I've followed AE since my son was diagnosed at age 11. But joined the group now because I need ALL the help I can get. He's 15 now and a high school sophomore. This school year we switched him from a one-on-one for-profit school where he had been for 4 years, to a small private. (Classes sizes less than 10. Totally school about 70.) The main reason we moved him was extreme staff turn over. The for-profit treated their teachers horribly. Last year he had 6 different math teachers. Every time a teacher left, with them went the knowledge of how to best teach my boy. IF they had even been there long enough to figure out how to teach him in the first place. He started at this new school knowing almost all the teachers. They are the best and brightest from the old school. Unfortunately, the physical environment isn't particularly friendly to someone whose main sensory trigger is cacophony. On top of that, right after the school year started, he had to stop taking his anxiety medication due to serious health side effects. These factors combined with limited time outside the house during the pandemic has resulted in my boy's anxiety being out of control. He frequently can't bring himself to leave the house. I mean literally, he can't even walk the dog around the block. He hasn't been to school in over a month, and went infrequently before that. Last weekend he was supposed to spend one night at our new vacation home. He couldn't do it. He and his dad stayed home. He was supposed to see his therapist in-person twice this week. One appointment ended up being via Zoom because he couldn't go out. I know this is a horrible interplay between his general anxiety and his anxiety he will experience sensory overwhelm. I hate seeing my wonderful boy closed away from the world. I miss going places and doing things with him. I'm hoping by being here I can learn ways to help him cope with the overwhelm which keeps him in his room.

Posted by terner at 2022-02-27 03:11:36 UTC