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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Exhausted balancing my AuADHD and NT child's needs?

38 replies

CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 10/06/2026 11:04

Hi all,

I am posting here for traffic. I have a year 4 high functioning AuADHD dc with PDA, and rejection sensitivity disorder.

I am finding his behaviour progressively exhausting. I know he cannot help it. We are currently waiting for the medication to reach a therapeutic effect after numerous trials of others. Mornings are horrendous and his NT younger sibling struggles with the behaviour, so I am finding myself pulled in both directions to try to please both of them. I am utterly drained before I even leave the house, then I see all of the parents with their NT kids strolling on, I feel terrible for being envious. Some really do not understand fully either, but I wouldn't either if the shoe was on the other foot. How can you truly understand anything unless you're actively living it.

My youngest has a club after school, and walking home one to one he said, "Mummy, it is so lovely and quiet, I am really pleased X isn't here shouting and talking over me." It was heartbreaking to hear him say that .
I also realise what a doddle it is with NT child, and dealing with behaviour. I adore dc1 and wouldn't change him personality wise for the world, but I would take his struggles away in a heartbeat; it is painful to see. I dread pickups, waiting to see how his day was, if a member of staff will come out with him. I dread when the school ring, thinking what has happened now. The kind of profile he has can be extremely demanding, and I feel I have ran out of energy after years of it.
The things I am also finding challenging to navigate is that he can do a 360 on tasks e.g, he is okay for a task at school then majorly dysregulated, and vice versa. The school must think I'm crazy, as I will ask them to make a reasonable adjustment then suddenly he is fine now to do it. He is highly intelligent, above average which I feel is complicating the situation even more.
I am not sure what I am really looking for from this thread, maybe some similar experiences.

Thank you.

OP posts:
LizardLore · 10/06/2026 11:28

I feel you OP. It’s so hard. Slightly similar situation here in that I am balancing needs of seriously learning disabled child with typical children.

You don’t mention a partner but if you have one - or another support network who can do some childcare - can you try and get one on one time with each child at the weekend?

For example we have our disabled child enrolled in a group at weekends, so no matter what the other kids get time with one of us that isn’t dominated by his needs, while the other parent takes him to his group. The we try as much as we can to bild in extra one in one time in addition to that, swapping which parent has each child.

It isn’t remotely the whole answer (let me know if you find that!) but it helps a bit.

CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 10/06/2026 12:03

LizardLore · 10/06/2026 11:28

I feel you OP. It’s so hard. Slightly similar situation here in that I am balancing needs of seriously learning disabled child with typical children.

You don’t mention a partner but if you have one - or another support network who can do some childcare - can you try and get one on one time with each child at the weekend?

For example we have our disabled child enrolled in a group at weekends, so no matter what the other kids get time with one of us that isn’t dominated by his needs, while the other parent takes him to his group. The we try as much as we can to bild in extra one in one time in addition to that, swapping which parent has each child.

It isn’t remotely the whole answer (let me know if you find that!) but it helps a bit.

Thank you so much for replying, it really does help to know others understand that exhausting balancing act. I am so sorry to hear you are in a similar boat,balancing the needs of a seriously learning disabled child alongside typical children must be incredibly challenging and draining for you too. Sending you a lot of virtual support.
I do have a husband, but he works very long hours. We do try our best to split and do the one to one time where possible with each child at the weekends whenever we can. When we're all together, DC1 constantly demands the attention of whichever parent is trying to focus on his younger brother. It feels like no matter how much attention I give him, it is never enough.
Lately, he’s been so angry with me just for giving his younger brother the basic attention he needs. I feel like I am walking on eggshells; choosing my wording so carefully as not to offend him or trigger his rejection sensitivity is absolutely exhausting.
I’ve really noticed lately that he becomes particularly dysregulated when he has to go along with something for somebody else. We recently went to an event specifically for his little brother, which he had been looking forward to for weeks. DC1 had horrendous meltdowns, moodiness, and he even shouted out in a low key outdoor seating area (where we were getting him icecream on his request, "Why do you punch me?!" when absolutely nobody hits him, I felt like crying. We left the cafe, and his little brother ended up crying because we almost had to leave the entire place, which also broke my heart because he is always so genuinely excited for DC1 when we do things DC1 wants to do. Yet, we can go somewhere ten times busier for DC1, and because it’s his choice, he is completely fine. My husband and I had to have a very calm talk with him in the car about whats is and isn't okay to say, but it is just so draining.
If dc1 has had a particularly trying day, he will launch into a baby voice, which is my cue that I need to take him home immediately. School days are just such a massive struggle before and after right now, and I am at my wits end.
He is currently trialling a non-stimulant, and while we haven't reached the therapeutic effect yet, I am just crossing everything that it helps with this side of things. At least we have no side effects so far, so I am holding onto that hope.

