Nearly the end of the summer, so how was it...?

[meltedmarsbars]

Have you survived intact? Lost all sense of balance and reason? Vowed to change your plans next year?

Maybe even enjoyed it?

I did enjoy it! Always feel happier when DS is home with me, no matter how challenging it is at times. Wish he wasn't going back to school and worried about what the next academic year holds for him -new class, new teachers, new kids, assessments

From your other posts I see you organise lots during the hols - how on earth do you do it?

Well me and the kids survived it.
we did go away for 4 weeks whilst major building work took place, i did miss having respite and being solely responsibly for my three whilst in another country but it went well considering, anyone else have to take half the house with them to keep the kids ok?

We are really lucky that we live in an area where there are plenty of places to go for days out and lots of wide open spaces. The boys always enjoy the routine of hanging round in pjs in the morning, lunch and then out somewhere in the afternoon. DS1 seems to know where he is with that

its been ok very busy and think were all ready go back to school,Have really struggled to have any me time at all , sounds selfish but since on my own with 4dc can be hard work .

Am looking forward to giving my house real good clean

but very nervours on how Ds is going to cope in school and of course all the fights over services start again

Went OK actually but helped having DH home for 2 weeks of it. Am looking forward to getting the house back to myself and cleaning it properly (!!) but whilst I am pleased with my decision to hold DS back in playschool until Xmas it means I now have to deal with watching all his playschool chums walk to school when DS should be going with them.....

We have had the best summer holidays for about 5 years. Last year I was 8 months pregnant and DP was working so it was just me looking after ds and it was traumatic to say the least.
This year Dp is still out of work so ds is happier as he loves his Dad.
Was a bit anxious as small crawling baby 7 long weeks and not a lot of money but ds has had 7 play days with social services which has broken up the weeks.
We have had a few trips out as a family where he has behaved really well.

Am really looking forward to next week tho. Ds has been going to his school drawer and getting his uniform out this last week so I think he is ready for some routine.
Like Pheonix I need to gicve the house a really good clean and throw away all the daft little things he has been hoarding such as Argos books.

It's been OK....but I am looking forward to Sept 7th when the girls go back to school.....

DS2- 4, wonderful, really dont want them to go back

ds1- ah well!

We've had a drop in the minor meltdowns over the hols and even managed to get out a bit BUT

his weight has dropped another 3lbs (he'd managed to hit 4stone but back down again- he's 10 in Decembe) and he has had biggie meltdowns: a bitten arm in Foreset of dean, kick to the head to stun me on main holiday, and alst night he hit me twice over the head in a majotr meltdown and I couldnt talk for a while- not sure if injury or just shock.

The otehr stuff- potions, hurting siblings, binging- all coming abckl as school approaches

My answer is to take him out of school, DH is scared he will kill me

Peachy have you found your ds is showing more difficult behaviours as returning to school gets nearer? My DS has been pretty difficult over the last few days, screaming, meltdowns, not wanting to go out of the house, endlessly monologuing, chewing fingers etc. We have been talking and preparing him for a return to school and I wondered whether this was why.

Yep Debs, have gone from blimey- he's- doing- well to cant-take-any-more in a few days flat.

DS3 is worsening a bit also, but dont know if he is so aware of school (and he loves his SNU) or whether its just what everyone told us, his passsivity wearing off as he ages. Not aggression or anything- just fiddly stuff such as an obsession with lifts and toilets when out, and that sort of thing

it was fucking awful. Big seizures, hospital stays and not enough respite. And everyone else gets holidays.
Cant wait till Thursday!
Peachy, if you want to talk about HE an ASD child let me know.

