Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
My 4 year old son who was diagnosed with Autism at the beginning of this year and started mainstream school in September. He seems to be doing quite well at school and seems fairly happy when he is there but presents difficult behaviour when at home. In the morning it is a struggle getting him going and he quite often he says he doesn't want to go to school. This morning he had a meltdown just before we left the house and I feel thoroughly stressed because I also have to get his brother and cousin to school too. He is also reverting back to comfort behaviours such as wanting a dummy during the daytime....I try to put him off as long as I can but he is relentless in asking for it and will cry and whine or shout if he doesn't get it. He does seem quite tired even though he is getting a good nights sleep but he's a very picky eater so I thought he may be lacking in certain nutrients. We saw the Nutritionist about this around 6 months ago but she was not overly concerned that his eating habits were affecting his health. Can anyone else relate to this scenario or know of any strategies to improve my sons motivation to cope with things in a better way?
Hi, my hunch wd be that he's unhappy at school, perhaps managing more or less to cope whilst there + then letting things out at home (quite common behaviour for an autistic child - check out other posts). Has he got a TA at school who's if properly trained in autism? That can be a great help. I presume he's statemented (or whatever they're calling it now !). Talk to the school, don't necessarily believe what they tell you. Good luck