I feel like we're at breaking point

[SalveGrumio]

Dd is almost 6. She has been referred by GP to be assessed for ASD. It feels like everything has been escalating recently and the last few weeks have been awful.

The meltdowns have been daily, often several times. She has violent outbursts and meltdowns, hitting, pinching, biting. Mostly me, but now spreading to dh and ds. Sometimes she is strangely calm looking but just hitting out. Other times it is screaming kicking. And it gets worse if you try and stop her hitting ds/breaking something.

Her sleep has always been terrible. She's currently not asleep before 9/10pm. And I have to stay with her. And she's waking in the night. I'm up now be a use she woke up screaming and had a mammoth meltdown where she accused me of filming her.

Both me, dh and ds have been in tears over the last few days. I don't know what to do anymore. It feels like we can't do anything in case she kicks off.

If I go back to GP there isn't anything he can do is there?

Yes you can go back to the GP, the situation is escalating and affecting the whole family. They might be able to prescribe some medication such as melatonin to help with her sleep prior to a diagnosis.

It sounds as though she is having something like night terrors if she is waking up screaming. The sleep-behaviour cycle is very inter-linked. Lack of sleep and disturbed sleep negatively affects behaviour and pyschological-emotional wellbeing.

She may also have fear that she can't articulate around falling asleep. Cerebra have a sleep helpline and good resources that might help. I have had to completely rearrange my eldest's bed and sleeping arrangement to deal with her anxiety around sleep. She found audio books and guided meditation cd's helpful alongside good sleep hygiene reducing screen stimulation close to bedtime.

Completely different but my middle child had awful behaviour due to severe sleep apnoea that affected her sleep rhythm. After she had her huge tonsils and adenoids removed and her sleep rhythm was better, her behaviour improved.

My ASD ds requires more sleep than either of my other children as just dealing with the demands of the world day to day is more tiring for him. He has more meltdowns on days where he is tired.

I have also found reading about sensory processing disorder has greatly helped me understand my asd child and recognise the triggers for meltdowns so that I am better at diverting before it happens. It can also help with strategies to calm anxiety.

www.cerebra.org.uk/help-and-information/sleep-service/

Thank you. She does have quite large tonsils actually.

I've made an appointment with the GP to see what else can help in the meantime. I'll get reading that link.

Mostly thank you for just replying. I felt like I was at the end of the line last night..