my son and his deterioration

My 17 yo son has recently tested positive for autism. He is getting increasingly withdrawn, and getting dangerously thin with not eating. It is the second week now he hasn’t seen his counsellor as he is in bed 24/7 and is becoming increasingly withdrawn. We don’t know where on the spectrum he is at the moment, we don’t know where to turn to get this sorted.  It is impossible to get a dr’s appointment, it is a 3 week wait and when he does get there he isn’t taken seriously.

I just don’t know where to turn anymore, I can see he’s deteriorating, I try getting him up out of bed and he goes back to sleep a minute later, we have tried to get him downstairs but he won’t eat, I’ve tried letting him upstairs with it, he won’t eat. Today he has had some toast but that will most likely be it for the day.

We have done research into autism after he tested positive and he has a lot of the characteristics of Asperger’s but again I’m lost for what best to do as we don’t seem to be getting anywhere at all.

Anna Sob

Parents
  • What was he like in the previous month's before the diagnosis?

    Has there been a sudden change?  Or is it a deterioration of existing behaviour?

  • No he has never been good at handling social situations, always looked at things in alot more complexity. He's always been brilliant at maths though, he can work out sums in his head extremely quickly.  

    We have always tried to include him in things we as a family do but he doesnt have the want to do it, sometimes he goes out at night just to go to the park and swing on the swings. Other times hes in bed all day.

    It definiately is in my opinion a deterioration of the existing behaviour.

Reply
  • No he has never been good at handling social situations, always looked at things in alot more complexity. He's always been brilliant at maths though, he can work out sums in his head extremely quickly.  

    We have always tried to include him in things we as a family do but he doesnt have the want to do it, sometimes he goes out at night just to go to the park and swing on the swings. Other times hes in bed all day.

    It definiately is in my opinion a deterioration of the existing behaviour.

Children
  • ... but was it a sudden deterioration, or a gradual one?

    did it coincide with whatever "tested positive" referred to, or perhaps with this female support worker no longer having contact with him? How long had this person been providing some support?