Hi there, let me introduce myself!!
I am the partner of someone that a lot of you may already know on the forum?? I am the partner of Pookie170! So, what's my story?? I first met herr a little over 4 years ago at a friends house at New Year! We met a few times over the next few months with us finally getting together around July of that year! I met Pookie170's eldest son a few weeks after that. Her youngest was only 2 at that point! Anyway, I found her eldest to be a normal, if slightly hyper, 6 year old kid! I was told he did have a spectrum disorder, which to be honest, I knew nothing about!! After having a few lengthy discussions about the subject, I started to understand a bit more about what was going on, what his schooling was about and who was all involved in his life! Let me tell you, it was a bit of a shocker still when I first witnessed him at his finest!! Being a relatively calm person at that point, I talked him down and tried to discuss with him what he was thinking and why he was doing what he was doing. I found it odd that his thoughts were very different to mine! It was then I really realised what it meant by Spectrum Disorder! Although so many people under this banner have very different ways of "expressing" themselves, or getting attention, most of the spectrum disorder people I have met do seem to have a central line of behavioural pattern.
When I met P170, I was unemployed and undergoing therapy and treatment for my depression and anxiety problems! She was at college studying Biology and the kids father had decided not to look after them during the week while she studied, so, I took over a lot of the childcare duties so she could remain at college. Most of my day was looking after a 2 year old boy who liked nothing more than to watch Button Moon or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, several times, and eat sausage sandwiches for lunch!! All day though, we were on edge, waiting for the phone to ring!! Was it the school again, sending him home for another disruptive day?? Had he assaulted another teacher? Although this still happens from time to time, things have really started again to settle down for him. With us now fighting to get him a good placement for secondary school and things looking positive, he has calmed down a lot and again, it's like having a different boy in the house. Things started to calm down initially when I moved into their home around two and a half years ago. I started work, the young one went off to school, the eldest moving from a couple of schools, getting settled, getting unsettled, me starting to attend school meetings, psychologist meetings and getting fully involved in the fight for secondary education, we are where we are now. There are still things that come to me as new, some things doing full circle and coming back again in behaviour and language. It seems like only a few months ago I first met them all. We are sitting this out until we get him where he needs to be! I am far more understanding about his condition and his behaviour but I still have a lot more to learn. That is why I am here!! I have heard Esther talk a lot about the forum and some of the advice she has had and given!! So, my advanced learning of spectrum disorders starts here. Hope to talk to you all soon.
Z65.
