i love her as if she was my own i have been her daycare provider all her life she loves coming here to work as well as play.she even gives me mothers day cards made from her ,, every now and again she asks me why she has to program............. i tell her because when she was young she did not have any words and so we want to make sure she keeps them, her parents agree i am not comfortable telling her the truth although she does have a right to know i am afraid to ''label '' her does any one have any input on this thanks .....laurie,,,,,,,,

[laurie]

sorry i should tell you she is 10 years old. im afraid if she is'' labelled'' she will use this to her advantage as an excuse to ''forget'' and be sloppy in her work also so she doesnt have to ''look'' at you when she is talking to you....laurie

[kelemt]

I worked in a Dr's office for five years. I have ssen both sides and it seems that the children with the labels had a harder time dealing with their surroundings, and duties. I think that what you did was the right thing. My son is 31/2 and I do not plan to tell him. I know that he is special and he knows that he is special to me and I think that is all that he needs to know. I do not want him to feel that he is not as smart or as good as all of the other kids. They are who they are and that is what makes them special, not their needs.

[laurie]

thankyou for your help, her parents feel one day she will know the truth my concerns are more with her sisters blurting it out,she has an older sister and a twin and at one point her older [1 year older] had some issues of embarassement about her behaviour, we as a family have worked very hard together to help ''our girl'' correct these behaviours [flapping,mono tone talking, etc], however as with all kids they argue and things get said, i guess thats a bridge we will cross when we get to it. ''our girl'' has come so very far in the last 8 years it is almost unbelievable i look at her and think someone has made a mistake she is the same as any little girl her age, full of love she jokes around gets into trouble and even has a fib or two, i only hope if she ever learns the truth that she isnt hard on herself, i think she has enough love and support that she will succeed and be as proud of herself as we all are of her...... arent we all ''labelled''.......... it doesnt make us different it makes us ''''''special''''''...........laurie