Published on 12, July, 2020
Introducing myself on a particularly bleak day. My son is three and newly diagnosed. He is non-verbal and we’re trying to do PECS.
My son screams. He screams and screams at 5am when he wakes up. He screams when he is told to do something he’d rather not - brushing teeth, stop playing with toys, going to bed. Just high pitched, blood curdling screams.
Please tell me it gets easier. I know my family now have a different path and I’ve come to accept it.
But god, the every day stuff has to get easier. It’s such a joyless grind sometimes.
Would love to hear from other parents who have experienced similar issues. And maybe something optimistic? ️
Maybe try teach him about the loud voice and the quiet voice. Or turn the things he needs to do into a game. My nephew around that age didn't like brushing his teeth, and would cry very loudly. So I tried to do this game with him, where I smiled and over emphasized brushing my teeth, while his mother tried to brush his teeth. It was sort of working with a bit of back lash, but after a few times, he learned to calm down and allow his mom to brush his teeth while he played with a toy in his hand.
If a child cries or seems anxious, I'll just try to do the activity with them, so they can follow along and learn to enjoy the activity.