OP posts:
CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 10/06/2026 12:07

Oh, forgot to mention that we have no outside support apart from CYPS who have told us that he is too young for them to offer CBT.
Family are useless, dm came out with a corker the other day. We were talking about pregnancies; mine were both difficult with both babies in SCBU. She said, " Oh your cousin's wife sailed through hers, both easy healthy babies, and she is in her 40s, but she is so slim and healthy! I had my babies in early 30s and was also slim and healthy. The ignorance from others is astounding, like I have somehow caused his ND.

Just feeling so low.

OP posts:
CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 10/06/2026 16:26

Bump. Hoping to get some more responses dysregulation after school today. 😫

OP posts:
TiredYetExhausted · 10/06/2026 16:51

Yes this is us. 10 year old with multiple diagnoses and NT 7 year old. It's extremely difficult to balance their conflicting needs and there are few places my ND child will actually go now so I am already dreading the summer holidays! We take the 7 year old out and about as much as possible, but he is of course aware of the things we dont do, like eat together in a restaurant as a family. So I hear you.

CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 10/06/2026 17:49

TiredYetExhausted · 10/06/2026 16:51

Yes this is us. 10 year old with multiple diagnoses and NT 7 year old. It's extremely difficult to balance their conflicting needs and there are few places my ND child will actually go now so I am already dreading the summer holidays! We take the 7 year old out and about as much as possible, but he is of course aware of the things we dont do, like eat together in a restaurant as a family. So I hear you.

It's shit isn't it? I feel bad for saying that, and of course I adore my kids but it isn't what I envisioned. It is like to please one, you have to disappoint the other, except one has triple the reaction, and I'm sick of walking on eggshells. I've had a little chat with my 6 year old after school today, and we're going to do something just us on the weekend. I grew up with the needs of a sibling being put above mine, and I won't have this happen to ny youngest. Sometimes I just envision a NT sibling for him who will just be nice and sweet to him, as awful as that sounds.

OP posts:
TiredYetExhausted · 10/06/2026 17:56

@CoffeeandCakeEnvyits not awful, I've thought the same thing many times. Even debated having another child so that he can have the 'normal' sibling experience. And the guilt of trying, and often failing, to meet both their needs.

CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 10/06/2026 18:04

TiredYetExhausted · 10/06/2026 17:56

@CoffeeandCakeEnvyits not awful, I've thought the same thing many times. Even debated having another child so that he can have the 'normal' sibling experience. And the guilt of trying, and often failing, to meet both their needs.

Thank you for saying that. Me too, except the risk of a second ND child was too risky, and would disrupt things even further so I chose not to. To be honest dc1 was so demanding he was almost an only child. I'm so pleased I did have dc2, because it made me realise I hadn't caused dc1's issues and led to the diagnosis. For ages I thought I was this really bad Mum who was doing things wrong, and causing the developmental delays, then dc2 came along and did all of those things and I realised it wasn't me. Solidarity to you, parenting is bloody tough.

