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Help for New Step Mum

PoppyL

Hi All!

I was hoping to find some advice/help.

My Boyfriend has a child from a previous relationship who has been diagnosed with Autism a while back, however it is very slight.

Having met him a few times, i couldnt really notice any significant difference between him and any other 8 year old, however the more time i spend with him the more i am struggling to communicate without getting so frustrated, and i really dont want to loose my patients with him (Im not sure if im dealing with an 8 year old traits or the problems we have are linked to his Autism).

For example; He crys alot! We can be playing with other family children and because they are not necessarily interested in playing the game he wants he will cry like its the biggest diaster. One child was swingin on the swing for example and he cried and said she was being horrible to him, and wouldnt play, and when i said you can swing next to him he just said i dont like the swings. Im really struggling!

Another example is that when hes hungry, its like he hasnt eaten for days, he will cry and moan like he is about to starve.

Another main problem of mine is he is obsessed with his Dad, so his Dad can do no wrong, and he copies everything his Dad says - no one else, so we have to be really careful what we say! Is this his Autism?

In these moments i just dont understand how to calm him down, any advice would be more than helpful.

Am i just being over dramatic?

Is there any article or social media sites i can join to help me?

Thanks

P x

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    Just wanted to say "Hi" as a fellow step mother.

    I can say that my experience of all the ND people in my family of choice is when they are hungry, they go from OK to "hangry" in under 5 min.

    I've been resisting until now but I'm going to start packing a snack I know will be acceptable. I hope to eventually get this adopted as standard practice by the whole crew when they realise it makes things calmer.

    I strongly suggest you get a book like the complete guide to autism spectrum disorders by Tony Attwood. You won't have to read it all at once but it will give you a good understanding.