Has Xmas disrupted routines... is your child now refusing to do thing they did prior to Xmas?

[nannynick]

I care for several children dx ASD. Xmas seems to have disrupted the routine, to the extent that attempts to get a child back onto routine, is failing. Refusal to go to school, refusal to go to respite, refusal to go out with a carer etc.
Is anyone else finding this? Any ideas on how to solve it - is it just a case of being firm and restarting the usual routine of going to school/respite etc.

Yep- ds3 is refusing to leave the house completely as he doesn't know where he is off to in the way he did before.

Cruel that I am, I just make him- gentlya nd with cuddles, but firmly. otherwise we'd be stuck in forever.

More worryingly he's developed loads more asd type behaviours as a result of the festive season- proper, bonafide meltdowns, even some aggression (was previously of the apssive type) and we are just hoping they pass with the new term 9starts school Monday on afternoons).

DS1 has been a nghtmare throughout, was beofre, no change there then sadly

BUT ds2 has been the biggest PITA with silliness beyond measure and he's the only one NOT living with ASD!

Ds1 has had to spend a lot of time indoors during the holiday, mainly due to illness. The one time we ventured out (to take him to the GP) he had a major meltdown. It's been a couple of years since he's been this bad.

He's now pretty much recovered physically but has been very reluctant to go out. Lots of tears and getting angry. In the end I did what Peachy did and pretty much made him come out with me. Once he was out and about and following his usual Saturday routine, things improved a lot.

Being firm seems to have been a success here so far.

Good to know it isn't just affecting one of the children I care for. Will try to follow a usual Sunday morning routine, with luck he won't have a major meltdown over it.