counselling for teenager with LD and autism

[eatyourveg]

ds2 (14) is having a really bad time with adolescence made worse we think because he seems to be very aware of how confused he is. He has always been very over anxious and school have tried over the years to help him. He has music therapy to try and help him express himself non-verbally and as a means to vent his frustration.

Over the past year though he seems to be moping around more and more but he seems to think that he shouldn't feel like this and there must be something wrong with him.

it has always been useful having had ds1 who is 2 years older as we have reminded him of what his brother used to be like at times

The consultant has for the last few years mentioned the possibility of trying respiridol (??) some time in the future but we are very loathed to go down the medication route if it can be avoided.

Does anyone know if there are counsellors out there who specialise in teenagers with ASD and LD?

ds2 is verbal and can rabbit away but we don't understand what he is trying to say and then he gets even more frustrated.

Is there a group for teenagers with asd in your area - the local parent partnership might know. They might also have links with counsellors.

can he write or type at all? Perhaps you could try to write a story together about a boy call eatyourvegteen who ...

hth - my ds is only 4 and i always wonder what I'll do when ds get too big for me to pick up and carry when things get too tough for him

Hi eatyourveg, what about psychology services, may have to be accessed through CAMHS (differing reports about how good this service is). Barnardos also do counselling I think, although, poss not specific to asc. You don't live in NI by any chance because there is a counselling specific organisation that can be accessed here.

No HelensMelons Not Northern Ireland, Kent. Ds2 goes to respite in the holidays at Barnardos so I think I will ask there. Thanks, I didn't realise they did counselling. he loves the staff there so it might work out really well.

Only experience of cahms is when he was around 5 and would starve himself to the point of hospitalisation. Found them to be crap tbh - all they would say was he would eat when he was hungry. poor mite didn't recognise what the sensation of hunger was so hadn't a clue that by eating, it would go.

We have a partnership with parents service locally but I thought they were for problems with satementing etc. I'll give them a ring too though so thanks TheCrunchySide