How to support 6yo grandson on the spectrum
Follow-up to recent post about 6-year-old grandson's tantrums
I wrote BPN recently asking for advice about our 6-year-old grandson and his frequent meltdowns in the early evening. Our daughter has had him assessed, and he does seem to fit the template for mild autism. Moreover--and coincidentally--his father, her ex-, has volunteered that he's been looking into the possibility he himself is on the spectrum. Any recommendations about books and/or Web sites that would help me give them whatever support I can? (And many thanks to the three respondents for their wisdom and sympathy.)
Feb 27, 2022
Parent Replies
Hi, I am a mother to a 7 year old who is on the mild spectrum but also non-verbal. He was diagnosed at school and has an IEP since he was around 3. It would be great if the school he goes to provides the assessment if possible, but it sounds like it may not be affecting his behavior at school or his academics, so this could probably be why he has not been assessed.
What has worked for my son is being on a predictable schedule or routine. He doesn't have a lot of meltdowns, but when he does have them in them, it's because he is overtired. He wakes up at 6am to be picked up by the bus around 7, so he really needs to be in bed by around 8pm. If it's any later than that, he becomes irritable or starts crying.
I hope this helps some. Feel free to ask me any follow up questions.
First of all I commend you about reaching out for support. Meltdowns are hard regardless of the reason but dysregulation in autistic kids can be especially tough. I'm a clinician who does assessment and coaching for Autism Spectrum Disorder (www.riseabovepsychology.com) and some of the books and resources I recommend are: "It Takes A village: How to Build a Support System for your Exceptional Needs Family," "A Parent's Guide to High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder," and for her ex (the father) I would suggest "Aspergers and Adulthood: A Guide to Working, Loving, and Living with Asberger's Syndrome."