attachment therapy/ASD symptoms - has anyone done it?

[monkey2010]

Hi
I've thought for a while that my 22 month year old has ASD. He hates cuddles, physical contact, can't sit still, easily frustrated, likes opening doors & buttons, delayed but emerging language & also had very traumatic birth, born at 30 weeks & meningitus.
We saw the paeditrician this week who doesn't agree with me. She feels the problem is in his relationship with us (although he doesn't like hugs from anyone). She feels some attachment-based therapy might help him. I'm confused and don't want to embark on expensive therapy if what he really needs is more structured 1:1 input to learn new skills, to address some of the 'ASD' symptoms. Would be very grateful for any thoughts.

I spoke to someone 2 weeks ago who said she was advised to use attachment therapy with her ASD son but that was around 15 years ago. She said she had a couple of sessions but could not cope with it as it felt really wrong to her and gave it up. The psychologist who recommended attachment therapy to her did not recommend it to me when my ds was dx with ASD.

A lot of people on this board would recommend that you try other interventions such as EIBI (Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention) or Floortime.

Okay I am an attachment parent, or at least as much as one can be in modern society. Not only that, I am doing a course where I have chosen to specialise in attachment theory.

I would NEVER advocate attachment therapy for a child with ASD. That doesn't mean you can't be an attachment parent btw.

Attachment therapy makes an awful lot of assumptions about the cause of a child's behaviour and ultimately blames the mother. This is to the detriment of the child getting help that will make a difference and undermines the confidence of the mother who, incidentally needs to learn quickly to triple her confidence levels if she is going to fight the battles with and for her child.

Also attachment therapy can be downright cruel in the way that it bullies a child with ASD to face their fears and and anxieties. A better and kinder approach is to coerce them into the social world and to try new things in the way that ABA, Floortime, Son-rise and Hannen does.

Not liking cuddles in a child with ASD is usually related to sensory issues.

Attachment issues and ASD can look similar but I'm confused why the paediatrician would thik attachment rather than ASD. Was your son separated from you in hospital for a long time due to his prematurity or something.

It's very 1960's to start with the relationship with the parents rather than ASD. Can you ask for a second opinion or why attachment rather than ASD. Or at least more info on why attachmetrather than ASD. How's your son's communication, when did he start pointing to interesting things etc?

You might find reading some Stanley Greenspan helpful. He looks St development and also sensory issues but also ways to build back and forth relationships while taking the sensory issues into account.

Agh iPad - looks at child development

Is this same as holding therapy?

I was told the same as I went back to work when DS was 6m And apparently a mother has to be in the childs life until they are 2y old?!? Well I know of someone very senior in my ex company that returned to work when her dc was 5 days old to save a critical account and he turned out just fine.

Then again, ds2 was t with me until day 5 th when he was norm because of jaundice and he turned out just fine.