Aspergers/Autism/Sensory Integration Chatter #3

[Freya]

Hi guys!

I dont usually post in here anymore because we're still up in the air with Ripley and his issues so I feel like a bit of a fraud but I do read to keep track of how everyone is doing and I saw you in here Lilima and just wanted to give you big .

Im sorry we didnt make it to the meet at your place Christy, ugh the last few weeks have been complete and utter misery so yeah, we would love to try again though some other time when we are all free

As for us well, yeah. He's been doing pretty well at his speech sessions, he really likes his SP and usually gets very upset when he has to leave and tells me he misses 'Alan'. His behaviour is still so-so; some days we have a good run and others not so much. He is listening to instructions a bit more now so that helped a bit (his SP gave us a magnetized star chart which started off the revolution but sadly didnt make it long term, he just gets bored with rewards and goes back to being horrible). Technically his behaviour should be improving heaps now his speech is (we have 3 word sentences sometimes YAY!) but it really isnt, infact in some area's its much much worse. We applied for a carers allowance because the private speech costs are killing us and his SP had to grade him (Im sure some of you have seen the paperwork), well that was an eye opener. The SP doesnt think its autism even though he does have minor traits. He seems to think he might lean more toward the ADHD path. Paed appt is on Dec 2nd so I guess we'll find out what they think of him then.

Ive decided to refuse his place at preschool for next year for a few reasons. One is that I think he would be too disruptive and he definately doesnt have the capacity to cope with the structure. That and his speech is still not up to par with a 3yo's so it would probably further complicate things. Oh and the whole refusing to potty train thing (apparently deliberately crapping on the floor or weeing on your bed is much 'funner' ) So he'll stay with his LDC centre except move up to the preschool room (ugh Im already stressing about that) and hopefully the year after he'll be where he needs to be to go to preschool.

Im kind of drifting at the moment, no one thinks there is any label for him so they dont really want to know about him (and Im betting the paed will be no different) so I get to just keep trying to not kill him and hope to god he outgrows it all eventually. Its taking a toll on my marriage, my parenting of the other kids; Jett is now spiralling out of control with his behaviour I think in reaction to Rip so now I have to deal with his issues as well. My sleep is worse because now he's doing a song and a dance at naptime and bedtime, wakes up a few times a night and is difficult to get settled again, up at the crack of dawn. He doesnt eat well anymore, cracks it when I tell him cookies are not an appropriate food for meals. Not to mention his bad behaviour; hitting and kicking the other boys, locking Stellan in rooms and not telling me til I suddenly cant find him, destroying things, the crapping and peeing everywhere.............he even pretends to knife people if they annoy him (thankyou Dh and your stupid comp games). The newest torture is locking us out of the house when we go into the garage. Luckily I never go anywhere without my keys on a lanyard around my neck but he usually locks the 'knob' on the door which cannot be unlocked with a key. Thaaaaaaannkfully they are the kind with the little hole in the doorknob so I can slip a bobby pin and and pop the lock. So our house is hidden bobbypin central. No matter how many times he is punished for these things he still.does.them; Ive tried time outs, confiscating toys, yelling, spanking (gave that one up ages ago because all it did was start a brawl), the reward charts.

Now its gone on to imitation. We've had to get the pedestal fans out because we have zero cooling in our sweatbox of a house. In a split second one afternoon Stell stuck his finger in and nearly sliced it off. Blood everywhere, lots of panic, some first aid from me and a cool bandaid and cuddles. So the next day, Rip decides it would be fun to stick his finger in it. Why? Because he wanted a bandaid because Stellan got one, so yeah why not try and slice your finger off $^*@. When he came and showed me I nearly flipped out. He just about sliced half his finger open. His nail is lucky to be on his finger. Dh said oh its normal behaviour. Not to me it isnt. He knew he would get hurt, possibly badly. But he wanted a bandaid and that was that. Same as the road sense; I have to keep hold of him however possible at all times because he just walks out onto the road or carpark then laughs after I nearly have a heart attack and tells me he nearly got wasted by a car. WTF?

I just want to wake up one day and voila suddenly everything gets through to him and he's a normal kid like all the others. No violence, no defecating everywhere, no defiance, no obsessions, no meltdowns.