Time to Share

Its been a very, very long time since I posted. I stopped because life got so darn busy. But I need a place to vent, a place to yell, scream and cry. I also need a place to smile and laugh, there hasn't been a whole lot of that lately.

The tone of this blog is going to move more away from family in general and more onto how we, as a family, are handling Aiden's diagnosis.

Nearly six years ago, Aiden was diagnosed with Aspergers. For us, that meant just changing a few things and learning new ways to deal with Aidens "issues".

Around a month ago, our world exploded. There is no other way to put it or even to sugarcoat it. The wheels fell of everything and we have been left with an angry, hurt, defiant young man. Aiden won't work at school, Aiden won't work at home. Aiden will only do what Aiden wants to do and pulling him up on it results in screaming, crying and anger...such anger. Aidens hormones are going riot, taking him with them.

I started by running interventions. Stepping in between him and all that was making him angry. I fronted the school to talk about his Education Plan. His teachers weren't following it. No-one was checking his homework diary, no-one was sending me assignments. No-one was there for my boy. He was slipping through the cracks and no-one could see that.

I tried as hard as I could to keep him on task, to keep him focused, to work on his assignments with him. At one point he had five assignments all due within a two week period. I was exhausted and frustrated, Aiden was exhausted and frustrated and something had to give.

It all came to a massive head yesterday when he flipped out over being asked to do his chores. He was screaming at the top of his lungs that we were treating him like a slave. I found him facedown on his bed screaming with anger and frustration into his pillow.

I broke.

I rang my very good friend Trace. She is the mum to two special needs kids, one with Aspergers and one with ADHD. I sobbed into the phone, telling her all that was happening and what could I do? Trace was amazing and talked me down from that high, sad, lonely place I was in. We have a plan in place. There is light at the end of the tunnel and it isn't a train.

So yesterday I contacted Aidens support teacher and informed he that he had to organise a meeting with ALL of his teachers because we were in a really bad place and needed everyone to be on board. Today, I rang his paediatrician to make a follow up appointment with him. He also referred me to a psychologist not far from where I live.  My husband brought Aiden a punching bag to work out his frustrations.

I'm hoping we are working toward a calmer, happier boy. My fingers are crossed.

Cin