Crying

Last week, during a fit of pique, The Boy threw a billiard boy at another child attending after school club. It is difficult to see how I am supposed to deal with the matter.


The other child isn't a "special" child like t'Midgets. He is, however, a total tosser.


The child concerned has been unkind to The Boy during lunch times at school. His brother has been mean to The Lidster, behaviour that The Boy will not tolerate (for only he can be mean to his sister).

Time and again, I am explaining the same things to the same people within the education and childcare fields. I am repeatedly admonished for not having "faith" in their abilities to handle The Boy's behavioural quirks, however they consistently forget that the rules that they like to impose don't work for everyone.

Three weeks ago, I gawped open mouthed at a teaching assistant who punished The Boy by both telling him off and sending him to the end of a queue to start queueing again when we all know how very good ASD children are at waiting.

I have had to explain that the reason his handwriting is so "poor" is because he does not possess the fine motor skills needed to make it "readable".

Sometimes, trying to explain the huge field of autism is emotionally draining, not because you need to explain it, but because you need to say the same thing constantly to the same people, and still they can't grasp the sensitivity your child has because of their disability.

I have even purchased and supplied the school with headphones to help The Boy manage the amount of distress he is caused by noise sensitivity (though he is not allowed to wear the sunglasses provided for his light sensitivity).

I have passed them book after book, articles and information, practical advice, given them my time and energy, and yet I am still getting nowhere with them.

Then, this week, I found the answer.

Tears. Lots of them. Burst into tears, keep a managed voice and point out, consistently, that whomever you are talking to doesn't understand and that no, you wouldn't behave in the same way as the mother of your son's alleged victim would (that is to shout loudly at you as you entered the childcare facility that your son had "attacked" her son), you would be understanding as you have previously demonstrated when your son was bullied by her child.

This coming week, I have a meeting with The Boy's headmistress. Seeing as my tearful outburst was successful, I am tempted to try it again.

Remind me to apply a hearty dose of Vick's vapour rub to my hanky for that crucial moment...