Hello guys
My son is 6 years old and just transitioned into P3. He has a diagnosis of autism although he is quite bright. Officially the diagnosis is Childhood Autism but that he should be supported akin to a child with Aspergers because he is considered to be very bright and intelligent.
In P1 he was still going through assessment, and so the support he received at school was really patchy obviously while the school assessed and decided what it was he needed. Some of the things we experienced were: School refusal, he would get into the classroom and lie on the floor for hours with no one being able to move him, throwing food at lunchtime, climbing furniture and being distracting in class, hand flapping and playing with his fingers, swinging his arms in the corridor, not being able to follow instructions, not being able to carry out tasks, not being able to change himself for PE or back once he got help, throwing his clothes around the classroom when changing for PE.
The behaviors at home at this time were just as bad, we had biting, kicking, slapping on me and his siblings (One older and one younger), we had refusing to eat, refusing to dress, breaking things, hurting himself, hurting his brothers, hurting the animals (Not seriously, I mean like slaps them whenever he walks past them).
Then when he went into P2 the school put in support and had clearly had their teachers doing some training through the summer because things drastically improved. He even started writing (He has really poor fine motor skills so has never really done well in this area, although he can read and can spell very well). He changed from being a school refuser to being the first kid in line to get into the classroom. He was coming home organized, dressed properly, engaging with PE, making friends - he was doing so well he as discharged from OT, from SALT, from all other agencies. He was in this classroom with two other boys also on the spectrum and the three of them were sharing a full-day of support between them with one learning support teacher.
He got his diagnosis officially just at the end of P2.
He has now started P3 (we live in Scotland).
The local authority where we live is cutting the learning support provided to schools in the region, this has meant that my son who was managing well with a full-day of shared support in the classroom, is now having his support reduced to only two hours in a morning, still shared though.
He has been attending since last Thursday and already we have seen some drastic changes in his behavior.
The school insist he is doing well, that he has earned the most team points in the class - something he is immensely proud of, telling me he is the top of the class (He never has been before). As far as I am told he is managing ok in the playground and with friends, and needs to focus a little more in class (no surprise there). He has come home with messy pack lunch boxes, things not eaten, shoes on the wrong feet after PE etc. Now I have turned an eye a little because I assume these are teething issues that may work themselves out - I am willing to wait to see for a while.
But his behavior at home has become so drastically different that I do not know what to do, who to talk to or how to explain that while I appreciate on the surface he appears to be doing ok at school I am worried the changes at home are a result of him bottling his emotions at school and then letting them out at home.
I had the most horrendous experience with him in Tesco today which has prompted this post as I am also currently pregnant. The situation was exacerbated because he lost his first tooth. He basically had the kind of meltdown I have only seen in youtube videos, never actually experienced from him ever, but in the course of this he also managed to injure my baby bump and headbutt me in the mouth. To top it off some lady stopped when I had him on my knees on the floor to ask us to get out of the way as we were in the way of other shoppers.
I don't know who I can talk to to help him. Everyone seems to be of the opinion because he is fine at school then it's an issue with home - but NOTHING has changed at home. Nothing. Does anyone know anything we can try?
We are fighting the reduction of support by the way, we are trying, but so far we are getting nowhere with the Local Authority.
Thanks in advance for any advice
