frustration

Hi, my name is Sheena, and I am a mother of an autistic child. My son Michael is three years old.He was diagnosed autistic at 23 months old. I guess I always knew something was different, but just didin't want to admit it. Michael does not talk at all, nor can he follow diection. Michael stays so frustrated

almost everyday he acts as if he is on the verge of having a nervous break down. Now of course he has his good moments but it doesn't take much to get him right back to that point. Michael is unable to ask me when he wants something, though he knows exactly what he wants. He drags me and his father around the house untill we figure out what it is that he wants, but sometimes he wants something that he don't know where is, or its up high or in a cabinet where he can't put my hand on it. So now we're all over the house trying to find that one thing that he want's all the while he is screaming and tantruming and this does not end untill you figure out what it is that he wants. Michael is going through therapy twice a week.. speech therapy, and occupational therapy. He has came to a stand still and want participate with his therapists, and I believe that it is because he is so frustrated because their making him do things that he doesnt understand and that he cant do. which Obviously thats whats going to help him. But my question is.. Is there anything I can do to help him not be so severly frustrated?

Hi Sheena, and welcome to IAN.

I'm sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time with your son right now. It is incredibly challenging when communication is a problem and meltdowns are frequent. It sounds like you have some good interventions in place to help, as far as speech and OT, already. You may also want to explore what more you can address through your local Early Intervention program (or the school district, once your child is older than 3), or even privately. For example, most programs for young children with autism include a large behavioral component. This is to help with all kinds of skills, including asking for what the child needs in a constructive way (not through a tantrum). Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is one type of program that does this. Early behavioral intervention is probably the best known approach to helping young children with autism, and a great deal of research supports its effectiveness. See: http://iancommunity.org/cs/what_do_we_know/educational_and_behavioral_therapies

Often, behavioral techniques are combined with a relationship-based approach, where the therapist/teacher/parent follows the child's lead to "enter their world" and engage them socially. For a description of some major early intervention programs, which should give you a good idea of the types of things that are usually included, see this excerpt from "Educating Children with Autism": http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10017&page=142

(This is actually an online book, and you'll need to click the "right arrows" to turn the pages.)