Please help, loud autistic ds

[Couldbeouting77]

I live with 8yo nonverbal DS in a second floor flat. He's recently taken to jumping from furniture onto the floor, resulting in a loud thump which (understandably) pisses the neighbours off. It's not every day or during mornings/nights but it is annoying. Their response is to bang loudly on the ceiling and scream which is giving me horrible anxiety. I try my best to distract him and even discipline him which is really difficult when it's not 'naughty' behaviour as such. Moving isn't currently an option. Does anyone know ANYTHING about flooring that would significantly reduce the noise or anything else I could do? Feeling desperate.

Would a mini trampoline on a mat distract him?

Not a bad suggestion but I would worry he would just jump off it onto the floor, he seems to like a hard landing. I wish we had a garden. :(

Could you get a sheet of plywood and a couple of squares of that foam stuff they sell for exercise spaces and play areas. You might have to glue the foam to the plywood and maybe to the floor so it doesn’t slip, but it would give him the sensory feedback but soften the thump.

Also, you can’t discipline him out of a sensory need, but satiation can help- get him to do it over and over and over (with a little reward if necessary to keep him going) at a time that suits (when downstairs are out maybe). It might make it less attractive to him at other times.

I really feel for you (and your poor neighbours). It’s a tough one.

It's clearly a sensory need fo him, and as such needs to be met in another way. Do you have access to an OT who might be able to think and try some things?

I wonder if the type of gym mats schools have would still give him good feedback but deaden the noise?

Is he at a SS? If so, could you talk to his staff there and ask them if there is anything they could suggest (I know it's a bit late in the day for this term)? They might even let you borrow a mat to try.

He already has a mat and he does actually use it occasionally, I wonder if rewarding him for using that occasionally would be helpful... I need to look into the most soundproof flooring I can afford but I don't know much about it.

I’m trying to think; poor you, and poor neighbours too.
I think long-term, you need to try to find a ground floor place. Of course that will take time.
Can you negotiate with the neighbours at all? Is there a time of day they are out, or could bear it more? I could stand it better myself if I knew it was coming iyswim.

Ikea,gym mats
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015WZ24XI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_t1_yZ-2FbQMXKWCY?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/sun-selects/10816750/best-gymnastic-mats/amp/

Do the neighbors know your situation? I know if I was the neighbor and I knew what it was and why it would take much of the annoyance out of it.

Speak to your children with disabilitiessties social worker see if they can get you mats from a school or somewhere.
Sometimes you have to manage the environment til they move onto next phase
So gym mats across all floors

Thd gokding ikea mats put evegywhere woukd prob be cheaper thsn officisl sound proifing and coukd be sold on if he grows out of it

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/plufsig-folding-gym-mat-green-10262831/

Oh I'm so sorry. I have similar but it's meltdown related (started age 7, now 14. Less often but now louder and with added swearing - great!)

I ended up writing letters to all of the neighbours in our block of flats (I don't think you need to talk to anyone other than your below neighbours thankfully).

I explained that one of my children was autistic, explained about sensory overload and meltdowns, apologised a lot, explained that it was largely beyond their control, (it was probably around twice a week but was pretty bad at one point) and enclosed information from the NAS.

I find flat living odd anyway as you never really get to know everyone in the block well enough to be friends, but it kept the complaints at bay. I don't think my immediate neighbours are ever going to like us much (they helpfully 'suggested' that my kid would be better off in a 'home' of some sort) but I know I've done all I can.

I know it's worrying, but actually, you can't do any more than take any practical steps, and explain to your neighbours and hope they understand or at least can point out if there are any times of day when it matters less.

Sadly we can't afford to move, but as a friend said, if they keep complaining knowing that you have a disabled child and that's the reason for it, then they're not that nice. Good luck.

Is there any chance you could have times when it’s OK? ie if neighbours are out at set times, though obviously they’d need to accept him still doing it at those times if they’re schedule changed.
Or, is there a different room that he could use that won’t annoy them as much? EG above their hallway or bedroom in the daytime or bathroom?

Otherwise, if it’s the solid landing he likes then plywood on top of the Ikea mats already suggested.