I have a special needs child and need help plz?

I have a special needs child, he has autism and epilepsy along with 8 other diagnosis. My question is we are having alot of behavioral issues with him. We have tried time outs, spanking, etc. We have also tried 123 magic and love and logic to no avail. We even had behavioral resource teams to come in and try and help but they even dont know what to do. Where can i turn? He is only 5 years old and is already out of control, i am scared of what he will be like at 10, 15. I dont want no one to get hurt or for him to hurt himself. My son does not feel pain and therefore is more aggressive than he realizes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answers:
Have you tried any Sensory Intergration work with him? (OT/PT) -- Children with autism have difficulty processing the world around them, and when they are frustrated, this can lead to lashing out and other behavior issues. The root is helping your son deal with frustration and other triggers in a more positive way, and doing OT/PT therapy with a person who is an expert not only with sensory integration but with Autism too, might help.

Depending on his level of autism, typical behavior mod (time out, even 123 Magic) might not phase him if he doesn't have a context to know what is "approved" behavior. This isn't to say that behavior mod can't work -- but you really need to understand what happens to put him over the edge, and see if something in his day to day life can't be changed a bit. For example, if he he has issues with transitions (even just to stop one activity to do something that is "expected" like dinner or leaving the house) -- giving him a signal (whatever would be most appropriate -- such as a timer) to let him know it's time to change what he is doing might help.

My son is not autistic, but does have some sensory integration issues (auditory processing, among others), and I've read a lot about SI since finding this out a year ago, and there is a lot out information out there about Autistic children having Sensory Integration issues (as well as children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD).

If I knew when he was 3 what I know now (he's 6), there would have been a lot of things I would have changed on how I dealt with him when he had issues (especially bath time with was an utter battle). We tried everything. If I had known that he had issues with sensory stimulation, I would have done things a lot differently.

i am reading a book called "the explosive child". it has a plan for dealing with hard to manage kids (like my son) but if your child has autism it will be more difficult for you. try to stay calm and positive, i know it's hard to have out of control kids.

More Questions & Answers...

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition.

I have a special needs child and need help plz?

Pregnancy & Parenting