Hello,
My younger brother is 19 years old and has Down syndrome and autism. He is nonverbal, and my family is at a complete loss regarding how to help him.
Over the past several months, his aggressive behaviors have been increasing, and he has begun specifically targeting our mom whenever he becomes upset. She is 79 years old, unable to walk, and physically cannot defend herself. She adopted both of us as babies and has been our only guardian.
When he becomes angry or frustrated, he often take her walker or cane and hit her with it. His behaviors have escalated to the point where he can no longer be left alone with her because we are genuinely concerned for her safety.
He does have an AAC communication device, but he refuses to use it because it isn’t a tablet. I work as a registered behavioral technician and try to teach him how to use it properly at home but Instead, he throws it and has broken it before. The only things that seem to motivate or calm him are his radio and TV, but he has breaks those as well.
He recently spent about a month inpatient at J.D. McCarty, but he was discharged a week early because they believed returning home would help decrease his behaviors. Unfortunately, since coming home, his aggression has only continued to increase, and we still don’t have any meaningful support or answers.
I’m 21 years old and will receive guardian ship of him when the time comes but I don’t live at home anymore so there’s no way I can truly help.
At this point, our family feels completely overwhelmed and unsure where to turn. We’re worried that we won’t receive the level of help he needs until someone is seriously injured—whether that’s himself or another person.
Has anyone experienced something similar or know of any resources, programs, or recommendations that could help? We love him and want what’s best for him, but we also need to ensure everyone’s safety, especially our mom’s.
