** Child Autism/ADHD & Shooting **

[junbug7]

I have a 9 year old daughter who has Autism & ADHD. She's on the higher end of the spectrum with her Autism, and her Rx for ADHD is pretty effective. Since I bought my first handgun in 2013, I've sooo wanted her to become familiar with firearms and learn to shoot. When I have a firearm out to clean & such, I casually show it to her. She listens for the most part, not overly interested or curious to "play" with it.

I'm not the most patient person, and I don't want her to have any anxious or uncomfortable feelings when learning. Besides I'd rather a more advanced/experienced individual teach her. Does anybody know of any Instructors, ranges, classes that would be suitable for her?? Any info would be appreciated, thanks!! =)

[wipaho]

Will her medical conditions qualify her as a prohibited person?

[dozer wright]

Both my boys 10 and 16 both have AdHD . And have no problem with firearms and follow the rules to a T .
We have the talk every time on way to shoot . There is no breaking the shooting rules it happens once and we are done .

[ifilef]

I have a 9 year old daughter who has Autism & ADHD. She's on the higher end of the spectrum with her Autism, and her Rx for ADHD is pretty effective. Since I bought my first handgun in 2013, I've sooo wanted her to become familiar with firearms and learn to shoot. When I have a firearm out to clean & such, I casually show it to her. She listens for the most part, not overly interested or curious to "play" with it.

I'm not the most patient person, and I don't want her to have any anxious or uncomfortable feelings when learning. Besides I'd rather a more advanced/experienced individual teach her. Does anybody know of any Instructors, ranges, classes that would be suitable for her?? Any info would be appreciated, thanks!! =)

Will her medical conditions qualify her as a prohibited person?

Both my boys 10 and 16 both have AdHD . And have no problem with firearms and follow the rules to a T .
We have the talk every time on way to shoot . There is no breaking the shooting rules it happens once and we are done .

Trying to make normal what which is not. Please don't shoot anywhere near me or other people. Find her/them another interest. You are projecting your own needs onto one who is probably better off not getting into shooting and firearms, whether prohibited person or not.

[*****]

Both my boys 10 and 16 both have AdHD . And have no problem with firearms and follow the rules to a T .

We have the talk every time on way to shoot . There is no breaking the shooting rules it happens once and we are done .

The fact you feel the need to have "the talk" every time you go shooting indicates either there have been past incidents or you at some level feel the the need to repeat the ground rules. Either way, not good.

[Mark75H]

Ignorance is flowing like liberal talking points.

My daughter is also high end autistic. The OCD side of her makes her one of the safest people on the range. Her attention to safety, safe gun handling and safe range procedure is only matched by a couple of the best NRA Training Counselors I have met. She may be unlikely to initiate verbal communication and more likely to answer a question with one word and unable to interpret facial expressions and body language, but it DOES NOT MAKE HER UNSAFE ON THE GUN RANGE.

I would look for a club or range associated with a youth shooting group. The trainer/coaches there have already met kids on the autism scale and understand how to deal with them. Some of their top shooters are most likely high functioning autistic.

[ifilef]

Anti-social disorder, cognitive disorder, obsessive behavior (with guns as an object of obsession?). Terrible affliction(s). Please don't shoot in the lane next to me. I'm talking about good parenting and not being selfish. Foolish pride.

[Win231]

Trying to make normal what which is not. Please don't shoot anywhere near me or other people. Find her/them another interest. You are projecting your own needs onto one who is probably better off not getting into shooting and firearms, whether prohibited person or not.

Couldn't have said it better.

[Capt.Dunsel]

Funny how these guys say "Don't Shoot Anywhere Near Me "

Your all a bunch of nit wits .

The idea is to teach the proper handling , read safety . Remember Eddie Eagle ? Thought not.

It is much better to have you teach her , she will be more comfortable with someone she knows teaching her , like you . Ask me how I know .

