Feeling overwhelmed and defeated
My 13-year-old adoptive son has been diagnosed with ADHD, level-1 autism and cPTSD. I spend soooo much time learning how to effectively parent him and searching for resources to help him. I live in a relatively underserved area and it’s nearly impossible to secure help from practitioners of any kind who work with autistic teens, though he sees a therapist (LCSW) weekly. I often feel like I’m screaming into the void. Every time I feel like we’re making forward progress, something major happens and it knocks the wind out of me. These cycles has me in a constant state of high anxiety and feeling isolated. Recently, I felt like we had a breakthrough in therapy only to come home and find that he had been burning random items in his bedroom. It was intentional because I found a blowtorch lighter and the fuel refill alongside charred paper, melted plastic, and an aluminum can with a hole burned through the center. I asked him if he was using the can to smoke weed, but I don’t think he was because it didn’t appear as though there was any residue on or around the can. Other major things have happened as well. He has stolen jewelry from my dresser drawers and denied it even though I later found the jewelry in his room. In my opinion, these behavioral issues show that he needs help that is beyond what I am capable of giving. But there is no help. I’m really scared he’s going to do something that will cause substantial longterm damage. I’m pretty freaked out about the fire starting evidence. I don’t even know why I’m writing this other than I need an outlet to vent and I have nowhere else to do that. Thank you for reading.