Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
Does anyone know of any parental support groups in the Worcester area - formal or informal !
My son was finally diagnosed with Aspergers in December, just weeks after his 7th birthday, following a traumatic year at school. I have worried about his tantrums and aggressive behaviour since he was 3 but it never occurred to me that it might be an ASD.
He is my eldest son so I had no point of reference. His Dad and I split up when he was only a few months old, so I was a single mum for the first couple of years, and we are very close ,ost of the time. Since reading the books his Dad and I actually agree that his dad was probably on the spectrum too, which explains a lot. I now have a new partner and a second son and when I watch him playing I realise just how different their imagination and social interaction is - it is almost comical they are so far apart. I sometimes wonder how I didn't spot it before.
The hardest part is dealing with the aggressive outbursts. He is the most loving and affectionate little boy one minute and extremely intelligent, then a few minutes later he is tearing pictures off the walls and throwing books at my head telling me he hates me ! He hits, kicks and throws things. We haven't worked out all of the triggers yet and I suspect we never will - it is emotionally draining.
My partner is great with him ( has more patience than I do ! ) but we don't have any family support nearby so it can get pretty stressful when he is going through a bad patch. I am hoping that this community will give me a bit of perspective and stop me going insane !
We are just about to start the formal process of Statementing.
I don't know any other families with autistic children, and it would be so nice to meet other parents who are experiencing the same issues.
Hi Nicy,
I just sat down to start preparing the latest parental representation forms for the statementing application and happened to check my emails. It is so nice to get a reply from someone in a similar situation to me ..... and it does sound very similar ! It has been a few months since I joined this site and posted the query and we are still no closer to getting any support so I was reassured that you hadn't found anything locally either, not that that is a good thing of course. Would be great if we could get a few parents together, however informally.
We are coping OK but I still find myself apologising for my son's behaviour when we are out and about Which I know isnt good. School has been pretty helpful with supporting him since his diagnosis. He has full time TA support which they have committed to continue whatever happens with the statement. That should at least get him the support he needs for the next couple of years.
Have you been through the process with your 9 yr old ?