Sons behavior has really gotten worse | Autism PDD
By the end of August last year, with 2 weeks to go before school, I thought I was going to lose it! Andrew was tireless, irritable, not talking, mumbling, or screaming, and he seemed so frustrated. That is when I made the decision to push hard and succeed in getting him into the SECEP program here (puplic school regional autism program)...It took until the Monday after Thanksgiving but was worth every letter, phonecall, meeting, visit, research article and book read, etc.!
Now it's summer again, and it is worse than the school year was, but it is much better than last year!
wow I don't know what to say except hang in there!Hi all. Well my son has always had little temper tantrums and crying but he could usually be consoled and calmed down by picking him up and holding him... But now, (ever since hes been out of school) his behavior has gotten really bad. He will scream and cry for no apparent reason, and then of course when its time to go to bed he will fight and scream. I know alot of kids do this but he wasnt this bad before. Hes also gotten more aggressive when he gets angry and will try to dig his nails into my arm or even try to bite. He had never been aggressive like this before. It only started within the last week or so since hes been out of school. I think that him being out of school has really affected his behavior. He was doing so well in school, and I think hes really upset about not going. Of course he is nonverbal so he cant tell me this. Anyway, things have just been so tough for all of us lately. Im wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to try and calm him down.. Right now all I can do is just leave him alone and wait for him to calm down on his own. Also, he will be starting ABA therapy next week so hopefully the therapist can give me some suggestions, and hell be starting MB12 shots soon. I just hope that something can help him. I know he is just so frustrated and hes not able to tell us.. Well, anyway if anyone has any advice for me on this, I would really appreciate it. Thanks everyone..
Jen
Hi Jen,Sometimes the change of being out of school is really hard on our kids. They really benefit from structure. Does he go to school over the summer, too? My son starts back on Monday (WHEW
), and I expect to see some behaviors from that as well, because his summer program is located in a different building than his usual school year program. I can't help much with aggression. My son is aggressive at times, too, and I have a very hard time dealing with it. In the summer, I just tire him out by bringing him to the pool every single day (weather permitting). I find this calms him down, and the water is a real sensory activity for him.
I hope that some of the replies you get will be more helpful!!
Jen, I wish i had super great advice for you. My ds is going thru similar stuff.. it is HARD!!!
Thanks Leanne for the suggestions.. Well, I took my son out today to wal mart and he was happy to get into the cart, but then when it was time to put him back in the car he absolutely would not let me take him out of the cart. He just pushed down with his knees and wouldnt straighten them so I could lift him out. He is really strong. Anyway, I finally had to ask a complete stranger to lift him out of the cart! And he came right out of it for him.. I think my son is mad at me for not having him in school.. or he just didnt want to go home.. Anyway, I put him in the pool today outside and he enjoyed that. Thanks again everyone.
Glad to hear he enjoyed the pool !!
There will always be the good days and the not so good days... If you are at the beach, don't forget the sand castle "tools" like shovel, pail, spade, moulds etc... AND HAVE FUN !!!
Have you started the diet or started enzymes or probiotics? Thanks everyone for your help. I probably do need to get my son out more. I have a small pool for him, just have to bring it out. Anyway, littlebyrd, he is on the gfcf diet and we have been staying with it, so I dont think that is the problem. I guess hes just bored. He did have summer school but it was only for a month and ended at the end of June. I am so anxious for this summer to be over. lol Anyway, thanks again... Hi Jen, you mentioned a small pool. I guess you might also have a backyard.... How about putting a small table & chair for him out in the yard (hopefully it won't be too sunny & hot) and let him play some play-doh, toys etc. Why if he likes construction vehicles like my boy does, then the small stones and sand or even twigs can be his play things with his vehicles... (complete with sound effects!!) A change of environment is DEFINITELY a BOOST !!! Get him out of the house. Or like Dad2Luke&Alan manages to do in the "100 ways to Destress" thread.... a walk in the woods/park.... Hope it'll help... Ahhh!!! And a calendar to countdown till school resumes so he has a visual cue to look forward to each day... Keep us informed...
my 5 years old son start running around himself or he goes out of the house as soon as he wake up till night. he start this about a month ago his therapist told me it is okey and accutally good for him. he will make progress by end of summer because of physicall activity. I really don't know if it's good or not. any one got ideas pleas. The one thing school has that home may NOT is a visual schedule. At school, your boy either knew what was coming next, or the teacher's would probably point out his schedule and say "OK, its time for Computer Lab now." If you can make a simple little one day schedule with icons on it or even little photos, it might help him anticipate what his day holds in store. i know this sounds unimportant, but your son may be anxious because he has zero idea about what to expect each day. Imagine boarding a plane with a tour group that speaks only Cantonese. You know you are going on vacation, but where the heck is the plane headed and how long is the flight? One hour or 14 hours? When you land, where will you eat and what will you eat? Are you going to visit a furniture factory or tour Hong Kong Disney? Will you be expected to stay in primal huts and help out a Peace Corps team, or in a luxurious villa? Is someone going to thrust a screaming infant at you, or give you a massage? We have excellent success in taking vacations with Cole partly because I put together these simple books (or just a single page weekly calendar with icons on it). We just got back from kind of a disjointed trip where we stayed in a hotel 3 nights, then stayed with godparents 2 nights, and did wildly varying activities each day. I swear, the secret is in preparing our kids. If your boy cannot clearly understand your verbal description of what the day entails, then print it out for him. The eyes have it!
they begin what the triggers are before these tantrums occur. change in
routine, not wanting to do something, etc... this can help them determine
a plan of action.
school being out is very hard for everyone. be prepared to have a lot
tantrums when the ABA therpist comes in, it may get worse before it gets
better, but it does get better!
L
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