I'll tell you , my youngest son is high functioning Autistic . I taught him at a very early age how to be safe around firearms , since I own a few . He is safer with them than 95% of those around , including those nincompoops that say " Don't be shooting near/next to me ". He is also a better shot than those same 95%ers , love the 357 mag , and he is sensitive to loud noise , go figure . I would rather shoot next to him than the idiots I see ( 95% of those here).

Some here don't remember Eddie Eagle , and the fact that it is better to teach safety with firearms then suffer some kind of loss because they don't know the proper ways . If she is around firearms , she should be taught the proper safety around them .

And to the OP , you said you don't have the patience to do it your self ? I believe you should have the patience of Job ( from the bible) when it comes to your daughter .

Try teaching her yourself first , it will take time ( you are starting a bit late since you have guns in the house with a 9 yr old that your just now thinking of teaching her ).

PS , Autism doesn't make you a prohibited person , medication might . Lots of high functioning autistic people around , Albert Einstein , Andy Warhol , Dan Akroyd , Mozart , Issac Newton , Thomas Jefferson ( know who he is ?) , Charles Darwin and Michelangelo just to name a few

[junbug7]

Both my boys 10 and 16 both have AdHD . And have no problem with firearms and follow the rules to a T . We have the talk every time on way to shoot . There is no breaking the shooting rules it happens once and we are done .

Thanks for sharing about your kids, good idea.

Trying to make normal what which is not. Please don't shoot anywhere near me or other people. Find her/them another interest. You are projecting your own needs onto one who is probably better off not getting into shooting and firearms, whether prohibited person or not.

"Trying to make normal what which is not" - I need you to explain this please.

I hope my original post doesn't leave open for assumption that I would hand my child a loaded weapon & walk away/step back/whatever, allowing them to fire the weapon in any direction. And i'm not saying that's what you said... just clarifying since I wasn't specific.

Of course I am presenting my daughter with an opportunity to learn to shoot as a hobby. Like with any hobby, a parent has to be the one to suggest it so the child can try it. I'm not forcing my interest need on her, especially if she's hesitant or standoffish. Saying she's "probably better off" is opinion and not what I was inquiring about. I don't mean to sound jump the gun defensive, but most of the opinions I get are from people who don't live with me & my daughter, nor do they have a real understanding of Autism. When asked why they don't have a relevant reason/example... just the scary sounding disorder reason.

I don't know if she is considered prohibited or not & I'm not familiar with it. If you have any of that info, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

The fact you feel the need to have "the talk" every time you go shooting indicates either there have been past incidents or you at some level feel the the need to repeat the ground rules. Either way, not good.

I can't think of one child/adolecent that only needs to be told something once, and can then accurately carry that out in a timely manner. Where as to 100% eliminate the need to EVER have to repeat it to them.

Ignorance is flowing like liberal talking points.
My daughter is also high end autistic. The OCD side of her makes her one of the safest people on the range. Her attention to safety, safe gun handling and safe range procedure is only matched by a couple of the best NRA Training Counselors I have met. She may be unlikely to initiate verbal communication and more likely to answer a question with one word and unable to interpret facial expressions and body language, but it DOES NOT MAKE HER UNSAFE ON THE GUN RANGE. I would look for a club or range associated with a youth shooting group. The trainer/coaches there have already met kids on the autism scale and understand how to deal with them. Some of their top shooters are most likely high functioning autistic.

My daughter is quite verbal and recognizes body language although she does not have any OCD tendencies. I will research with these specifics and ask around. Thank you for sharing that about your daughter.

Anti-social disorder, cognitive disorder, obsessive behavior (with guns as an object of obsession?). Terrible affliction(s). Please don't shoot in the lane next to me. I'm talking about good parenting and not being selfish. Foolish pride.

Those you listed are difficult to deal with when it comes to Autism, or just in general. I'm really glad they don't pertain to my daughter. So many aspects when it comes to Autism, I understand how it could be difficult to gather the correct info and how it varies.
.

