Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all, I am reaching out for some advice and guidance on how to help my neighbour with her autistic 17-year-old son.
My neighbour lives alone with her son who is non verbal.
He never leaves the house, not even to go in the garden. He throws things into our garden from his bedroom window which we've never had an issue with but recently we have had knives and scissors thrown.
There is regular disorder which I understand but recently it has got worse with him trying to smash the windows, I think because he is locked in his bedroom. His mom also seems to be loosing her temper and shouting and he is screaming and it truly sounds scary.
He has also managed to get out the house on a number of occasions and has hit other smaller children in the street and hit his mom.
I have tried to talk to his mom and ask her what we can do, but she just says she is fine and not to worry.
But I am worried, I am worried for her and I am for him.
I suppose I am posting on here to try and get some advice on how to help her and also what sort of help is available to her from support agencies. Maybe I can convince her to reach out for the support (if any exists) and also get him out the house and make his life better.
Hello NAS95199,
Thank you for sharing this with the community. I am sorry that you have been experiencing this with your neighbour's son. Individuals on the spectrum can often display behaviour that may be challenging. There will generally be a reason for this and it is important to try and understand the trigger for the behaviour when developing strategies. You may like to have a look at the following link for more information on behaviour and strategies:
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/behaviour
You may be interested in letting your neighbour know how to seek some professional support regarding the behaviour if this is appropriate. They can search for professionals in your area we are aware of on the Autism Services Directory:
https://www.autism.org.uk/directory
You might also like to take a look at The Challenging Behaviour Foundation website for further information and advice:
https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk. They also have an information and support service which you can contact by phone or email – details can be found here: https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/for-family-carers/family-support-service/
All the best,
ChloeMod