When knowing that DS has ASD helps.

[nenevomito]

Today is the first time that knowing DS has ASD has actually been useful.

He's currently sat naked apart from his underpants, wrapped from head to toe in a supersoft-touch blanked chewing on one of these or alternatively on some wooden spoons that we bought especially for that purpose. The room is dark and he's watching a favouite DVD.

Why is this important? Well he went away for a week with his GPs and was on his 'best behaviour' for a whole week. Previously when we've been away, its been a nightmare when we've got back and we were concerned about how he'd be after a week away without us.

Knowing about his ASD means that we've not planned anything. When he started chewing things madly yesterday we got him stuff that was his to chew and we've let him chill out in the dark, surrounded by soft things, which he loves and haven't insisted on clothes.

Result? One chilled, happy DS, two chilled, happy parents and a happy little sister too.

P.S. It seemed only fair. On top of him being away we'd given his bedroom a today and moved some of his furniture, which means we're evil, apparently.

bedroom a tidy, not a today. Stupid autocorrect.

Oh, I'm glad, babyheave. Basically, you can stop 'pretending' everything is all right and move on to the new 'normal.' Not that it's an excuse for bad behaviour, but definitely an excuse for snuggly blankets in the dark!

Well done your DS surviving a week with the GPs!

That's exactly the sort of thing that has enabled mine to cope more and more with the world. Letting him live on the other side of the looking glass for a while.
Mine is mainlining strawberries, watching 'Chitty chitty' and wearing his pj bottoms, whilst surrounded by the contents of one of his treasure boxes.
However, yesterday he managed a very challenging social event for hours and hours, and few knew or guessed he is an Aspie.

Yes, a whole week in a caravan, out of routine and away from home and apparently he was as NT as the next kid....so we knew he'd let it all out when he got home. (We'd kind of hoped that he may not be able to hold it in as GPs are still in Camp Denial, but no, he was bloody perfect wasn't he )

He got back yesterday and spent hours climbing on the sofa, and jumping down, on the trampoline and chewing everything in sight before hiding in the laundry hamper and refusing to come out. So today I took him shopping and let him choose his own set of wooden spoons and the egg thing to chew and have let him hang out in his undies, wrapped in 3 blankets on a "nest" (his words) made out of all of his cuddly toys.

When I think about some of the hideous melt-downs that we've had with him before and us thinking it was just his awful behaviour and wondering what the hell we were doing wrong and now, while I don't want him to have ASD, knowing that he does means that we've not had the melt down and I also understand that I'm not indulging him, but that he really does need days like this just to get back to "normal"

Recognising his needs and responding to them.
Sounds like fab parenting to me.