mmynedshlp

ok a little about me....

I am a step mom of and 11 year and a mom to a three year old and according to my counselor a mom to my husband. We have been in family counseling for a while now. During that time I found out my little girl may have autism, She is only suspected as now because they have informed they will not diagnose her until they can see her in the fall. She says one word sentances and when she does try to day more its all garbled.
Nothing is safe in my home and my family doesn not get the concept of that. Making not safe for my three year old who has the best problem solving skills i have ever seen. For her having special needs I sometimes believe her to be way smarter than anyone in this house or way more daring. She has no concept of falling or anything. Love and logic has just become dangerous because even if allow her to get hurt once it does not sink in to her head and she just continues to do it more. the only one she ever caught onto was hot. Now the oven is hot so is the microwave and anything else that heats something is called hot. She doesnt get the concept that cars are dangerous and we do not run in front of them. She will not put on her coat when its cold or her clothes. No matter how cold it is she refuses to go into the house and will kick us cry the whole way into the house when we take her in to dress her. ( she does calm down though once she is dressed and can run back outside again)
Anyways I can not keep up with her. I have no idea where she gets the enery and my house is a disaster and even when we put things out of her reach she gets it. I am hoping there is a way where I do not have to live with padlocks on every cabinet. ( we had a refrigerater lock and my three year old tore it off) We rent our home so the things we can do is kind of limmited.
I keep telling my husband I need a break but I dont think he understands because even when he gets home he still expects to watch her and I mean watch her because if you leave her alone for a second she has climbed over baby gates or what ever and is already into something else.
Let me tell you she has no interest any toys whatsoever. My familyis no help at all leaving stuff out all the time like pens and pencils and papers they dont want damaged. finger nail polish, There goodies on top of the fridge, ( oh yah that is where i find her every morning on top of the fridge eating what ever was hidden there my stupid family after a year still has not figured out it is not safe up there)
i cant take a shower or use the bathroom or do dishes or anything without her getting into something and making my day so much longer or my house destroyed. I am scared to death that even though I am trying to do my hardest and my best that OCS wont care and come in and take her away after taking her to the doctor and calling poison control so many times. I do have stuff locked up but again my family just doesnt understand and I can not watch all of them at once to know who got what out and didnt put it away. I am exhausted and about ready to take my three year old and move away from them. I dont think I could handle not having the 15 minute break to take a shower though. ( which by the way i come back and find they have all zoned into the tv except for the three year old who was destroying the kitchen or bringing all her stuff out of her room down to the living room.)
Please help! I have taken parenting classes, have a peer navigator, and have a family counselor, I am so very frusterated and need some relief so bad. Any ideas? or tips?

sensoryintegrat

It sounds like you have a lot going on.

The key thing is to build yourself a support network for yourself and your family, which is sounds like you are doing. The sooner you can get help for your child, and possibly a diagnosis of some sort, the sooner you can start putting a team together (speech, behavior therapy, etc.), and the sooner you can start having people who can get to know your family and give you some suggestions.

Good Luck and feel free to check out my homepage for resources.

Jessica
Home

Xero

Wow I'm so sorry... That sounds really hard. My one friend's mom had three autistic little boys under the age of 5 that were a lot like that. She had two living rooms kind of and she completely crazy-kid-proofed one of them and made it so that they couldn't get out and filled it with toys and the tv or whatever and they usually did ok in there for the most part. If they got out though.... Watch out!! =) Yeah so, I don't know, but maybe if you find a room that's out of the way but still under supervision that you can kid proof and designate it so that everyone knows to keep stuff out of it, maybe that might work. If you used an extra tall gate. It worked for her, so maybe?

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Mindy

I agree with Jessica.

I think it's possible your child may need some sensory integration therapy. Maybe if you google "sensory integration" you can see if those symptoms match your daughters. But from what you are saying about her not noticing cold, or being hurt, it really sounds possible. She may also be on the autism spectrum, but that's a complicated diagnosis. I wish you the best of luck anyway.

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"Someday, maybe, there will exist a well-informed, well considered and yet fervent public conviction that the most deadly of all possible sins is the mutilation of a child’s spirit.”

Dr. Erik Erikson