Child "hearing voices".

[BarfAndHeave]

Have also posted this in SN but not sure if this is a better place for it. Anyway, DS is 5 and has ASD. He's found the unpredicatbility of Christmas really upsetting and his behaviour has been very pronounced both in his reactions - ie getting upset very easily and the amount of stimming (almost endless). We've done what we can to help him through it, but its been a struggle.

The problem is that he now says that he can hear voices saying upsetting things to him and he's getting upset as he can't work out where they are coming from. He's also started to respond to them which is just very weird.

This has happened once before and then we just thought he was quoting from a film as his echolalia means he uses film quotes to communicate, but this time its very specific what he says is being said and is genuinely upset about what is being said and that he can't stop the voices.

This is a new level of worry for me and I can't stop fretting about it. Has anyone out there had the same problem or can offer advice? CAMHS around here is bloody useless and I don't know where else to turn.

[nokissymum]

I don't have any advice about this but just needed to "bump" it hope you get some good advice soon.

[peekabooby]

Could it be his inner voice?, my ds also has autism, he doesn't speak of voices in his head but words but they don't say anything negative to him. Have you been referred to CAMHS?

[PostingByStealth]

My son was believed to be psychotic due to hearing the voices but now it seems this is actually a feature of aspergers as he has after many months of psychology identified that he is hearing his own thoughts.
He has told me before that the voice is male & has responded to it too. Its usually a negative commentary.

Camhs didn't help my son much at all but he was referred to an early intervention team who have been great as they deal with psychosis. Even though he doesn't have a psychosis diagnosis at the moment they've still kept him on. Maybe you could ask your gp or camhs if your son can be assessed by a similar team in your area?

I hope you get decent help soon, I know how worrying it is for a parent as well as traumatic for your son :( good luck

[racingheart]

I don't have any experience of this, so I hope you don't mind my posting. I've heard that some people with voices can reduce them by saying to the voices: I can't listen to you now, I'm busy.

No idea if this would work, but if he's already responding to them it may help to give him a couple of phrases that put him in control of them not the other way round.