The incidents of my 22 year old son acting out with aggression have been reduced significantly over the last two years, but boy, when he melts down he really goes for it. Im alone with him till Saturday, we have no respite care and any friends that could help are working or on vacation. My best friend who has always been my rock died in May. My folks are near by, but my mom thinks he has autism because I had him vaccinated so I dont ask them for help.

Ill be fine, I just needed to share this with people who will understand and not judge.

My toddler thinks that care bears are the cutest things ever. She takes one everywhere she goes, and if we see them at a thrift shop she asks if she can put them with the rest of her care bear family.

I just wish it was easier to find specific bears lol. But I love how much comfort and joy they bring my special little princess.

My son is just 5years old.

Last night we were sitting as usual in his playroom with his AAC device. We were talking about his daily activities, school etc. usually it was like me (his mother) asks questions and he responds with pictures or keyboard (typing)

After a while he willingly took the device and typed “You Look tired?” And then go to picture and navigated to some folder and clicked why

So the question is “you look tired? Why?”

One part of My heart healed at that moment and I kissed him and said it’s nothing mom has a cold.

He said “Ok”

I said I love you

He replied “I love you”

Best day of my life

I’m son is 3, and has level two autism. I was originally doing data entry for my mils business. However, I kept having to leave work because daycare was constantly calling me to pick him up. (For context, this was when he was one year old, and before we got his diagnosis) so she moved me to working from home part time. I definitely don’t make enough doing what I do and I’d love a career change. I have 2 children so paying for daycare is crazy expensive, then with picking up and dropping him off at ABA, Speech and OT. It just seems so impossible to have a job, but in this economy it’s almost impossible to live off of my husbands paycheck. I’ve always been independent, and have no family of my own, so the thought of my husband and me getting divorced for whatever reason and me falling flat on my face keeps me up at night 😅. Anyways, what do you guys do for work? That actually allows you to be flexible due to your child’s tight schedules. I wouldn’t mind going back to school for it, as long as the degree wouldn’t take tooooo long.

We were at the OTs office yesterday, our son (3yrs) is non verbal, he was playing with a pop up toy while we waited, and out of nowhere as he popped them he counted them to 5! It was so amazing! He did it once more and that was it, he has a couple of words, well, approximation of words, ish for fish, orse for horse etc and is always making sounds but this was clear, concise, still a kind of approximation of 1-5 but it amazed us.

Really drove home something we have always thought, that it's all up there in his head, I'm not expecting anything more, he's gained and lost certain words often over the years, just wanted to share how freaking awesome it was to just see that 😊

For context, I have a 25-year-old twin sister with level 3 autism. She is nonverbal, has no independence, and lives with my parents now ( I am studying Electronics Engineering in another city).

One of the biggest challenges has always been understanding her physical needs. She may hit herself or become very distressed, but it's hard to tell whether she's in pain or upset for another reason. What worries me most is that she could have a medical emergency, such as a heart attack, and we might not recognize it in time.

I'm wondering if anyone uses smart devices or wearables to better understand the needs of a loved one with autism, and whether you've found them useful.

Most wearables I've seen aren't suitable for her. She won't wear anything on her wrist, so any device that's easy to remove comes off immediately.

I would love to hear your opinion. :)

My son is 8 and he is limited verbally and very much delayed.
He recently started farting so loud and purposefully.
He does is everywhere we go.
I guess I’m just asking if anyone else is dealing with this lol and or anyone have ideas on how to curb it. 😅 it’s soooo embarrassing anytime we go to an appointment or a quiet waiting room I’m full of anxiety 😅😅😅

I really need advice from parents who have been through something similar because I feel so alone.
My daughter is 13, and over the last year everything has changed. She’s become increasingly aggressive, but only toward me. I’m a single mom, and it’s gotten to the point where she hits me, and for the last year I haven’t even been able to speak to her without her reacting like my voice physically hurts her. Every conversation feels like she’s screaming in pain just because I’m talking.
I don’t know how to explain how heartbreaking that is. Can you imagine not being able to speak in your own home because your child can’t tolerate hearing your voice? It’s devastating.
Things have escalated so much that last night she attacked me while I was asleep. My parents have been keeping her with them more and more because everyone feels she’s calmer there, and we’re now seriously considering having her live with them. They’re willing to do it because they love her and want to help, but as her mom, this is breaking me.
Her therapists believe she has PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) autism. She’s on medication, and it has helped a lot compared to where we were, but she is still incredibly hostile toward me specifically.
This has affected every part of our lives. We even had to move because the meltdowns and aggression became so severe that neighbors were complaining. Thankfully, with my family’s help, we were able to move into a house, and I truly love our home, but I never imagined our lives would look like this.
I’m struggling because I genuinely feel like I’ve done everything I knew to do. She’s always had therapies, activities, opportunities to make friends, support, love, and I’ve advocated for her every step of the way. I know autism isn’t caused by parenting, but it’s hard not to question yourself when you’re the only person your child seems to reject.
Has anyone else’s child become aggressive only toward one parent? Has anyone experienced this around puberty, especially with PDA? Did it get better? What helped? And if your child temporarily lived with another family member, did it help your relationship in the long run?
Please be kind. I’m exhausted, heartbroken, and just trying to do what’s best for my daughter while also keeping everyone safe.

