Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone. I hope I'm not intruding as we are only in the assessment stage and do not have a confirmed diagnosis. My son Is a wonderful little 8yr old boy whose behavioural traits started raising concerns 4yrs ago. At first we thought it was dyslexia and very low self esteem. In p2, it became apparent that it was something more. He started having emotional outbursts, punching himself continuously on the forehead, hiding in confined spaces and becoming very agitated when asked questions. After meeting with the school and our gp, we were referred for an asd assessment. Two years later, we are finally going through the assessment phase. My husband and I met with asd team and they made a further meeting for our son. We have done a lot of work with over the last few years to help him cope with different situations. He is very complient at school and will adhere to all the rules. The asd team immediately realised that our sons anxiety levels were sky high and therefore didn't push very hard with their questions. Afterwards, they told us that he scored low on the asd scale but felt that there was asd which would have been more prominent if they pushed harder. They scheduled a school visit...to which they observed my son being very obedient. At one point he interacted with a little girl beside him and therefore they don't think there is an issue. His teacher spoke with the assessor afterwards and explained that she has seen him, on several occasions, repeatedly stab himself in the back of the head with a pencil, have emotional outbursts, and requires social stories to help with changes at school. I'm sorry for my long winded intro but here is my question....my sons behaviour is completely different at home. He has outbursts on a daily basis and still bangs his head when frustrated. For the last two weeks, I've been recording everything from monologues to emotional outbursts to walking on tippy toes. Can I send the videos to the asd team to show them what life is really like for my son and us as a family?
I am so frustrated and just want my son to get the support he needs. I'd appreciate any advice....thank you!
I'm thinking aloud here, but I wonder if the walking on tip toes are his way of "growing out of his current issues". IE If he get's older he'll be able to communicate how he's feeling, and be what he sees as normal. Autism as I understand it is being overwhelmed with sensory input that regular people just filter out, yet some get fixated on, and drive them crazy. The reaction in that red line zone is to get frustrated and lash out, either at you (why don't you understand) or at himself (what's wrong with me that I can't make myself understood?).