I've asked questions many times before regarding my 3 year old son, only to be told he needs more attention.
I'm not saying you were all wrong but I've since found asking advice from strangers in this forum can sometimes be unhelpful as I read advice feeling like a failure as a parent.
I gave my son heaps of attention but this wasn't the problem. He hurt his little sister constantly and the situation never improved with more attention as advised.
My son has since been diagnosed with ASD.
While these forums are helpful in a general nature, I delayed getting help for my son because the advice I received from this forum and other people in general was that I was failing to give him attention.
I urge anyone who may be in a similar situation to me to please look at the key warning signs for ASD. It's so common these days and I think should be investigated FIRST before looking for other problems.
The result is in, he doesn't need attention, he has Autism.
The result is in, he doesn't need attention, he has Autism.
Posted in:
Mental Health, Parenthood Guilt, Health & Wellbeing, Behaviour, Aspergers & Autism
4 Replies
I dont think these forums are unhelpful at all. We are not doctors and if your child is having behavioural issues then we can only give advice based on our own parenting experiences. We aren't medical proffessionals and so I always say take the advice with a grain of salt and see your doctor if you are still concerned.
When I give advise regarding child behaviour 99.9% of the time I advise the parent to speak to a GP for a paediatricians appointment but in the meantime to try x/y/z. I work with kids with autism and in fact I write behavioural intervention programs for kids with autism. No parenting forum should replace advice given from a professional who has met your child. We can't see your child can only go on what the person writing on says.
It doesn't get better with a diagnosis sadly. People still have an attitude regarding how you are with your child or the way your child behaves. There is a woman at my work who is particularly bad who thinks she's an expert because she worked with an Autistic child on weekends. As if she knows everything due to spending days in a controlled environment with the child. I have spent 8 years with my child on ASD and she was an expert after 2 months:/ even in public you cop it but you get use to it. If it affects you make sure you join support groups:)
It's good you got an answer at last. Welcome to the interesting journey that is ASD. Once you come to grips with it and start getting some help, things will gradually improve. There will be good and bad days, but know you are not alone. There are various support groups out there, both online and in the real world. BIG HUGS xxx