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Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

I can’t cope - pls any advice

6 replies

Newone123456 · 12/09/2026 08:00

Please I really need advice. I’m really struggling to cope and my family is breaking down.

My 11yr old daughter is suspected autistic and adhd (on RTC pathway for assessments) has the most severe meltdowns it’s killing me and breaking our family. She has an EHCP and we are waiting for a specialist school setting and she is currently out of school.

In public you wouldn’t know anything was wrong, social and kind etc. At home she has the most horrific meltdowns screaming, saying she wants to kill herself and die (no self harm and I know these are just words during the meltdowns) she screams awful horrible things at me. She targets our son and is horrid to him that affects him and makes home life horrible for him.

She refuses to go to bed can take hours to get her to sleep, in the meantime she keeps the whole house awake. It’s like she turns into a different girl and is possessed. My husband and I get no time together in the evening or weekend needs 100% attention. I get hardly any sleep at night and she also gets up at night.

I feel like I’ve tried everything from the gentle gentle approach to having consequences but she doesn’t care. Walking in egg shells constantly. Tried to look at triggers but there are no patterns.

Feel like this is my life now and will be more awful as she gets older and difficult to control. I worry for my poor son and have the devastating thoughts that it might be better if my husband moves out with my son and creates another life so he has a chance of happiness.

I just feel broken. I’ve tried GP, support lines and agencies and nothing helps.

I feel broken

OP posts:
Phineyj · 12/09/2026 08:30

I'm so sorry, this sounds really difficult for everyone. My daughter was like this between 6-8 and DH and I nearly divorced. Things that helped (obviously these might differ as your daughter is that bit older).

The book 10 Days to a Less Defiant Child (Bernstein) for ways to feel better/strategies for parents.
NVR therapy (we used Green Leaf NVR but I hear Yvonne Newbold's resources online are good).
Resources from the PDA Society and a PDA parents' group on Facebook (for our geographical area).
Participating in a university research project on child to parent violence.
Play therapy.
Later on, we were referred to Capa First Response and I also read Eddie Gallagher's book Who's In Charge?

Melatonin for sleep. It was prescribed by the paediatrician at the ADOS. It tool several years of effort to get her into a better sleep routine but that was the key.

Basically had to throw everything at the situation and see what helped.

I apologise if I am recommending things you've tried.

We have an only but I hear the charity Sibs is good.

Keep posting.

roaringdragon · 12/09/2026 09:18

I second @Phineyj’s post.

When you say you are waiting for SS and DD is currently out of school, what exactly do you mean? Are you mid appeal to SENDIST? Is alternative provision in place?

What support is in F of the EHCP at the moment?

Has DD had a home OT assessment? What about a sensory OT assessment?

Has DD had a SALT assessment?

Does DD take anything to help with sleep?

Have you had social care assessments? A carer’s assessment for you and an assessment of DD’s needs?

There may not be anything suitable but it is also worth looking at your local short breaks offer.

For your DS, have a look at your local young carers service and Sibs.

If you haven’t already read them some people find the book The Explosive Child and the Out of Sync Child helpful. Others find non violent resistance resources useful.

Ikeepforgettingmykeys · 12/09/2026 09:43

How old is your son? I'd speak with his school if they can offer more support in school, counselling, elsa etc. You can explain there are safeguarding concerns and he needs additional support because of his sisters behaviour and needs.

You can self refer to Early Help for whole family support.

Is your daughter physically violent? www.pegsupport.co.uk/

Ilka1985 · 13/09/2026 13:08

It sounds extremely stressful and demanding on you. From similar personal experience, what helped me was to take my own emotions and sense of hurt, disappointment etc out of the equation. If you need help for emotional regulation, go to your GP and ask for help, like talking therapy and meds. An adhd assessment and a high dose of Elvanse have been a total game changer for me. If our children are neurodivergent and struggle with emotional regulation, it is often a hint that at least one of their parents has a similar condition. In our case, I had to learn to be less emotional and emotive - to drive down my emotional energy - positive energy as much as negative. A good bit of calm detatchment helped me. Not reacting, not feeling hurt, not worrying, but calmly listening, understanding, showing curiosity why they feel or act that way. Never taking anything personally. Being there as a steady anchor to co-regulate. And from there finding activities to bond, build confidence and competence in the child by leaning hard into their interests. Helping them to feel good about themselves, competent, in control and experience fun. It obviously doesn't work every day and of course I still get emotional and my children still act out, but overall, things are moving into the right direction. And fingers crossed that the new school placement will be a great fit.

