Single Moms Raising Autistic Sons


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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Whining and Not Being a Good Listener

Griffin is having a hard time today and I cannot get him out of the house to go out to play. I have been getting frustrated with him because he is being so whiny and it is driving me nuts! So he isn't just throwing tantrums but also putting on the tears and yelling at me and giving me orders. I have tried every approach that I know and nothing is working. I have tried the time out approach, being firm and taking away his toys and computer time, being gentle and explaining things to him and giving him a time limit before it is time to go and NONE of these worked. I am at my wits end and sure could use some support, some suggestions at this point in time.

I have even offered to take him to one of his favorite stores just to look around and he said yes once but after that it didn't interest him at all. Please help with any suggestions you might have. I am so very eager to speak to the child behavior expert soon so that I can learn some techniques other than what I have tried.

I woke up at 3:00, 5:00, and at 6:00 this morning and I cannot figure out why I keep waking up. There are times when I get up and eat or do something and when I wake in the morning I find things open or moved that I do not remember doing at all! I once woke up and left the water running in the sink.....thank goodness the drain was open so it didn't get all over the floor. My therapist tells me that it is quite common amongst PTSD survivors to not be aware of what they are doing in the middle of the night, she told me that it has to do with the disassociation that the survivors experience during waking and sleeping hours. All I know is that I have got to stop eating late into the night or I am going to have to buy a whole bunch of new pants.

Ta ta for now, don't forget to laugh whenever the opportunity presents itself!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

With all of the stresses in your life right now, it's no wonder you find yourself waking up several times. It doesn't help control the behavior but I believe you correctly said Griffin is reacting to disruptions in his routine and is really missing your parents so here's hoping and praying they are able to return home soon.

kristi said...

Lora, TC has many days like this! He really likes to aggravate and "play fight" but he gets too rough and ends up hurting either me or Sara. Usually , I try to let him draw or we crank up the music and dance to get some energy out.