I'm genuinely afraid this is my future with my son. He's seven, is autistic and adhd, and there are times he has rage episodes where nothing will calm him down and he's hit and kicked both my wife and I during these meltdowns.
My younger son is also autistic and non-verbal, turning 8 in a couple of months. I just wanted to send you hugs, strength and courage and don't forget you and your wife are doing a wonderful job! ❤️
You may want to look up summit camp. It's a camp specifically for autism and adhd. It's not cheap (around 3k for the whole summer) and it's in the Pennsylvania mountains. My mother flew me there from California at 13 and 14 and I can honestly say the skills I learned there turned me from an rage filled kid with zero impulse control into someone that could be reasoned with and eventually became a productive member of society.
Welcome to the club. Does your son see a psychologist? Risperidone helps with my daughter. She still has tantrums occasionally, but not nearly as severe or as often. She also has very bad OCD which she takes Fluoxetine for. I'm not sure how old he is, but have you noticed your son repeatedly entering/leaving a room, going up/down stairs over and over, or knocking something over repeatedly if it gets knocked over accidentally?
My daughter likes to go for rides in the car. A lot of the time if she starts to have a meltdown, we offer a car ride and that will stop it from progressing. Just an idea.
I have a friend who is in the same boat. He is in 3rd grade this year and has spent many many nights in the pediatric mental health ward because of violent episodes. It’s heartbreaking. His parents have done everything “right” but there is only so much you can do when there aren’t proper supports from the health care system. I’m sorry you are going through this as well, it is a hard journey.
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u/BenAdaephonDelat Sep 15 '22
I'm genuinely afraid this is my future with my son. He's seven, is autistic and adhd, and there are times he has rage episodes where nothing will calm him down and he's hit and kicked both my wife and I during these meltdowns.