cazzap06

Ahhhh , thanks for all the support , it is so sweet that they end up hiding away when anxious , bless , am doing my best to UNDERSTAND my Grandson as I know it is hard for him to understand the world Just find it hard and upsetting that the world struggles to understand HIM as in we often get dirty looks as people think he is just being a 'naughty child' when really his distress in certain situations and places is part of his Autism He has enough difficulties to cope with as it is and manages well in his world and is actually a very happy bunny most of the time which is great!!! I was looking at 2nd hand Maclaren Elites on Ebay so will keep an eye on them in case they go for a decent price as they seem to have a huge amount of bidders , so obviously very much a need for them! I was thinking of getting him a music player for in the buggy to keep him calm or a hand held game as he may play up when having to get into it but reckon he will get used to it in no time as when on holiday he actually got used to being pushed around on the luggage trolley a few times and we did tell him off when he tried to get off it as we NEEDED to keep him on there sometimes just to simply ( and calmly ) get him from A-B and it is good he didn't object too much even without being strapped in in any way so am sure he will get used to the buggy just fine I am now inclined to totally ignore what the social worker says about it not being a good idea as for us as a family i believe it IS a VERY good idea and the only solution for keeping him safe and happy once he gets used to it ( again , bless , he hasn't been in a buggy for approx 2 years now as his street behaviour was fine between around 4-5 years old but now he is older he has developed different behaviour patterns which I know are due to his Autism so want to support him and his Mummy as much as possible and do whatever helps!!! )

That is SO lovely , those are the moments which make it all worthwhile and the moments which always will! x

My daughter is having an EXTREMELY hard time with my Grandson due to running off too , he just won't go in the direction they need to go in but wants to go in the totally opposite direction & refuses to move etc and then of course throws himself on the floor and has a wail etc So she then has to PICK HIM UP and carry him where she needs to go but he is nearly 6 and with a good appetite thankfully but he isn't tiny so it is not good for her back!!! She has a social worker and she broke down one time in front of her as it has now got to the point where we can't seem to take him ANYWHERE , not even to the local shop and getting him just from the school bus to home around the corner even is a nightmare He has a fascination with traffic lights which is so sweet but not when he is refusing to move from them or if they are in the opposite direction they need to go.. It is also becoming dangerous as he darts off into the road , won't hold our hands and is just generally wanting to do his own thing of course , not ours , even if it is for his own benefit eg take him swimming.. On holiday it was a NIGHTMARE getting him around , he refused to go into the swimming baths so my daughter ended up having to carry him in and then he enjoyed it so much that if we went anywhere near the pool he would stop and refuse to move because he wanted to go in after flatly refusing the first time of course lol but then we had trouble even walking past it... I have suggested a buggy for older children and my daughter agrees as it is becoming more and more unsafe and stressful even for little man , so she is looking into getting one from his OP as she cannot afford cabs everywhere which is the ONLY way of taking him out now! The social worker says ''no'' he will get too used to being in the buggy but I know how it is affecting us as a family and not even to be able to take him to the park etc like I used to is killing me , so we need a BUGGY!!!! The reigns didn't work and on holiday we ended up having to get a luggage trolley for him to sit in to take him from A-B which he 'sort of' got used to but yes he loves to run around but only where he wants to go not where we need to go lol A buggy for a while at least would solve the problem for us but her social worker is going to take her out and show her some 'tactics' in resolving this problem ..... If miracles happen , then I will believe it , but I just know a buggy would help and at the moment it has got to the point I don't care what ANYONE says I want to be able to take him out the way I used to and for my daughter to be able to get from A-B with him at least as it is at the point they are both HOUSE BOUND now! I am going to write to some charities on her behalf as it seems there is a long wait for one from the OP and it is getting dire now and we need one ASAP to improve the situation of getting him and all of us out and about together which I MISS and I know a buggy will bring improvement to our life!!!

WOW my Grandson has recently started being obsessed with turning on taps in the bathroom , when he disappears from the living room 9 times out of 10 now you can bet he is in the bathroom with the taps on and comes back with soaking wet sleeves I was worried he had an obsession with washing his hands but it seems he is fascinated with water , was wondering if it was just a faze as there are always 'new things' he is into and then sometimes just grows out of them and then on to his new thing I think tap locks would be an excellent idea if you can find them as 40-50 times a day is alot ( I think my Grandson does it about 4-5 times a day so it is manageable at present! ) xx

My Grandson hits himself with both hands sometimes too .... I don't know if I did the right thing even , but I said ''don't do that'' in a jokey voice so now whenever he does it he looks at me to say ''don't do that'' and then he laughs and stops but I don't want to make it into a game as such , but at least it stops him as it upsets me so much to see him do it and I think he knows Nanny doesn't want him to do that so it is nice to see him stop when he laughs about it and I hope he grows out of it too! xxx

A whole new world was opened up to me when my Grandson was diagnosed with Autism... At first I was shocked as I saw no real signs of it as I wasn't looking for any! lol But then when I came to terms with it I was mainly worried about his future which I still do but deep down I KNOW he will be okay I have come on here to express things I don't often get to express , which is the fact that my EYES HAVE BEEN OPENED to a whole ''different world'' which I wasn't part of and unfortunately didn't even understand before as I had never really been exposed to it , so everything carried on a certain way with nothing different and I brought up my 2 children with the usual milestones passed etc etc etc But then this bundle of HUGE and incredible joy was brought into my life and I now feel TRULY BLESSED to have him in my life and I feel so FORTUNATE to have him as he has changed and enriched my life in so many ways that nothing else could I don't know exactly what he has done to my heart apart from MELT it to absolute MUSH and make me realise what the word ADORE means but he is so sensitive , kind , astute and FULL of surprises every day I LOVE this journey I feel priviledged to be having with him , he is 5 years old by the way , nearly 6... He says a few words like 'orange' and 'water' and has just begun to put a few words together like ''see you soon'' when I am going home and today he took hold of my hand and said ''COME ON'' and I melted to mush once again!!! I do worry about him but he seems happy in general even with all his difficulties and frustrations and he has myclonic jerks and petite mals etc But I think and hope that with a loving family around him ( his Mum is a single Mum but she does SO well with him even though she often finds it hard which is why I am there for her as much as I can be and to be honest the longest I can stay away from my Grandson is two whole weeks and I am paying the bedroom tax so that he ALWAYS has a special room for himself at Nannys house ) and all I can say is OH WHAT A JOY it is to have him in the family! x