My 5 year old autistic nonverbal child loves being outdoors and loves being in the car. But as soon as we are back, he will scream and cry while still in the car. It can be heard, so coming back at night is a nightmare because neighbors are sleeping.

He loves water, so he will do anything to go near water and the last time we went out to a park, he started screaming and trying to break free from our grip and from a handheld coiled "leash" made for kids (sorry, I dont know the term used). He would stay screaming, so we had to leave and go back home. He even screamed the whole entire car ride and at home for an hour or more. When he has those meltdowns, nothing calms him down. We hug him ( since he usually loves hugs), but nothing works. He wants to always go outside and would try to elope. So, he is supervised at all times with no break.

We arent enjoying going out anymore and we dont want to limit ourselves or our other kids from taking them out places. We dont have anyone else to watch him.

Any advice or tips from experience on how to handle this? Thank you in advance.

I work at a daycare and was placed to be a one on one with an autistic boy. I absolutely adore him, and cry because of how proud I am of his accomplishments and improvements daily.

I do want to ask about a habit he started yesterday. He chewed up his food, then spit it in his hand, and set it on my leg.

Is this just a kid being a little weirdo or is there some reason behind it? I am very motivated to prevent it because I have Arfid and it’s a bit of a nightmare for me.

I got my son diagnosed back in February i believe and the neurologist told he was level 2 . It was still hard but i was holding on to the hope that at least he has some chance at being independent and maybe things will get a little easier. Well i took him for another evaluation today with a different neurologist and she says he is level 3 ... i been trying everything to get him help but i am just so tired . Hearing that makes me completely lose hope for our future . I literally ask myself how much of this i can take before i cant anymore ... this is incredibly hard and i feel so guilty and shameful because i know it isnt his fault that he got autism . Everyone tells me if i couldnt handle a special needs kid i shouldnt have had kids .. i didnt fcking know okay ? As stupid as it sounds i didnt understand what i was signing up for . I was 19 when i became pregnant i didnt know anything about children with disabilities i didnt even think our lives would be like this . I am failing at this every day . Im exhausted i dont feel like the same person i may never get her back and it seems like this keeps getting harder. I hate god or the universe or whoever it is for putting is through this . Im so tired . I feel so bad that he has to live his life like this and im a bad mom ... he is only 5 idk if i can do this for the next years to come . I just want him to be okay .

Hi everyone, looking to get some advice or hear what’s worked for your sensory sensitive kids

My 2.5yo son was diagnosed with Level 1 autism. We are hitting a huge wall with oral hygiene, he absolutely refuses to let us brush his teeth, and getting anywhere near his tongue is a complete NO NO.

To give you an idea of how severe his tactile and texture hypersensitivity is: in his food, he can instantly spot and spit out tiny specks (almost razor thin) of vegetables or meat if they aren’t completely blended to a smooth puree. His mouth is akin to spider-sense. So i can imagine how an actual toothbrush or bristles feel to him, it seems to be a total sensory overload.

Right now, brush time turns into a massive battle of wills, tears, and meltdowns. I really don't want to force him and turn brushing into a traumatic daily event, but I'm also terrified of tooth decay and want to keep his teeth clean.

My 7yo has a very difficult time with school. She’s rather immature for her age….She used to do great but since last year… it’s just been hell. Right now we’re in summer school times. Just 4 hours a day… no word from the school on behavior problems but the bus driver had issues. I just…… am so tired of the constant juggling emotions just to survive basic school activities like riding a bus or following commands…. I don’t see the point. We all know come 18 when she graduates, the system will forget she exists and then what? What was all this battling to conform for? If she didn’t like going I’d be homeschooling by now…..

