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Hospitalised PDA child

Blueplanet

Please help! My 12 year old has had an autistic shutdown with severe PDA, low mood- severe anxiety, angry dysregulations, no self care for 4 months ( same clothes since admission, no brushing or bathing) on a hospital ward under CTO, unable to take medications or engage with any psychological interventions. He has become non verbal in hospital, communicating with typing only on Ipad. He is unable to clearly describe his emotions but is clearly depressed with extreme negative thought ruminations. 

A high achieving, regular school attender in primary but this year with transition to secondary school, has experienced bullying at school and refuses to attend- terrified about online schooling too. Stuck in hospital and his anxiety is worsening about not being able to go home. Community Teams feeling worried to let him home as he needed a very traumatising regimen of multiple sedative intramuscular injections to get him to hospital. I have informed the MHO of the situation but no one seems to have a clue how to move forward.

Any thoughts and suggestions about what I can do to help my son, is most appreciated. 

Parents

  • Is there a Autism Lead Nurse person that works in the hospital or one that covers that hospital? They may be worth contacting and often do the communicating with the other hospital staff. I recommend getting a hospital passport, although may not be most important right now.

    From my experiences, therapy doesn't work, it's not needed right now, reducing the demands and expectations is what helps. Not changing clothes isn't a big problem right now and perhaps not trying to get him to communicate emotions is helpful as an autistic person he may not be able to anyway. Just meeting basic needs is most helpful. The nervous system needs to reset and the hospital environment probably doesn't help aswell as it being an environment he can't control. He needs to be able to control his environment. As another poster mentioned, clothing. Also, managing the sensory environment. Food, could you leave food for him? Just place it there, don't say anything or make suggestions. I find it's best when people 'plant the seed' for me, could be done with the lego too. 

    PDA Society may be worth contacting for guidance. Also I recommend searching up autistic pda burnout and if you can, show the medical staff the information. They generally don't have a clue about this. It's not psychological,  it's a whole body nervous system response. 

    I'm only speaking from my experiences as an autistic PDA adult. Hope it helps. 

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  • Is there a Autism Lead Nurse person that works in the hospital or one that covers that hospital? They may be worth contacting and often do the communicating with the other hospital staff. I recommend getting a hospital passport, although may not be most important right now.

    From my experiences, therapy doesn't work, it's not needed right now, reducing the demands and expectations is what helps. Not changing clothes isn't a big problem right now and perhaps not trying to get him to communicate emotions is helpful as an autistic person he may not be able to anyway. Just meeting basic needs is most helpful. The nervous system needs to reset and the hospital environment probably doesn't help aswell as it being an environment he can't control. He needs to be able to control his environment. As another poster mentioned, clothing. Also, managing the sensory environment. Food, could you leave food for him? Just place it there, don't say anything or make suggestions. I find it's best when people 'plant the seed' for me, could be done with the lego too. 

    PDA Society may be worth contacting for guidance. Also I recommend searching up autistic pda burnout and if you can, show the medical staff the information. They generally don't have a clue about this. It's not psychological,  it's a whole body nervous system response. 

    I'm only speaking from my experiences as an autistic PDA adult. Hope it helps. 

Children
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