Hi there
I've came to this forum as there is so much information on the WWW, knowing where to start is overwhelming. That's why I'm hoping to gain some insight from parents/carers on what can be done and the help that is available.
My Granddaughter is 3 1/2 years old and has serious behavioural, eating and sleeping problem.
Until today, I thought she may have ODD (Optional Defiant Disorder) but her nursery teacher asked the question if she only eats beige foods which she does... bread, pancakes, the pastry of sausage rolls etc. and if that was the case, it is likely autism.
My daughter and her two children are living with me at the moment as they are on the housing waiting list so over the past few months I have been able to see the full picture.
She would and at times still is, better behaved for me than her Mum. The nursery don't have any concerns about her but will be monitoring her over the next while to see if they can detect anything but we understand it may not be as obvious in a play environment rather than a more educational setting.
Anyway, the major issue is the lack of sleep. She will go to bed usually without any issues but must have a bottle with warm milk. She will then wake around 3am in a screaming fit for more milk. Nothing calms her and after years of this I understand why my daughter gives into it as we are beyond exhausted. The more tired she is the worse her behaviour will be and throwing tantrums and screams occurs nearly all day long.
At this stage we are at the end of our tether and don't know where to go from here. The GP is impossible to get the hold of and the same goes for the health visitor.
I have spent the morning looking at different sites but information overload does not help when you just need to speak with someone who has experience and can point you in the right direction.
As quite a few of you may have been in our shoes, I was hoping to find out what the the first starting point should be and if there is anything we can do to improve our lives which have become totally unbearable?