OP posts:
AnythingNotEverything · 10/06/2026 18:05

We’re in a similar boat. I have nothing really to add other than trying to identify the triggers, maintain your boundaries, and work with him rather than against him.

Raising kids like ours is so hard on their nervous system. Please remember to take care of yourself too.

CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 10/06/2026 18:21

AnythingNotEverything · 10/06/2026 18:05

We’re in a similar boat. I have nothing really to add other than trying to identify the triggers, maintain your boundaries, and work with him rather than against him.

Raising kids like ours is so hard on their nervous system. Please remember to take care of yourself too.

Thank you, I hope you get some time to yourself. I worry about his future, especially the teenage years. He is only 9, and I just feel so guilty, like I have caused it genetically. Undoubtedly dh is autistic, and adhd for me I suspect, (we have came to realise this as adults). So the poor kid has went and inherited both.

OP posts:
Ionlymakejokestodistractmyself · 10/06/2026 18:35

It's soooo hard.

Juggling work, life and NT kids is hard enough. Then you add all the exhaustion, guilt and worry that comes with extra needs.

I have two ND kids but with very different needs, traits and personalities and it feels impossible to meet both their needs to the point we have discussed having two homes. They really rub each other up the wrong way a lot. It's utterly exhausting.

AnythingNotEverything · 10/06/2026 18:39

@CoffeeandCakeEnvy It might be really helpful to focus on his strengths. My AUDHD PDA kid is hard work BUT she is always sharp as a tack, hilarious, brilliant at packing for a trip away and super stylish. That will help you to help him with his own self image.

drspouse · 10/06/2026 18:40

For the "walking on eggshells" feelings I highly recommend ADHD Dude. He's basically turned our family life round. We find that once you remove a trigger, another thing becomes triggering. We try very hard not to remove triggers...
Also is there a reason you aren't trying a stimulant? We started with that and it helped, and it's first line of treatment where there are no medical reasons not to. DS now also takes a non stimulant though it's a very low dose, but it really helps to have both.

Hamela · 10/06/2026 18:46

I could have written this. Op, I'm twenty years in on the same boat, and I must impress upon you how ABSOLUTELY VITAL it is, that you get some time to yourself. Even if you just do nothing at all in that time. Go to any length to ensure that you get a break.

The dc can and may burn out, and have your support during that awful time. But if you burn out, you can't give that any more, with the double whammy that you are also unable to cope.

Please heed my warning ❤️ I know it's often hard to let go of the reins even temporarily, some of the plates you're spinning to cope every day may fall, but it's so crucial, and it just compounds over the years if you don't (ask me how I know...🫪🙃)

Explain it to school exactly as you have done here. It makes perfect sense. By email or phone or whatevers easiest, bit by bit or all at once.

But seriously, time for yourself is time invested in the kids too. And time with each one individually wherever possible. You cannot pour from an empty cup ❤️

SENMummyto2 · 10/06/2026 20:22

Similar situation here, except we have 2 ND children with very different needs. Both with a PDA profile. As much as I hate to say it, 90% of the time life is utter hell. We have no childcare support as no one can cope with them - separately or together, family or paid - and we find we have to split them up as much as possible meaning family time is very, very rare. I’m sorry I have no advice, but wanted to add that you aren’t alone & I totally agree with others having no idea if they haven’t lived it!

desperatemum1234 · 10/06/2026 20:30

Suspected nd here (been trying to get assessed for years). Bit older, 13. Behaviour off the scale. We are being destroyed health-wise - exhausted beyond all imagination, stress, panic attacks, chest pains, headaches, have been living in survival mode for years. Not sure we’ll survive this.

