Hi. I'm 35 a single father to a 10 year old girl and a 3.5 year old boy. My son has recently been diagnosed with autism. And im just trying to get used to life with his diagnosis. My son is non verbal right now, and doesnt show much interest in talking. It's very hard for him to communicate what he wants, and very often will lead to him getting frustrated with me. I have tried picture cards, but they have not really helped. He is very sensory and everything goes in his mouth. It's a pure guessing game right now as to what my son is asking from me. The only way he communicates, is by holding my finger and putting it close to what he wants. He does not point himself, and he does not follow my finger when i point, unless hes directing my finger himself. He has very limited eye contact with anyone except me. And the only sound he makes is a shrieking sound, whenever hes happy or sad.
My son stimms a lot. Either by jumping up and down continuously, spinning round in circles, or flapping his arms. He bites his nails until they bleed, and throws himself backwards and forwards in a chair rather violently when hes happy.
At the moment he's attending a regular nursery, but only for 3 hours on a Monday, and 3 hours on a Friday, and there have been many times when the nursery call me after an hour, and ask me to collect him because they cant calm him down. He has no interest in playing with other children, and is only interested in his own agenda, at nursery for example they have given up trying to get Micky (my son) involved in group activities, or follow a daily routine. Because they feel that it doesn't matter what he's shown to do, he will only do what he wants to do.
He has no awareness of danger, and needs constant 1:1 supervision, whether that be meal times, or play times. He is still in nappies, and will constantly take his nappy off and toilet on the floor if not watched constantly. There have been multiple times in the past where he has done a poo and smeared it over everything, including himself.
His mum left in July last year, and has very limited contact with the children. I dont really have a support network at all around me. And i am all my son really has. Which Is fine, i would do anything for my children. But at the same time I dont remember what its like to have any time to myself. And its hard sometimes...
My son doesn't sleep well through the night, and every night since around October, he wakes up between 1-3am and is so full of energy he will not go back to sleep until hes been able to play for an hour.
The only way my son plays is by lining toys up in a very straight line. He will then move the toys from one surface to another, and complete the line of toys in another location. He jumps up and down and bounces with the items in his hand when hes found a location he likes.
Thanks for reading. I'm not sure what I'm even asking for. I just felt like I needed to share my situation, and this feels like the best place to do it.