Hi everyone,
I'm new here and looking for advice please. I am wondering how to start the process of getting some help for my 18 yr old son. My goal is that I would like him to have weekly online discussions with a keyworker. In the long term, I hope he will be able to move out and live independently. However, he seems to me like he is stuck with the image of himself as a perpetual 12 year old. His siblings have left home and one is just about to leave, however, he has no wish to change anything.
We've home educated our children and only decided to get him diagnosed aged 15 to help with any support he might need for sitting exams and then perhaps for going to uni or living independently.
It was a long protracted process but eventually he got a diagnosis. We initially didn’t think he needed any help but things became difficult with GCSEs. He found it difficult to see things from someone else’s perspective. Working to a curriculum and adapting his answers to fit the questions became harder and harder. We have encouraged him to do A Levels distance learning but he has found inaccuracies with the syllabus and the textbooks which he can’t tolerate and he can’t do the courses. His OCD kicks in as soon as we push him. He is very knowledgeable academically but struggles to see things from other people’s perspective.
We think he may need to be in some sort of residential care when he leaves home but we don’t know how to move forward. The GP has referred my son for help but these referrals have been rejected because there is already a diagnosis. One of my phone calls to a local adult autism organization said that the Social Work Adults team was who I should contact, but I think they only deal with the elderly. I don’t want to contact them unless I know what I should be asking for.
Essentially, we would like him to have a keyworker who can build up a rapport with him and help him to focus on working on his OCD and on having a plan for moving forward towards having a job, doing some domestic tasks and eventually leaving home. Does this sort of help exist? I am struggling to understand what help is available, if any, but then my GP would appear not to know either. Any suggestions would be welcome.
