Hello
I took my DS (currently awaiting assessment - ASD) to a restaurant straight after school today. He chose what he wanted and everything started off fine. He bit into a cherry tomato which squirted a tiny bit of juice onto his sleeve and suddenly it was like a switch had been flipped. Banging his fists on the table, screaming, calling me stupid. I quitely just asked him if he would come outside for a minute or into the toilets to calm down away from public view. This made him scream harder. I did not know what to do as every suggestion and distraction i tried seemed to inflame the situation. He had crayons and paper to colour on, his ipad, a little puzzle game. Nothing made any difference. People seated nearby were staring, I was very embarrassed. He then got up out of his seat and came and punched me on the shoulder. I kept very calm and quietly reiterated that it was unacceptable and could be please sit on his seat. So he sat on the floor. Finally got up and sat on his seat doing an exaggerated cough.
I grabbed our coats and told him we were leaving mid meal (we'd paid beforehand). I couldn't bear another minute in there with everyone staring. I kept reminding him that other people don't want to see this behaviour, it isn't fair on people who have come out for a meal. When he is in this frame of he is oblivious to people looking at him, he has no inhibitions at all. Cue more screaming when I said we were leaving. I felt I had no choice but to go.
I am waiting for him to calm down to speak to him about it.
I'm now back home and tearful.
He's 8.
Any advice how to deal with this type of situation in a public place? He's too big for me to lift and if he refuses to cooperate and just stands and screams it's awful. As he's getting older it's getting worse.
Thanks