Bath time nightmare | Autism PDD

My son use to go in the bath tub and let me wash his hair (but I had to do it very gentle).  Now he gives me trouble getting in the tub and won't even allow me to fill the tub up.  He goes in for a few minutes and jumps out.  I barely have a chance to pure water over his head.  If I try to wash his hair he screams and starts splashing all the water all over the place.  He won't go in the shower, and its seems like all of a sudden the sound of water bothers him.  I noticed this change in the last couple of weeks.  I think it was about the same time when we started the focalin, but we stopped the medication a few weeks ago due to major sleeping problems with the drug.  Even after we stopped the medication he still gets upset bath time.  Did the medication make him more alert or is this something new that happens with the autism? 

Good luck with everything.

 

Maybe he felt strange in the tub while he was on the meds, and even though he's off them, he still is weirded out by the memory of that feeling?  Like, he's worried that the strange feeling might return?

Its like going swimming at the beach and somebody yelling SHARK!  No matter how many days or weeks later you go for a swim on the shore, you will be flipped out for awhile.

Just a guess.

Is he too old to take a shower with one of ya'll? Or, if he won't go in there at all, is he young enough for a bath with dad?  Or can you let him watch dad take a bath, hand daddy the shampoo, help wash daddy's hair?

I let Cole trim my fingernails (kinda!) when he was little with the clippers, then we'd do his.  Same thing with haircuts, stethoscope at the doc's office, etc.  I even take them with me and they swab my arm with alcohol when I go get my flu shot every year.  These temporary childhood fears, compounded by autism, can sometimes be alleviated when they see you do it first.

Good luck!

Daniel use say I'm clean after a bath time. We knew he was lieing he would turn the water on to make us think he did this. Not anymore. I had to buy him a body wash he loves. He loves the old spice products.I agree that this comes and goes!

I found that rubbing T's head FIRMLY, before bath time, and sometimes rubbing her back, too, helepd her cope with shampooing.

So, interestingly, did changing her bath TIME!  She wants a bath and shampoo at night now ... used to shower in the morning (and occasionally still opts for it).

Hi and welcome to the board!  I don't personally have any knowledge about the meds your son is on.  I do know that some children with autism have difficulty with bath time.  Norway Mom compiled a list of bath time resources in one thread which you may find helpful.

http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19176&am p;KW=NorwayMom

Good luck!

Not sure, but for my dd, issues like this come & go (well, gets better).
She did fine with baths as an infant, and then from about 12 mos until
over 2 1/2, she only had sponge baths because of her screaming (no
matter what we tried). Then she was okay with baths (after months of
therapy working on it), just screamed with getting her hair done. Now,
it's hit or miss. Some days, she screams & has a major fit to avoid getting
in the tub at all...other days, she just screams when it's time to wash her
hair. She does not get a bath everyday & some nights we just do her
body, sometimes I just wipe her down (bird bath as I call it), we have
those waterless soaps & shampoos too. Some nights, she is okay with
standing in the tub...other days, she wants to sit in the tub all night.

A lof of her issues w/ tub time are sensory-related and that has also led
to anxiety. Perhaps something similar for your son? I know w/ my dd,
new fears crop up and I think it can be very random causes (i.e. watching
a cartoon, or someone else's reaction to bathtime, etc.).
Copyright Autism-PDD.net