Notmycircusnotmyotter · 10/06/2026 20:54

Sounds so tough OP and you're doing your best. Please don't let your little child lose out because of his brother's problems, he sounds so so sweet,

BertieBotts · 10/06/2026 22:21

Also very reactive ADHD kid (no ASD dx but traits) here. We live somewhere PDA is not diagnosed at all, though I do find some PDA resources helpful. Stimulant medication has been absolutely like magic. I have a very happy, very autistic-leaning 7yo who has about 3 interests and 2 friends (one of whom is his sibling), can be rigid and can get hung up on things being done right and still doesn't recognise that he is a child and adults have a different social status to him, but we don't mind this, and he seems to begrudgingly accept that it is the way at school so we are all (tentatively!) surviving for now.

I would be cautious about walking on eggshells. I do understand this, and sometimes it makes sense, but I second another poster who said sometimes avoiding triggers just leads to you playing some kind of reverse whack-a-mole where you don't even have a mallet - more triggers will always come up because it's not actually that the thing itself is an especially damaging or difficult thing for them, it's just that they are feeling like an eggshell and any small force can cause them to crack in that way, and plus because it can be self-feeding and grow in the same way that anxiety can. The thing is that it is so costly to the rest of the family to do this, especially siblings, and it is not always actually helpful to the ND child to have it reinforced that everyone else has to bend around them at all times. It is true that ND children often need accommodation that NT children may not, but I think it's important also to uphold the rights of e.g. other children. For example, even when DS2 was exploding a lot of the time, we always had a rule that he could decide what he did, but he could not control what other people do. He could make a request, and the other person could choose to follow it or not. The only exception we would make was where he was e.g. asking for space (even if he was doing it in a non-ideal or outright rude way) but if his request was totally unreasonable (e.g. if you colour with me you can only use the pink crayon) then we would lay out the actual terms (You can decide if it's OK for DS3 to sit with you and colour, but if you're colouring together, then he can use whichever colour he likes. If you're colouring apart, you can divide the crayons, but you need to give him more than one.) If he was finding it hard to cope with this, then we would take him away from where he could cause any damage to e.g. the crayons, DS3, the drawings and try to co-regulate with him to help him calm down and work through it.

RSD I think is a particularly sticky concept - I think this can be helpful for adults, but for children I don't know that it is especially useful, particularly the way it gets used in some online ND parenting spaces. The D does not stand for disorder BTW, but dysphoria, which is a more temporary experience than a permanent thing. The term was originally coined (by Dr. William Dobson) to describe an experience many people with ADHD relate to, not a standalone diagnosis, and it is not considered a diagnosable condition, although there is research on the concept of "rejection sensitivity" (which is not unique to ADHD).

It is most likely that a combination of repeated experience of social rejection (making it associated with painful or sometimes traumatic memories) plus emotional dysregulation (which means the person's emotions don't have a "volume control") is what is behind the adult experience of RSD. I feel like the way it is presented online is more like something which is inbuilt into a person and will always be present, and I just do not believe that is likely to be the case. It reads much more, to me, like the way that e.g. someone who is dyslexic and struggles with reading and spelling might find insults relating to their intelligence to be especially difficult because it brings up painful memories or touches on an aspect of self-esteem which is especially fragile.

ie, it is a completely valid and understandable response, particularly in an adult or older child who has experienced some combination of peer rejection, bullying, harsh parenting/criticism from other adults, repeated job loss, etc, often in the context of not knowing they have ADHD and not knowing how to change those patterns - I get that, it's a really horrible thing to experience, it likely mounts up to almost a sort of trauma response and automatic, self-protective reaction. However, I think it absolutely is something which can be overcome, this would be twofold - basically the emotional regulation skills on the one hand, to try and help the child/person to recognise when they are getting pulled into an overwhelming emotion and then some self-soothing/self-regulating strategies to ramp back down or even just something as simple as giving it time before taking any action. Then the other side of it would be seeking out and supporting any positive social relationships/experiences, working on social skills and communication, ideally within the environment with other children, and ideally increasing support for the child in places they will have social experiences (e.g. school, clubs) in order that they are less likely to end up having an experience where their behaviour upsets other children.

