Disciplining Children-single Mom NEEDS help over the holiday

i hope i can give you a solid advice on that...i have dealt with difficult kids before but i haven't the slightest idea how to help you with Elijah...i know i shouldn't have answered this, but i just felt i would at the very least try... have you tried asking his pedia or an autism expert about this? maybe they can help you better...godluck though...and i wish you both a happy trip and a blessed holiday season!

What signs does he show that you think he might be Autistic? Never heard of the phrase "slightly Autistic"... As for your problems with him.... I would bring something he really enjoys or maybe a security blanket.... He's 5, so you could try talking to him at his level & let him know what you expect from him. I know that might not work, but sometimes they feel better when we get at their level & have a heart to heart. I would also involve him in things like helping with cooking maybe or taking the trash out or just something during Thanksgiving that he can feel involved... If you think it might be more kaos for him in the kitchen then maybe get a small gameboy or some book or puzzles for him to work on... Kids also get bored around this time when all the adults are talking & so on... so just something to keep his attention... after all you know him better then any of us, so you know what he likes & doens't... Good luck..

The spectrum of autism diagnostic is very wide. Your son does not display the commonly known classical sign of autism such as preference to be in his own little world, dislike of touching, inability to display affection... Still, if a change in routine even at this age is difficult for him to handle and he acts up as a result, he is indeed slightly autistic and has sensory issues. Now, please keep in mind that this time of the year kids that age have a lot of impressions to process. The holidays, Thanksgiving and then Christmas, bring with them a sense of excitement and anticipation. It's supposed to be a fun time, and a kid's idea of fun is usually loud activity. Consequently, pretty much every kid acts up one way or another. It's just hard for them to sit still and behave. Going to visit relatives adds to it. Often they get a bit afraid of what is going to happen, who they'll meet, especially, if more people come together including a couple of kids. Lots of stuff going on, it's loud, it's noisy, it's different, it's fun and a bit scary at the same time. And of course there is this new environment to explore, to run around in, things to climb on. I have three kids, ages seven and under. They rarely get to go to grandma's house, but when they get there, everything has to be investigated and examined... mommy and daddy are distracted, climb on this, run upstairs, let's do something forbidden... because they might not catch us, at the very least the punishment won't be as bad as at home... Long story short, pretty much every child has a tendency to misbehave a bit more. I assume, since you rarely see your dad, it's a bit of a trip to get there and even though you stick to your routine as much as you can, there are changes, and there is definitely one big change, the environment. There is really not much you can do about it but I also know that yelling doesn't do much but probably make matters worse for him. See in his condition, this is a major issue to go elsewhere, stay there for a week, and mommy is mad at him. I advice you, and I know it's hard, take a deep breath each time you feel the urge to yell at him, try your best to remain calm and to re-assure him that everything is alright. I don't know what you do to make him feel more at home. You might want to bring his bedding, some toys, something for him to feel more at home, something he can use to reassure him, something to hold on to. Maybe you can create a little play corner for him somewhere in the house. Because of his condition, it needs to be more than just the stuffed animal and/or blankie other kids usually take with them on a trip. Even though you probably like to visit with your dad a bit more, make sure to give your son extra time, an extra hug, an extra little bit of re-assurance. He desperately needs it. Just overall try to remain calm. You'll achieve more through that than yelling at him. And rest assured, most kids that age act up when visiting relatives, especially if it is a visit for a week.

I definently know what your going through I have a three year old little boy with autism. We've been tryin a new technique with him lately to try to help him control his need for outbreak. we bought him a little fold up papasian cars car and whenever he gets going out of control we sit him down in it and tell him he needs a calm down period. We make it very clear that he's not in trouble or in time out but he just needs to take a little rest. We've been seeing quite an improvement with it. At first there was some screaming which was expected but now as long as we stand in frount of the chair and talk to him he'll sit for a minute and then get up calmer. I hope this helps. Also i don't know if you know about this but it's worked wonders on my son and helps so much with his sensory but it's a net swing that hangs in your door frame, his OT brought it in one day and i had to have one it worked amazing to help calm him down. They say it's to help balance his sensory input. It's alittle expensive but well worth it cause they can use it for years and it really helps. its on on www.adaptivechild.com and its under movement in the shopping by category. It's called the rainy day indoor playground. Good Luck and if theres anything else i can do to help please let me know