Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone, I have finally got round to joining this forum on the advice of my sons consultant. My son is 7 and was diagnosed quite quickly during his first year at primary school. Until this point we just thought he was quirky lol. He is high functioning and does ok at school, struggles to form friendships with his peers but has really good relationships with teachers and us at home as well as an amazing bond with his two younger sisters. He has problems sleeping and is on melatonin to help with this.
I have 2 questions really, the first is regarding his sleep issues. at his last appointment he was taking 4mg beforw bed, we advised that he waa now going to sleep with very little issue but was getting up everyday between 2am and 5am this was for the whole day he would not go back to sleep until following bed time. We have now been told to increase the meds by 2mg every 2 weeks until he is on 10mg. He is currently taking 6mg and goes to sleep faster at night but it doesn't seem to have helped him stay asleep. He is still up at silly o clock. Does anyone know if this will improve with the increase in meds?
Secondly, he has begun in the last 3-4 weeks suffering from rages. The smallest thing can set him off. He then is like A whirlwind screaming throwing things and last night bashed a hammer down in inches away from his sisters head. Today when I went to collect him from school found him being restrained by a teacher due to trying to lash out. Apparently someone had knocked him with either a chair or table and he justs went loopy. he then ran away from me and refused to walk home. It took me telephoning his dad at work to talk to him to get him to move off the playing field. These instances are becoming increasingly common and I just don't know what to do anymore.
I have his sisters who are 5 and 3 to think of as well as a very unexpected pregnancy which is taking its toll. I have no help with him other than weekend when daddy isn't working.
Me and hubby have decided that we will so our best to not treat him any differnet from his sisters , we are trying to raise a little boy who will function perfectly well in society on his own and be independent.
If anyone managed to get through my story well done and any advice would be welcome. x
Meltdowns can have quite a small trigger but represent a build up of stress over a longer timescale. There are theories that suggest a narrower bandwidth for coping with stresses, but also environmental stress is important.
Some stresses can be unresolved issues going back weeks, months or years, that he continues to process in his head. That reduces the threshold for coping for current issues.
But you may find it useful to see what things stress him out most. On the NAS website under Living with Autism, you'll find an option "Understanding Behaviour", and under this you will find "The sensory world of autism". On page 4 of this section you'll find the various senses or senstivities discussed under whether hypo (under-sensitive) or hyper- (over senstive).
Sometimes the pressures come from things you wouldn't readily anticipate were a problem. With sound = predictable sound is easier to deal with than unpredictable, so a sound that goes suddenly on or off might be worse than continuous sound for some, for others sound from different directions acting together may be harder to deal with than one source of very loud sound.
Therefore stress in school is often about numbers - other kids moving around, lots of people talking at once, differences in the way peers engage conversation - some touching or peering to get attention, different smells, sudden movements or sudden loud noises. All these experiences add up, pushing the individual on the spectrum nearer and nearer breaking point - a melt down. And do watch out for bullying, subtle bullying could involve toying with his sensitivities or sudden reactive responses.
Additionally some children will try very hard to avoid meltdowns in front of their peers, which may lead to worse explosions, or explosions in the comparative safety of home.