• Replies 2 replies
  • Subscribers 31 subscribers
  • Views 475 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Boredom vs Anxiety

NAS87747

Hi everyone, I am Mum to a 16 yr old Autistic Son and 14 yr old Autistic Daughter. Despite my Son being classed as high functioning, he has really struggled all his life.
He has been completely out of education for 4 years due to anxiety, was placed in a school with not enough support and everyone who has ever been involved with him have failed to understand him or help him.

He used to love trains and go out most weeks to different train stations. He used to love programming and playing Kerbal space programme. He is very intelligent and loves reading online about history and geography and has been a Minecraft fan for 10 years.

The problem is that since Covid he will no longer leave the house and has real issues being near people and doesn’t trust anyone (had a terrible experience with social services). He doesn’t like hardly anything now and is regularly saying he is bored and becoming angry and frustrated. I have suggested so many things to try, both at home and to try and get him out of the house but he just comes up with an excuse, gets angry or says no. He was crying last night and I hate seeing him like this. I just want to help him but there is no one to turn to. He has no friends at all and won’t engage with anyone who he doesn’t know. What can I do to help him? 

  • Hello NAS87747,

    It's great that you want to help your son. If you type 'anxiety' in the NAS website search box, you'll find many articles that might give you ideas on how to handle your son's anxiety issues. I've found this article quite interesting: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/anxiety-parental

    You could also go to our directories page and type your location. You might find an association or support group for autistic youngsters near you.

    All the best,

    Karin Mod

  • NAS87747 said:
    The problem is that since Covid he will no longer leave the house and has real issues being near people and doesn’t trust anyone

    If he can break this restraint then this should help him develop a support network to get back into hobbies. This does seem to be the main cause of his frustrations.

    I would see if the support services can arrange therapist support for him, but if not it may be best to go privately (£40-50/hour) if this is achievable.

    In the meantime maybe get him to think of what he would really like to do if he could get out so you can create the idea of a life after therapy - something to make it worthwhile doing.