Where I think the way it's talked about online can be unhelpful is that children with ADHD often find it extremely difficult to hear criticism or feedback or accept consequences, and if this is put down to "RSD" and parents are made to feel guilty or that they should not exacerbate this, it can make you feel as though you can never give your child feedback on their behaviour or hold them accountable for anything and that is not usually helpful. It's nuanced obviously because on the one hand no, it isn't helpful to be constantly piling on loads of criticism and consequences for things they might not actually be able to help, and also we're human so it is easy to fall into patterns of complaining about things you notice which are irritating while forgetting to acknowledge the good things you are seeing because you are too stressed to notice them. These are things which it can be helpful for parents to be aware of as patterns which we might easily fall into and want to avoid. There are strategies to follow for all of these things. But OTOH if you are focusing on one thing at a time which is within their grasp and you are getting plenty of positive warm supportive interaction in, then IME it can actually be really helpful to use a very minor, token, boring and temporary consequence to mark certain behaviours, even if only as an exercise in learning that actually, you will make mistakes and it is not the end of the world and nobody thinks you are a terrible person because of it, and your parents can both love you AND be frustrated by something that you do, that your actions have consequences but you can handle them and you always have a chance to try again. That's healthier than keeping your own emotions all hidden away because you are worried that it is going to cause damage to your child or spark off a meltdown. Actually weirdly and tangentially, although it's fiction, a bit outdated and wasn't that realistic when it was written, I think the Tracey Beaker books, especially the character of Cam is quite a good example of a way that adults can speak to children expressing frustration but also love at the same time. I re-read them recently and found it stood out to me - everything online seems to be so divided where it's all either robotically compliance-based (not my thing) or so passively accepting that you are basically supposed to lie down in every puddle because you must not allow your child to experience being wet. I lean towards this one mostly, but I think it just sometimes well-meaningly goes too far. Like if I can't control the rain, then I don't need to protect my child from every metaphorical puddle, either. And honestly they don't melt. My own child's doctor was the one who told me to stop rescuing him so much and I did pull back a bit and I feel like doing that helped me to recognise when he does need me to go in and advocate for him, and when I just need to let him have an experience, even if it's not a nice one, and trust him that he will deal with it in his own way.

I do also really like the Ross Greene stuff in terms of giving a bit more structure to low demand, although I don't think it works for everything. I find listening to podcast interviews with Dr. Greene to be more useful than the FB group which is a bit too rigid for me and swings wildly towards "plan C everything even if it means plan A for everyone else".

Any PDA related stuff which talks about autonomy is fantastic - especially where it gets into the nitty gritty of how to handle/balance when the child's autonomy clashes with another person's autonomy, because although their autonomy is important (so much that I genuinely think this is important for every child, NT or PDA) it does not trump another person's autonomy, but equally nobody else's autonomy trumps theirs.

The Linda K Murphy books are absolutely top notch. I would honestly buy these for school if you think they would read them. Some of the best and most practical without feeling the need to sneak in criticism for the opposite approach.

Something explaining an idea of "levels" of nervous system reactions - Mona Delahooke or Robyn Gobbel are the best for this one, I think. And possibly Stuart Shanker. DS2 does "baby voice" when he is getting overwhelmed as well. I do think it is incredibly helpful to be able to recognise when they are getting close to their limit and to take action before you get there if possible, rather than keep pushing on until they well and truly melt down. If something is important for a sibling, we always try to either make sure that both of us are there, so that one of us can leave with DS2 or take him out for some space if necessary, or we don't take DS2 in the first place. Now that he is on medication this is much less necessary, but before he was medicated it would often be the case that we just wouldn't take him. I felt it was important for DS3 to be able to experience things without DS2 becoming the focus of the only parent's attention. This does have consequences for me - I can't work currently, and we are fortunate that DH's job is fairly flexible and he can WFH as well, which helps a lot. We don't have family nearby.

