Sunday, 02 May 2010

• He's Not Naughty, He's Got Autism

   
  
  

  The positive side of The Boy's recent run of extremely violent behaviour has been an influx of professional input to assist him. This has mainly consisted of an entirely new body of health professionals, none of whom I can praise highly enough.  Their contributions, although late, may well help "rescue" The Boy, and mean that he doesn't get lost in the system, which is a big fear of mine.
  
  The down side is that I have to drag myself along to meet new people, though this has not been a trial with the new set as all have been extremely positive about The Boy which has instantly endeared them to me.
  Today, I met with The Boy's speech and language therapist (SLT).
  
  SLT's play a huge role in helping autistic children, especially those with behavioural problems.  The poor behaviour generally stems because they either do not understand what they are doing, or they cannot express themselves.
  
  We know, for example, that a lot of The Boy's "acting out" is because he can't express himself.  Finally, the management within his school is also coming round to the idea that he isn't naughty though volition, it is because of his autism. 
  
  Whilst speaking with the SLT today, I am told that The Boy's comprehension skills are those of an 8-9 year old.  His reading skills match those of an average 11 year old.  His ability to express himself falls significantly lower than this, averaging at the 3-4 year old mark.
  
  Now that this has been established, the lightbulbs are starting to click on for those within his school.  They can finally see that it isn't insolence, it isn't a child that is naughty, rather a young disabled lad who cannot express his frustration at other's inability to understand him, thus he reacts in a way that warrants attention and questioning. 
  
  He can't say what wants as he literally does not have the expressive language to do so, nor the skill to construct the sentence, but he can provoke adults into questioning him until we hit the jackpot for the reasoning behind his behaviour.  Which shows exactly how clever the wee sausage is.
  
  A huge weight has been lifted for me.  Finally, what I have been maintaining for the longest time is being recognised - he's not naughty, he's got autism.

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