Published on 12, July, 2020
HI guys, I'm new to the NAS, my son has ASD and ADHD. He recently had an encounter with a wasp in his trampoline that freaked him out and is now terrified to go outside in case a fly or wasp comes near him, he's even refused to pick up stones (which he used to love collecting) in case there was a bug on it. IT hasn't helped at a mozzie seems to have taken a liking to him and his thigh is covered in bites. Any advice on how to deal with this would be greatly appreciated, my husband and I just don't know how to handle this new development.
We had just got him coming outside with me more and off his devises but this has set him back a long way :(
I suspect waiting until he's no longer being eaten will help.
Can you do something like put honey on your finger and wait for a wasp or bee to investigate, let them land and walk on you, let him watch through a window how harmless they are?
Ideally the next step would be letting him try. Warn him it'll tickle, make sure he doesn't move, just give the bee time to move on when it's ready.
Then there are more types of bugs. How is he with spiders, and would them eating flies make him feel more comfortable with them? I'm not suggesting a pet tarantula but knowing that some creepy crawlies are on his side might help.
The other thing to do of course is buy him a fly swat (and make sure he doesn't use it on wasps). Yes, you'll have annoying slap sounds throughout the house but he'll enjoy it. It'll work in the garden too - good exercise!
Hi Just some guy, thank you for those suggestions, especially the fly swat! I think that would help him feel like he has some control over the situation. Will definitley try the honey on the finger too so he can see that they are harmless. Thank you!