BoyMum20192 · 10/06/2026 22:51

Nothing really to add, apart from I could have written your first post pretty much word for word. Sounds exactly like my situation. It is exhausting both physically and mentally, and other parents just don’t get it at all. The phrase “you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child!” is so true.
I spend so much time worrying about my eldest - our youngest as you say, is NT and an absolute joy and a breeze in comparison. It’s so hard to balance their needs, as everything does revolve around trying to level the eldest one out, and not trigger anything.
So no advice really I’m afraid. Just an acknowledgment that it’s really bloody exhausting and I’m sure you’re doing a fantastic job.

LetaLestrange · 10/06/2026 23:05

No advice, just solidarity. I have a 10yo DD who is AuDHD with PDA and an 8yo awaiting ADHD diagnosis.

DD2 puts up with a lot from DD1 and I hate that she has to. DD1 recently went away for 2 nights on school residential. I worried the whole time she was gone (she was actually fine) but just having DD2 was WILD!!

We had dinner together, then at 7pm she brushed her teeth and got ready for bed without complaint. We played a couple of rounds of UNO and by 8pm she was asleep, my house was clean and tidy, and I had no idea what to do 😆😆

DD1 is a terrible sleeper and panics alone. I don’t have to co-sleep, but I have to keep going back to check in on her every 10 mins or so before she falls asleep or she freaks out. Then she’ll probably wake for the day around 3am.

Those 2 nights with just DD2… I was there thinking “shiiiiit is this what it’s like for other people ??”

AnythingNotEverything · 11/06/2026 07:29

BoyMum20192 · 10/06/2026 22:51

Nothing really to add, apart from I could have written your first post pretty much word for word. Sounds exactly like my situation. It is exhausting both physically and mentally, and other parents just don’t get it at all. The phrase “you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child!” is so true.
I spend so much time worrying about my eldest - our youngest as you say, is NT and an absolute joy and a breeze in comparison. It’s so hard to balance their needs, as everything does revolve around trying to level the eldest one out, and not trigger anything.
So no advice really I’m afraid. Just an acknowledgment that it’s really bloody exhausting and I’m sure you’re doing a fantastic job.

Do you experience RSD yourself?

BertieBotts · 11/06/2026 10:04

The Stuart Shanker stuff is especially interesting about triggers actually.

He has this model that we have five domains in which we can experience stress - that is everyone, not just ND children/people. The five domains are cognitive, biological, emotional, social and prosocial - if you google this you can get more info about what is covered under each of them, but briefly, prosocial is more empathy or a sense of loyalty/duty to other people whereas social is more about people's demands or judgement of you and understanding their intentions and communication and so on. Biological includes sensory processing.

Some stress is absolutely normal and we can handle this. For example in the biological domain is temperature regulation. In a hot or cold environment, our bodies activate heating or cooling procedures (blood flow, fat/calorie burning, sweating etc) to keep our bodies at a safe and healthy temperature. If the environment is too hot or too cold for too long, our bodies' temperature regulatory functions can become overwhelmed and we will start to experience hyperthermia (heatstroke) or hypothermia (freezing). And sometimes babies when they are first born cannot do this effectively. DS2 was also in SCBU when he was born for about 48 hours because he became distressed during birth and needed oxygen supplementation. Because he was not independently maintaining his body temperature, they had him in an incubator and then when he was moved to a normal ward with me, he had a heated mattress in his cot. I also did a lot of skin-to-skin with him because I had read that kangaroo care can help babies stabilise their own body temperature (I have since learnt that this is one of the earliest examples of co-regulation supporting development of self-regulation, which I absolutely love.)

This is one simple example of a regulatory function of our bodies. But we are doing this all the time, with everything. It is largely an unconscious process.