I will Riv, thanks

Peachy do you not think it is they are missing the routine of school and have hit their tolerance point?
DS usually is fine for half terms and often Xmas but Easter and summer holidays after a few weeks he is climbing the walls and the last week is often the worst. He loves his school and although hard to settle after the hols is glad to be back

Peachy - reading about your kids is like reading about what my ds will turn into in a few years time

We are just beginning he now to hopefully sidestep most of the grief your ds is causing you

Im up for chatting off mn about he and asd as well btw

The key word I would use about this summer is

WET

Though I know you have v v exciting plans re an MA so maybe HE would be rather tricky - worth serious consideration though, ds behaviour has improved alot since july

Debs I thinbk ds3 is missing school- but ds1 hates his school, they've tried but are attahced to the infants and they failed him miserably. I do think he is miserable at school- they have bullying issues and his statement is applied in completely the wrong way (they have 3 kids with 10 hours each so they add it up to make a TA available for all 3 in the room all day; ds1 needs his at breaktimes though as thats when he cannot cope and he ends up excluding himself alone in a classroom every day t avoid hurting someone)

I could HE_ i'm bright enough and the few bits I am crap at (technology) happen to be DH's area, but I guess I saw a glimpse of a future and don't want to let go just yet. theMA is in ASD LOL, so hardly another world, but is something

Tha MA is evenings so do-able but it would help if I could work enough hours to cover the £180 over 5 months it costs

Peachy it sounds like you need to get his statement and the school sorted out. It seems they are not doing the best for each indivdual child but what is best for the school budget. I can see why you would want to HE him

We've had good hols - have spent quite a lot of it in camper van or tiny holiday cottage, which suits DS2 - he becomes much more interactive when forced into close proximity with us! One major incident involving poo at friend's pristine house - her cleaner was walking around cleaning and DS2 was following her smearing . She was fab about it (friend I mean) but I was tearing hair out.

Only low point is returning from the lovely sunny IOW and Hampshire to miserable, rainy, gloomy Somerset. Why did no-one tell me the West Country is so bloody WET!!! ( I love it really...but honestly)

I've actually loved it and felt a bit about whinging at J's social worker for more respite over the summer as I was so wrong about how it would go (I was dreading it as J's behaviour was very poor before the summer, lots of violence and self-harming starting again).

We've both been relaxed and got some sleep and been able to spend lots of time outside (which he loves) and he learned to surf at the beach and I taught him to do that when normally he's so resistant to me or anyone else teaching him anything I was well proud

In between, he's seen lots of his play worker and autism worker and spent time with other ASD kids, which he always enjoys for short bursts.

So all in all, good here but I know that the autumn term will be shite shite shite so it's been so good that it's almost bad, if that makes sense.

Sorry that not everyone's had an easy time and I hope things get better soon.

Sphil if you think the west country is wet you should try here LOL, massive culture shock when we moved the what- 40 miles? The rain here has an intensity like no other I have ever known.

however that's been OK becuase by and alrge we have had a good summer weather wise

Not a bad summer for us really. Ds has got a lot easier to take out and about, we even took him into town, on the bus, on a saturday , something I was beginning to think we would never be able to do. Although he still frets a bit he no longer throws himself onto the floor (except when he saw an escalator lol), and he can't stand still for a moment but he sort of wanders about nearby instead of heading for the hills. He would be under a car if I didn't watch him like a hawk but even so the improvement is unbelievable.
We managed 4 days camping in the New Forest but ds made it clear he was not happy and basically was a pain the entire time so that wasn't so much of a success!
Both dcs have been pretty good company but like others I'm looking forward to getting my house back in order, reclaiming my wilderness allotment, meeting up with friends and being able to have a proper chat etc. Also, although it's been fun taking ds pony-riding, I want to ride my horse for a change before we are back in the depths of winter.

Summer was pants! The weather's been crap!...
Apart from the week my parents came over to visit for our dd's christening which was good.

The rest well , we didn't really do much apart from a few picnics in the park and a couple of family bbq.
DS(3.10, asd)had his 2nd paed app. mid-august , which resulted in me stressing about it for 2 weeks beforehand. His behaviour has been up and down like a yoyo.
And dd who is 16m, getting to that "miss independance" stage has been riotting all over the house with ds in tow or vice versa.

Next summer we have to go away for a break in the sun even for just a few days, and i will need to plan activities and days out well in advance.

'And dd who is 16m, getting to that "miss independance" stage has been riotting all over the house '

Oh yesssss indeed LOL

Bas in 17 months on the 7th, he learned how to open the door to the stairs this week . can't stairgate it (corridor too narrow and would be too fiddly for ds3 to get to loo on time) so looking at a bolt

arrrghhhhh LOL