How are your asd children coping in the heat?

[devilinside]

DS isn't really, he had a major meltdown this evening in our neighbour's garden (digging up mud with his hands, screaming for some unknown reason). I carried him into the house (still screaming) plonked him in the shower and lo and behold one happy child. He spent about an hour in there!

Ah still in long sleeved t-shirt and padded lined trousers today!!! He was off school with v nasty cold and the house was reasonably cool inside but still... really? I am the coldest person going and I have been boiling today. By the time I get him used to the heat and wearing less clothes it will be snowing again!

oh bless him!

DS suffers with the heat and drinks gallons constantly to cool him so I am topping up a water bottle forever. Also issue with the fact he wont go anywhere without a fleece on which stays on when he is on unfamiliar territory and so major shouting when I try to take it off because he is melting!

I work in a special secondary school primarily for students with ASD and moderate or severe learning difficulties and today was very tough.

My 13 yr old son had his fan on him most of the day.................

My 4yr old has been pretty much the same except that he is still insisting on wearing a jumper and a coat even though he doesn't need them!

I suspect this is because when it was raining and miserable he had to wear them to go out and he hasn't got used to the change in temp yet!

Ds loves the sun and the heat but he's miserable in himself atm. It took until day three before I could persuade ds and dd to shed some of their clothes though but that's normal here.

DD has been really unhappy and fighty

she's struggling with being overjoyed that summer is here (seasons are a big obsession) but she also has suncream allergies as well as very fair skin and red hair so has to cover up more than usual, she has heat rashes in all her 'pits' and they are driving her to distraction

her 'fix' was to wear her normal school uniform but with a thick fleece on top to keep the sun off

lots of ice pops, cold drinks and sitting in the shade

Yep, Dd3 is struggling. She refused to take her jumper off at school because if you take your jumper off you have to tuck your tshirt in apparently.

I said just tuck a tiny bit in but she couldnt handle even that.

I might have to go in and have a word. I know its nice for the children to look smart but who rucks a polo shirt in??

Or even tucks

my dd always had meltdowns in summer, we had to carry emergency cool pads, even sent some into school with her just in case, they stick on forehead and cool you down, dd wouldn't take her jumpers and coat off in summer, teacher called them life savers as she used them on other children who had meltdowns with the heat.

DS2 will take his shirt off only if Daddy and DS3 do too. He is not pleased about the prospect of wearing shorts and had a right strop about it. "THOSE are NOT TROUSERS!!!"

He does fight stripping down a bit if he is warm, and he still doesn't really understand hot vs cold, as he will say he doesn't want his fan on in his room because it will make him hot. So it's really difficult to get any kind of straight answer from him whether or not he's too warm - we have to go strictly by visual cues.

Dd (5,5yrs, VI and ASD with sensory ishoos) put sun cream on herself this morning! With no melt down!!. I'm not silly enough to think its the start of things to come but it's a welcome change

He is the hottest sweatiest boy in there class. So far though no problems in class due to the heat whereas in September there were. We managed to put sun cream on this morning with out a melt down. That is a triumph!

The only suncream DS2 will agree to is the stuff that goes on green and then disappears as you rub it in.

I'm going to get the new Sudocrem suncreen mousse in the hope that it will be better accepted. It's the face and the sensory stuff that's causing the problem. I love it - he's sitting there just in his pants, a huge boy 135cm tall at 6 yo, lying just like he did in the summer when he was a baby just in a nappy for months :)

DS was uncooperative in school yesterday and generally grotty!!!! Our house is nice and cool so he was fine watching tv when he came home and wouldn't go outside. His bedroom is downstairs and also nice and cool, he slept better than normal last night!

Very badly, always has.

Spoke too soon on sun cream. Scratched my face with all 5 fingers trying to get the stuff on. Do they make a full face and body UV school uniform?

Having issues keeping clothes on.

At 7 and tall, he's too old to run around in the nudey, nudey, & too stubborn to accept this. Oh and crocs (no socks even at school!) rock!

His TA will spend sports day trying to get him to at least keep his pants on lol!

Ds1 never notices temperature, hot or cold.

First half of the week he wore his coat and sweatshirt to school every day, then yesterday suddenly took them off. Turns out some of the other boys had commented and laughed, not great, but at least he's gone to school in just trousers and polo shirt this morning - after a huge battle about suncream. He loathes having cream of any sort on and we've tried most of them over the years. We now have the all day, one application stuff, as at least it's only one battle instead of one for each re-application.

We also have the problem with them having to tuck their polo shirts in if they take their sweatshirts off and he flatly refused this morning, so after the suncream battle I didn't push him.

He nearly expired at cricket last night after not drinking at all since lunch and then only a sip. He must have felt bad, because he came home and drank 3 glasses of water back to back when we usually struggle to get him to drink enough.

Fortunately our living room is cold even in the height of summer and his bedroom is directly above it, so he's ok at home and sleeping - well as much as he ever does.