The way Shanker explains the 5 domains is that if you imagine they are each a balloon placed in a circle surrounding a person and there is a string around all of the 5 balloons. So each domain in itself has a certain capacity to handle stress in that domain - like our bodies can cope with some level of external temperature fluctuation. And the domains also have capacity to push back, to compensate, to work, if you like, in order to handle that stress. Just like on a hot day our bodies can sweat to help regulate our temperature. In the balloon metaphor, imagine that a domain which is working is inflating. There is some slack in the string, so each of the balloons can inflate some way and the string is still OK, it's not restricting the others. But if one or more of the balloons is being used intensely, it can inflate to a point that the string starts to pull on and restrict the other balloons.

How that looks is that when one or more domains is under high stress load, it actually reduces capacity in the other loads. So for example if you find maths difficult, maths will place a higher stress load in the cognitive domain, and public speaking will often cause stress in the social domain. So if you struggle with maths, it might be even more difficult to do a tricky maths problem out loud in front of the whole class than it is to do it privately at home or at your own desk with nobody watching you struggle and falter.

Or an example many people can relate to - when you need to concentrate on a tricky junction or find a parking space (cognitive) many people turn down the music or ask passengers to stop talking (biological/sensory) in order to increase space in the cognitive domain and improve focus/concentration. When you are in a state of high emotion e.g. anxiety, it can be difficult to focus on work (cognitive.) When you are tired (biological) emotions can more quickly overwhelm you. etc etc.

The difficulty for a lot of ND children is that they have a higher level of stress in some or all of the domains all of the time. They might have differences in cognitive development, emotional regulation, sensory processing, social understanding. This can both reduce capacity in the domains but it can also mean that they end up much closer to breaking point. When all the domains are straining against the string, either because they are at capacity generally or because their capacity has been reduced by another domain so they are at their temporarily reduced capacity, the body is going into a more emergency kind of mode where the autonomic nervous system is very activated. This is where you get fight, flight, freeze (and all the other f-word) responses, aka meltdowns, or the "silly" dysregulation, or shutdown.

This whole thing makes so much sense to me and I have found it really helpful both for myself, because I also have ADHD and I don't have perfect coping mechanisms even though I am an adult, but also to help my children. It explains the concept of fluctuating capacity much better, IME, than looking for specific triggers, which might make sense in terms of a trauma response but don't seem to apply consistently for day to day interactions - sometimes my child can cope with affectionate, familial teasing because he has the capacity to recognise it as a joke, but if he was in a more strained place then he absolutely wouldn't, he would hear it literally and be very hurt by it and his capacity for accepting hurt might be very low at that point.

CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 11/06/2026 11:18

@BertieBotts thank you so so much for taking the time to provide such helpful and insightful information. I am going to look up all of your suggestions, and appreciate all of the amazing tips, and to hear what has worked for you, because it is such a tricky balance! I have definitely found it to be very much trial and error, and a constant learning curve.

I loved when you said that walking on eggshells isn't productive for anybody. I agree with this completely and I simply cannot do it anymore;I it is exhausting, and I need to breathe! Your point about avoidant behavior playing a game of "reverse whack-a-mole" where you don't even have a mallet really struck a chord wirh me. It's too costly and unproductive to the rest of the family, so true, and especially siblings. I notice DC2 go into himself when DC1 talks over everybody else, and I am now taking him aside and having little 1 to 1 chats more to encourage him to express his feelings, which he has been doing a lot more. He told me that DC1 shouts all of the time, won't let him speak, and then he forgets what he wants to say. School, DH, and I have been reminding DC1 about taking turns in conversation, but he is struggling currently with this still. He shouted at DC2 this morning to take turns at a random moment that did not link to what was happening, and DC2 understandably said back, "you never take turns!" So it is definitely a work in progress.

