My DS is currently awaiting the report of his ADOS assessment - he’s 8- is hyper active - very bright - highly anxious and rigid- intense and emotional. He is prone to frequent outbursts and tantrums over the smallest of things and nothing we say or do will get through. It’s as if his emotions are a giant wave to him and swamp him. He looks so vulnerable and helpless at the moment - he looks as though he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and thinks, questions and worries about everything incessantly. He puts a negative slant on everything and we feel as though we are treading on egg shells at all times. He hates school- and every day it is a battle to get him dressed and in.
Every day after school is a list of what went wrong that day and what he’s worried about for the next day. He refuses to do anything we ask at home unless on his terms - it comes across as ungrateful and spilt but knowing him well I think it’s coming from Beijing deeply unsettled and unhappy. I am finding being around him increasingly hard work and challenging. I’m exhausted and struggling to have the optimism to carry on trying new strategies.
Anyone with a similar story got some gems to share? I’m terrified about the long term impact for his sense of self and self esteem, and our family.
So you know- we’ve tried wall charts that have the routines on, worry boxes and giving clear but restricted choices. We encourage talking through feelings and having both worked in SEN therapeutically we’ve tried a calm but boundaries approach. Nothing works and I don’t know how much more I can take!