DS has ASD and ADHD (talk about a double whammy). he was diagnosed two months ago - the ASD I sort of expected but not the ADHD although now it HAS been diagnosed I can see he fits the criteria in every way.
A year ago I treated myself to a new TV - I'd been watching a portable for 2 years and had saved enough to splash out on a bang up to date LCD one. I also splashed out on a Wii as I wanted to use the Wii Fit and thought it would be good for DS's co-ordination.
Fast forward to last week when DS got frustrated with a game he was playing (frustration and anger is a BIG issue with DS). I was upstairs re-making all the beds when I heard him rage and then heard a "clonk" then silence.
TBH I thought he had based the Wii remote down and was annoyed but just as I was about to go downstairs and investigate DS appeared and said "Mum I think I broke the TV" and oh my goodness he had indeed "broke the TV".
The glass of the screen is intact but b ehind the glass is a massive chip (looks like chipped glass) and from this lots of cracks and lines. Initially the TV was watchable (just) through this but I've now lost the picture completely - blank screen and only sound.
WWYD? I have told DS that we now have no TV (well I guess I save on the TV package from Virgin - ditto TV licence). I have insurance but am loathe to make a claim just yet as I feel DS needs to see the consequences of his actions so that the TV is not just replaced. Am guessing that I can claim at any time as the accident could have occured at any point so leaving it a few months will make little difference.
I have had a long session with one of the parent advisors at the local special needs centre and have some visual stuff on identifying the various stages DS goes through before blowing his top. This is about helping him to identify those stages and take appropriate action before he reaches that point again.
Apart from grounding him for the rest of his natural life (NOT tempting) what else could I have done? How would you cope with this?
DS knows what he did was wrong and expressed remorse but this does not change what happened. My concern is in making sure it does not happen again - next time it could be me or another person who gets in the way when he throws the remote (not that he will as the TV is broken and the Wii well out of reach).
So no social life as DS is very active and difficult in the evenings, no evening to myself or very little and now not even a TV to use when he DOES finally fall asleep at night [self pitying emoticon]. It's crap.
I have some stuff to talk to him about anger with. We have done a worksheet together looking at how he feels when he is angry and where he feels the anger in his body and he said he gets "fizzy fingers". From this I am thinking that a stress ball he could squeeze would be good. Anything else that might help?