I actually had a chance to put the not pandering to DC1 into practice before breakfast this morning. I have noticed he often can be unkind to make himself feel better when he's feeling insecure. I gently corrected DS1, and he immediately started his usual deflective looping. Instead of getting sucked into it, I just said: "DC1, we don't speak to people like that. It was just a correction, everyone makes mistakes, I'm an adult and I need correcting as well, let's reset." It worked! I refused to engage in the usual back and forth. Normally, it would escalate to, "You love DC2 better, I'm stupid, etc etc." and all the attention goes to him. I realise now that DC1 has sort of manipulated us out of making him take accountability and instead showing him with yet more attention through that emotional escalation. It has been so difficult to separate the ND traits from the behavior he can help, if that makes sense, so your recommendations on holding boundaries safely are fantastic.
It was also great to hear your view on RSD, and it did make me wonder if some of his sensitivity was caused by a mixture of bullying and rejection from peers in school because of his ND differences, rather than a fixed, unchangeable trait. I am very thankful that he now has a lovely friend who shares his intense tech passion. They've connected on a much deeper level and this boy is completely on his wavelength. He is NT and accepts DC1 for all of his quirks, and they just have a really lovely friendship. I really hope it lasts! He had previously been friends with a little girl (they're still friends, but she apparently used to "boss" him about, which I suspect was a clash of strong personalities to be honest, and dc1 not liking being challenged!).
I also just wanted to say it sounds like you are doing a fantastic job with your own DCs. It was so lovely to read about your happy 7yr old, and the boundary you set around your children deciding what they do but not controlling what others do is such a brilliant, practical rule for a family. It’s clear you’ve built a wonderfully supportive, sensible environment for them to thrive. I related to it so much, because DC1 wants to control every single detail, telling people not to speak even, so this aspect has been a real struggle for us.
Thank you again for such thoughtful, lengthy posts. It has given me a lot of clarity and the support to stop walking on eggshells!

OP posts:
CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 11/06/2026 11:28

LetaLestrange · 10/06/2026 23:05

No advice, just solidarity. I have a 10yo DD who is AuDHD with PDA and an 8yo awaiting ADHD diagnosis.

DD2 puts up with a lot from DD1 and I hate that she has to. DD1 recently went away for 2 nights on school residential. I worried the whole time she was gone (she was actually fine) but just having DD2 was WILD!!

We had dinner together, then at 7pm she brushed her teeth and got ready for bed without complaint. We played a couple of rounds of UNO and by 8pm she was asleep, my house was clean and tidy, and I had no idea what to do 😆😆

DD1 is a terrible sleeper and panics alone. I don’t have to co-sleep, but I have to keep going back to check in on her every 10 mins or so before she falls asleep or she freaks out. Then she’ll probably wake for the day around 3am.

Those 2 nights with just DD2… I was there thinking “shiiiiit is this what it’s like for other people ??”

Haha, yes, this is me! It is crazy when it hits you, this is your "average" parenting and this is your "additional" parenting. A Mum friend at school will get worked up over your usual bringing up children things, like a forgotten lunchbox, or not eating the whole sandwhich etc. Meanwhile I am just extatic if dc1 comes out of school without being escorted by a member of staff giving me an "update."

Edited to say, I'm pleased you finally got a little sleep! Dc1 usually sleep through the night, so I'm fortunate in that respect. He takes a long time to settle, but after that is usually okay. He however cannot go on residentials as isn't self sufficient enough. He won't shower unassisted, and gets overwhelmed dressing in a timely manner, esp socks!

OP posts:
CoffeeandCakeEnvy · 11/06/2026 11:38

drspouse · 10/06/2026 18:40

For the "walking on eggshells" feelings I highly recommend ADHD Dude. He's basically turned our family life round. We find that once you remove a trigger, another thing becomes triggering. We try very hard not to remove triggers...
Also is there a reason you aren't trying a stimulant? We started with that and it helped, and it's first line of treatment where there are no medical reasons not to. DS now also takes a non stimulant though it's a very low dose, but it really helps to have both.

That is great, thank you, I will take a look. Stimulants didn't work out for dc, we tried multiple brands and doses and they added fuel to the fire, he had horrendous side effects no matter what we did. The none stimulant seems a better fit, but early days (fingers crossed).

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