Do I need to pay for a psychologist to help with social skills, or is it something I can sort myself?

[LadySybilLikesCake]

Ds is 15. Cahms won't see him, I've been trying myself but there's a few things where I've hit a wall, so I'm at a loss. Has anyone done this?

Thank you

Hi

Just a physio and he has an open appointment with a community paediatrician. I can't get a referral for anyone else. We saw the paediatrician over a year ago, she referred him to CAHMS, to the physio and the OT. He had 4 sessions with the OT but the physio was pretty useless. One physio told him to stop doing PE until she could assess him, when we went back we saw someone else who told me off and blamed me for ds's pain issues as he wasn't doing PE

Ask your disabled children's services if there are any social skills groups. If you can find other kids, videoing and dissecting, as well as role play/videoing is good.

The motivader is good for prompting (i.e. now ask the other person a question about them!) or initiation (ask someone their name/age etc.)

'Crafting Connections' is also a good book to give you ideas.

I've tried teaching him how to start a conversation. His response is always 'that's not what kids at school do'. I'm out of touch, apparently.

I'll have a look at the book, thank you I'll look into disabled children's services, it's a bit shit here though.

Thank you

I didn't know the disabled children's services existed! Thank you, there's one here

I'd like him to leave the house without worrying that he'll offend someone, and that they will thump him/worse. He's VERY outspoken and it's just not safe to say the things that he does. He can't walk past someone who's smoking without wafting his hand across his face, and he moans quite loudly if all of the seats on the bus are taken by one person so he can't sit next to me. I tell him these things are rude and that he's upsetting people, it's water off a duck's back. It's a shame as he's a really lovely kid. He rushes to help old ladies up if they fall, he opens doors to people and is the first to help someone. He has ideas of how people should behave and it causes problems for him at school when he tells the other boys off. There's no other indication of Aspergers, it's just this. I can't be with him all the time so I worry that he's upsetting people or winding them up by being too bossy.

Yup. He has to be taught everything as he doesn't pick it up (at least he's stopped telling people smoking will kill them now ). I tell him that he can think whatever he wants because no one can see in his head, but his logic is that if he doesn't tell people the 'error of their ways', then who will?

He rants about as much as he can. If a woman is slightly showing too much skin, smokers, people who swear... he was born in the wrong era and would happily walk around in coat tails and a top hat

Will they diagnose Aspergers if there's only the social skills/honesty issue? He's seen 2 paediatricians and they can't make their minds up.

He sounds JUST like my DD who has AS. Especially the social commentary on smokers!!

Thanks, Starlight, for the book suggestion. DD extremely fortunate to have gained a place in a neighbouring borough's social skills group (nothing in our area at all!) which has been great.

Good luck finding your DS the support he needs.