[curtru]

Funny how these guys say "Don't Shoot Anywhere Near Me "

Your all a bunch of nit wits .

The idea is to teach the proper handling , read safety . Remember Eddie Eagle ? Thought not.

It is much better to have you teach her , she will be more comfortable with someone she knows teaching her , like you . Ask me how I know .

I'll tell you , my youngest son is high functioning Autistic . I taught him at a very early age how to be safe around firearms , since I own a few . He is safer with them than 95% of those around , including those nincompoops that say " Don't be shooting near/next to me ". He is also a better shot than those same 95%ers , love the 357 mag , and he is sensitive to loud noise , go figure . I would rather shoot next to him than the idiots I see ( 95% of those here).

Some here don't remember Eddie Eagle , and the fact that it is better to teach safety with firearms then suffer some kind of loss because they don't know the proper ways . If she is around firearms , she should be taught the proper safety around them .

And to the OP , you said you don't have the patience to do it your self ? I believe you should have the patience of Job ( from the bible) when it comes to your daughter .

Try teaching her yourself first , it will take time ( you are starting a bit late since you have guns in the house with a 9 yr old that your just now thinking of teaching her ).

I agree with this person, the reason being is out of safety and when people hear any type of mental disability they automatically want to ban them. What is wrong with teaching how to handle firearms safely I personally know someone with a high medium range autistic boy at 15 we went out on a church shoot and he doesn't have any safety risk if anything he was more scared of accidentally hurting someone. At that event one of the expert high and mighty Jack wads who competition shoot shot my table before the all clear. I'll see if I can find the pics from that event and if it's ok with the child's parents I'll post them.

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[junbug7]

Funny how these guys say "Don't Shoot Anywhere Near Me "
Your all a bunch of nit wits The idea is to teach the proper handling , read safety . Remember Eddie Eagle ? Thought not.
It is much better to have you teach her , she will be more comfortable with someone she knows teaching her , like you . Ask me how I know . I'll tell you , my youngest son is high functioning Autistic . I taught him at a very early age how to be safe around firearms , since I own a few . He is safer with them than 95% of those around , including those nincompoops that say " Don't be shooting near/next to me ". He is also a better shot than those same 95%ers , love the 357 mag , and he is sensitive to loud noise , go figure . I would rather shoot next to him than the idiots I see ( 95% of those here).
Some here don't remember Eddie Eagle , and the fact that it is better to teach safety with firearms then suffer some kind of loss because they don't know the proper ways . If she is around firearms , she should be taught the proper safety around them .
And to the OP , you said you don't have the patience to do it your self ? I believe you should have the patience of Job ( from the bible) when it comes to your daughter .
Try teaching her yourself first , it will take time ( you are starting a bit late since you have guns in the house with a 9 yr old that your just now thinking of teaching her ).
PS , Autism doesn't make you a prohibited person , medication might . Lots of high functioning autistic people around , Albert Einstein , Andy Warhol , Dan Akroyd , Mozart , Issac Newton , Thomas Jefferson ( know who he is ?) , Charles Darwin and Michelangelo just to name a few

Yes, exactly!! My daughter is in a household with several firearms & knowing safehandling can only help. That's cute to hear that his accuracy is on point!! =) I'm not familiar with Eddie Eagle although I agree that kids should not be excluded. Restrictions bring about curiosity and curiosity killed the cat... with no pun intended. Better they are aware and the mystery novelty will wear off.

I don't think I have the "semi advanced" knowledge to teach somebody else. Just like with the teachers who have studied special needs, I would prefer an instructor with that kind of understanding and possibly effective methods. She's a social happy kiddo, she doesn't shy away from new people (a worry of mine on a completely diff subject) The very 1st time, yes I will be the one to give her "hand over hand" instruction, I have to watch her reactions etc to know if she can or can't or lacks the interest. But regular lessons would be prefered with an instructor.
Thanks for replying & sharing


P.S. I don't think referencing famous people with Autism makes any difference in the way some view Autism. They still have no clue of what it does inside your brain, what that ends up causing, the variations of traits not to mention the broad spectrum to determine how "severe" each case is. I want to blurt out all my research, Dr words, speciality Drs thoughts, and the neurological test findings.... They just don't care or want to hear it.

