Is a regression normal after an illness?

[L0ts]

My son has ASD and is 3.5 years old. Now I won’t lie, last week was rough for us all. Started off as a cold, turned in to a chest infection, he was on antibiotics for a week, then as he started to appear better he brought home a stomach bug and was sick for two days along with conjunctivitis.

He appears better and no longer poorly but in terms of his autism he seems to have regressed hugely. He’s almost entirely turned mute, he didn’t communicate anyway but he did repeat things and script all day long. Now he’s saying next to nothing. He hasn’t played with any of his toys since Monday, he hasn’t eaten properly in almost a week, won’t walk up and down the stairs and is asking to be carried absolutely everywhere.

He usually LOVES going to parks, soft plays and peoples houses but we have tried taking him out the house and he just cries after being put down for 5/10 mins and we eventually go home, it’s hell. He is usually the happiest little boy and he just seems generally unhappy, crying and moaning all day long. It’s destroying me and breaking my heart because I can’t ask him what’s wrong.

All he’s happy doing is sitting watching YouTube on my partners phone whilst he grinds his teeth. Is this honestly normal after they’ve been ill?

Maybe he’s just still not quite better and needs more rest. It’s not been that long?

My ds got tonsillitis just before he turned two and stopped eating all but a small amount of different foods. He never picked them up
again, in fact he later dropped a few more, and has had a horribly restricted ever since.

I hope your little one is better soon.

I feel so bad for your little one. I’d guess he’s still not feeling quite himself. That’s a lot of illness to deal with so maybe he’s feeling quite wiped out.

That’s only speculation though, not expertise.