HappyInL0nd0n · 17/09/2026 09:32

Oh lovely, I really feel for you. This sounds absolutely exhausting, and it's clear how much you are trying to hold together for everyone in the family.

One thing that occurred to me is whether there could be some hormonal changes going on as well at 11. I noticed quite a big change in my daughter around that age, particularly increased anxiety, difficulty getting to sleep and generally much bigger emotions. Obviously that may only be one small piece of what is going on, particularly with suspected autism and ADHD, but if the sleep problems and heightened anxiety are relatively recent it might be worth keeping in mind.

We also have an autistic son, so we are very familiar with meltdowns and some PDA-type behaviour. A few things have helped in our family, although obviously every child is completely different.

Equine therapy has been amazing for our son. I appreciate it is not accessible to everyone and very much depends on where you live, but it seems to regulate him in a way very few other things do and he gets an enormous amount from it.

My daughter is neurotypical but has very high anxiety, and art therapy has been brilliant for her. I don't know if you have ever explored anything like that, but it can be such a gentle way for children to process things they may not be able to explain properly in words.

The sleep piece really jumped out at me in your post because lack of sleep can make absolutely everything harder, for her and for all of you. I wonder if, at a time when she is relatively calm, you could involve her in designing an evening routine rather than trying to impose one during the difficult part of the evening. Almost, "We know evenings are really hard at the moment. What could we put in place together that might make them feel easier?"

My daughter was really struggling to get to sleep for a while, and we eventually agreed on quite a structured routine. She is 10. At 7 she goes upstairs, gets into her pyjamas and starts winding down. I spend some time with her and read with her. From about 7.30 to 8 she reads by herself, then from 8 to 9 she can do art, journalling or creative writing at her desk. After that she comes downstairs for some milk and then goes up to bed. We actually made a nice little poster of the routine together and put it beside her bed, which helped make it feel like something that belonged to her rather than a set of rules being imposed on her.

We also bought her a CalmCarry. I was deeply sceptical about it and am still not entirely sure how much of the effect is physiological and how much is simply that she believes it helps, but honestly I don't care because she loves it and finds it soothing! A friend whose daughter was struggling with sleep during a very stressful family period recommended it to me.

We also got one of those bedtime lights that gradually dims and plays calming sounds. Ours happens to be a Hatch Restore 2, but there are lots of different versions and models available, so definitely have a look online rather than taking that as a specific recommendation. She really likes having the light and sounds as part of her bedtime routine. None of these things was an instant fix, but together they have made evenings much calmer.

And please don't lose sight of how much pressure you are under too. What you are describing would wear anybody down. You clearly love both of your children enormously and are desperately trying to protect them both.

The one thing I would say is that, even if you are fairly sure the comments about wanting to die only happen during meltdowns, I would still tell her GP or whoever is supporting her exactly what she is saying. It may be her way of expressing completely overwhelming distress rather than an intention to harm herself, but it deserves to be taken seriously and you shouldn't have to carry the worry about it alone. If you ever think she may actually be in immediate danger, seek urgent help.

Keep posting. There are lots of us going through this reality at different times and in different ways, even though it can feel horribly lonely when you are in the middle of it. I really hope you get some proper support around all of you soon. Sending lots of support.

BillyDidIt · 17/09/2026 11:17

I'm so sorry I have no advice. I just wanted to show some solidarity.

Nine year old who seems to be becoming more and more difficult.

Very strong PDA profile. Needs constant emotional regulation. And the bit that seems to be our biggest battle is transitioning from one task to the next. When I say task, I mean basic everyday living. Classic symptoms of ADHD - absent mindedness, and completely immersed in her own world. Executive function issues.

The hardest part, is like you, she acts like a completely different child at home to how she presents in other environments. Typical masking I suppose.

Only this morning I was seriously considering calling Early Help because I honestly don't know what else I can do.

I will be following your post. I hope you get some good advice.

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