Other problem. Headphones have become a 100% of the day thing at school. Not at my request. The school created that problem. Now she doesn’t hear anything anyone says, she’s in her own world all the time now and she just gets mischievous followed by frustrated because she’s being rushed to do something she most likely didn’t hear…. Is it possible to break the headphone crutch? I know I know it helps many children… but I don’t think it’s beneficial anymore. I think it’s becoming painful and allowing her to check out.

My 11 year old is level 1 asd and adhd and barely moved inside my belly. I put him in therapy early on and helped him so much he started talking at 4.

I’m 24 weeks and this baby moves and kicks soo much it hurts it feels like he doesn’t really sleep. I’m concerned he will be a higher level on the spectrum.

My daughter (turns 2 in September) is still babbling and doesn't have any intentional language (doesn't call me mama, doesn't make animal noises, etc).

She's getting her official evaluation in two weeks. Her speech therapist has told me they haven't noticed any red flags for autism (but as a parent to an autistic son, I'm more observant of certain things, plus it's genetic). My daughter presents much differently than my son did at this age, and the only BIG red flag is her speech delay and maybe a slight sensory sensitivity to certain textures.

I'm just curious - for those of you with level 1 children, did they have a speech delay or any noticeable autistic traits at age 2?

TIA 😁

hi

my daughter is 6 level 2 autism.

she has sever emotional dysregulatio, anxiety, meltdowns and anger. she hits me and tries to hurt her 7 month old brother and has hurt herself before.

Ive been told to look into medications. is there any and what ones are good? please help 🙏🏻

My eldest daughter has just been diagnosed autistic PDA, I have battled with Drs and school for over 2 years for them to hear me out then a year waiting for assessment. She is 7, looking back I saw signs from very early on.

I believe her younger sister age 3 is also autistic and very clearly PDA. Main things...

-she seems to speak and communicate in memorized phrases for example her things at he moment are 'how now brown cow' 'lets do this' and my fave 😁 'dada is smelly peeeeeeee-yeew'. She is slightly speech delayed also.

- She will avoid doing things or answering me to extreme lengths, I.e making stupid sounds , repeating same thing over and over to distract, I can see she wants to hug me when upset but will refuse to.

-doesn't like sticky hands, won't wear shoes or jacket ever

-plays with food and spit , feet hands all over body rubs around face

-Holds ears 'my ears hurt' loud noises

-finger stimming, swaying from side to side

-Lining up pens, cars

-very rigid - has to Velcro shoes very specifically for example

-runs - across roads etc won't walk next to me

- I cannot potty train her!! If I leave her without a nappy she will go and take herself to the potty fine but if I acknowledge it in any way or ask if she needs to go we are back to square one!

-She needs to be touching my neck constantly and have noticed her doing the same with her teachers at preschool too.

I went to our GP with these concerns + family history and she asked me a lot of developmental questions as a screening tool I guess such as can she dress herself, can she walk in a straight line, can she express her wants and needs.. I have no concerns about any of those things. So was told she is not autistic. I understand some things could be down to age + stage at this point but am I right to keep an eye on things and assume we may have another autistic child ?

Late last night my son's school friend showed up out of the blue, his parents were arguing and he eloped, thankfully came to ours.

I said to my son (who was doing his bed routine) his friend is downstairs and is a bit sad, and could he look after him?

I got an emphatic no and a door slam, I was a bit disappointed, but he hates his routine being interrupted.

But in the next minute (with no input from me), he came downstairs with his blanket, wrapped his friend up and put on a kids show. They sat there for 30 minutes until one of his parents showed up.

I've never been prouder.

In some cases it’s without warning and it’s definitely triggering. I don’t like loud noises even as a neurotypical. How do you stop your blood from boiling?

My son was just diagnosed as "level 1". Something we greatly struggle with in our house is him saying no/being disrespectful to adults. For example "it's time to clean up our toys" his reply is something to the effect of "no, because actually I still want to play with them". I usually give a 5ish minute warning as well to assist with transitions but that doesn't really work for him. How do ya'll discipline this kind of behavior? We usually end up taking the toy away but he doesn't seem to be improving a whole lot with that. I try to keep discipline consistent so that he understands the cause and effect. I feel like I'm failing him though. Please help. 🥺

I’m drowning. No one knows what to do to help me. There is a glimpse of a village but I guess I’m the mayor and have to run it?!