.

[junbug7]

I agree with this person, the reason being is out of safety and when people hear any type of mental disability they automatically want to ban them. What is wrong with teaching how to handle firearms safely I personally know someone with a high medium range autistic boy at 15 we went out on a church shoot and he doesn't have any safety risk if anything he was more scared of accidentally hurting someone. At that event one of the expert high and mighty Jack wads who competition shoot shot my table before the all clear. I'll see if I can find the pics from that event and if it's ok with the child's parents I'll post them.

Sent from my LGL21G using Tapatalk

Misconception of what Autism is. Assuming it is mental disorder (not picking on your words) with mental retardation traits. Even when I correct them that it's a neurological disorder and not a mental disorder, it's a complicated issue for somebody to learn about if they don't have the need to.

[curtru]

Misconception of what Autism is. Assuming it is mental disorder (not picking on your words) with mental retardation traits. Even when I correct them that it's a neurological disorder and not a mental disorder, it's a complicated issue for somebody to learn about if they don't have the need to.

I had a brain fart when trying to remember the how it affects, and yeah it does have lots of miss conceptions on what it does outside of communities that have experience. The boy I was referring to also has a younger brother who is nonverbal and low function that needs constant care but is very intelligent and I know because of the technology that has been developed he's a fast learner but didn't have a way to communicate till resently. Not that I have lots of experience with disabilities of that type. I worked as a in home care where I worked with MS patients I also worked in a mental health care facility. But I didn't and still don't have much experience with neurologic issues. Op I really hope you do find a answer, my only suggestion would be to contact local instructors and maybe they might point you in the right direction.

Btw what part of Ca are you in I know a few instructors here in sacramento that might know somebody who works in that area unless you already got someone in mind. Just take your time and when you find yourself getting frustrated it's time to pack up the lesson I'm learning this with my boys who are 4 and 5 with short attention spans.

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[wipaho]

Funny how these guys say "Don't Shoot Anywhere Near Me "

Your all a bunch of nit wits .

The idea is to teach the proper handling , read safety . Remember Eddie Eagle ? Thought not.

It is much better to have you teach her , she will be more comfortable with someone she knows teaching her , like you . Ask me how I know .

I'll tell you , my youngest son is high functioning Autistic . I taught him at a very early age how to be safe around firearms , since I own a few . He is safer with them than 95% of those around , including those nincompoops that say " Don't be shooting near/next to me ". He is also a better shot than those same 95%ers , love the 357 mag , and he is sensitive to loud noise , go figure . I would rather shoot next to him than the idiots I see ( 95% of those here).

Some here don't remember Eddie Eagle , and the fact that it is better to teach safety with firearms then suffer some kind of loss because they don't know the proper ways . If she is around firearms , she should be taught the proper safety around them .

And to the OP , you said you don't have the patience to do it your self ? I believe you should have the patience of Job ( from the bible) when it comes to your daughter .

Try teaching her yourself first , it will take time ( you are starting a bit late since you have guns in the house with a 9 yr old that your just now thinking of teaching her ).

PS , Autism doesn't make you a prohibited person , medication might . Lots of high functioning autistic people around , Albert Einstein , Andy Warhol , Dan Akroyd , Mozart , Issac Newton , Thomas Jefferson ( know who he is ?) , Charles Darwin and Michelangelo just to name a few

thanks for answering

I was actually wondering after reading the OP's post.

Have a friend who I know likes to shoot (or use to), and has an Autistic son.

If its legal to do so,
I would think personal hands on instruction from someone she trusts,
would make the most sense. Possible in a non crowded location.
At least for starters.