Hi all,
My son is pre-diagnosis but after a year of back-and-forth nonsense, finally has a referral for ASD, as picked up by his health visitor and various teachers/nursery staff.
I'm really struggling with certain behaviours at the moment, and would love to get some practical advice on how to deal with them. His latest trick is to simply lie down and starfish, whether that's in the supermarket (which we now avoid as it's over stimulating), in the playground when they're trying to close the gates at the end of school, or on the pavement on the way home from school. He is a big boy and I can no longer simply scoop him up. (I'm 5'2" with a dodgy back!). He's not bribable, he doesn't care what treats/TV shows/toys await him when he gets home. He's not hungry, not visibly upset, these aren't meltdowns as such, often he knows he's being a monkey and laughs in my face. But honestly, he'd be there for an hour if he could get away with it and I feel utterly helpless and sorry for him. It just looks awful when your child's lying on the pavement and honestly, I feel like a failure of a mum.
Has anyone else had anything similar and found an ingenious way to get through to the child in a meaningful way?
The other thing is he's regressed on the toileting front and wets himself daily, if not three, four times a day and it is completely draining and I'm tearing my hair out having to wash his pants and trousers every day. He's in night pants in bed but but he seems to "forget" in normal pants, especially when he's in a trance and concentrating on something. Both myself and his dad are struggling with keeping our patience on this one.
Again, any tips/advice gratefully received.
Thank you, I'm frazzled.