I know I am lucky to have people who want to help. They say “tell me what to do.” But that makes me crazy, I don’t know… look around!

Help me, help myself. How does your village help you?

Besides childcare, how do you have others help? Laundry, groceries, dinners, yard work, what mental load items can I hand off?!

Hi everyone. I’m new here and honestly feeling overwhelmed.
My 15-month-old daughter has just been referred to the autism clinic her paediatrician has been soft launching it to me for months now and I kinda thought she would catch up but she’s not really, and while we’re waiting, I’m hoping to hear from parents who have been through this. Aside from myself, I’ve never really been around autistic children, so I’m trying to learn as much as I can from people with lived experience rather than just Google.

Some of the things we’ve noticed:
• She doesn’t point to show us things.
• She isn’t saying words yet, just babbling.
• I’m not sure she truly understands much of what I’m saying, and that’s probably my biggest fear. Sometimes she’ll respond to her name or a simple request, but often she doesn’t.
• She makes unusual hand movements near her face and will often look at people out of the corner of her eye.
• She doesn’t really play with toys or interact with objects the way I’ve seen neurotypical toddlers her age do.
• She loves sensory input like lights, sounds, banging objects together, and balls.
• She absolutely loves peekaboo and interactive games.
• She doesn’t usually bring me toys to show me, although she’ll hand me things if she wants me to throw or roll them.
• Eye contact is inconsistent.
• She is extremely attached to me and wants me almost 24/7. She struggles with anyone else meeting her needs.
• Since she was born, she’s had almost no ability to self-regulate. If she’s told “no” or something doesn’t go the way she wants, she’ll scream and cry intensely and has a very difficult time calming herself.

She DOES smile, laughs a LOT at almost everything, claps when you say or start to clap, high fives. She sometimes will mimic mama back but that’s new.

She also has ongoing feeding and gastrointestinal issues that have been present since birth:

• She has chronic constipation.
• She barely eats solid food. She’ll try certain things and might have a few crackers or a couple bites of meat or bread here and there, but she’s never eaten what I’d consider an actual meal. She is visibly repulsed by fruit or anything sour.
• She will only drink milk from one specific bottle with one specific nipple. We’ve spent months trying what feels like every straw cup, sippy cup, open cup, and bottle on the market, and she refuses all of them.
• Her pediatrician and dietitian have suggested reducing her milk intake to encourage her to eat more solids, but every time we’ve tried, it turns into days of nonstop screaming and crying, and she actually becomes even less willing to eat.
The clinic also sent me the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST), and I’m so confused. Looking through it, there are questions about whether she has friends, can read, was speaking by age two, enjoys sports, or held conversations… but she’s only 15 months old. How am I supposed to answer that? Has anyone else been given this questionnaire for such a young toddler?
I think what scares me the most is worrying that she doesn’t understand me or the world around her. At the same time, I love her exactly as she is. If she is autistic, that won’t change how I feel about her. I just want to understand her better and learn how to communicate with her and support her in the best way possible.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone whose child had similar signs this young. What were your first clues? What did your child end up being diagnosed with? Is there anything you wish someone had told you when you were at this stage?

Mine tolerates hugs and kisses and tickles.. very seldom reciprocates. But last night as we were laying in bed he unpromptedly got up, and very gently kissed me on my left cheek and then on my left forehead. Getting teary eyed as I type this. Can you share your experiences? He might be showing me affection on other ways but I may have just overlooked because I've been accustomed to the typical signs of love.

My brother has two sons, one 7 year old (neurotypical) and one 4 year old who I just found out has level 3 autism or at least that's the diagnosis so far. Apparently he and his wife have known for a couple of years now but were in denial. I emigrated almost 10 years ago and can't travel back often so I haven't seen them in two years. Anyway...

Now that I have this information I want to educate myself, particularly on how to interact with him, how to be helpful to my brother, how to help the other little one understand, how to help my dad who is having a really hard time trying to be the best grandpa he can be but doesn't understand well how to interact with neurodivergent children.

What books, youtube channels, content creators, whatever, would you recommend to this auntie? And any advice, really.

Thank you <3

Please no judgement. Exhausted mom to 13 year old autistic teen that barely sleeps.

I met with his pediatrician today and we talked about his aggression and sleep issues. My husband takes lunesta at night so he asked.

She told him that there isn’t much studies done in pediatrics but she would be willing to prescribe the smallest dose so we could try.

Now I’m crying because I hate giving him medication and I haven’t given it to him.

Any other families using this for the loved one?