In the Trenches…
I (31 F) and my husband (29 M) have two kids: (4 F) and (1 M). We are both AuDHD, our 4 y/o is nonverbal and autistic, and I’m not sure about our 1 y/o yet. As far as I’ve seen, he’s the most NT of us all.
Anyways my 4 y/o has recently hit a point of being, for lack of a better term, a terror. Staying in the comfort of our home? Horrible. Screams for hours. Grows bored so fast. Take her out to do anything? Screams the whole time. Can’t go to a store, out to eat, or anywhere without her flopping, crying, and hitting/biting herself/us. The only activities she enjoys are where she can sprint around and jump around. We live in Texas, so the heat is awful and parks are not doable most of the day.
She can’t/doesn’t speak or sign, won’t use an AAC or PEC board, and isn’t potty trained or meeting any 4 y/o milestones. It’s like having 1 y/o twins between her and her brother.
We’ve left her with her grandmother to go do things with our youngest, and I feel guilty. Then we try to take her out and I instantly regret it. She’s in ABA, OT, speech therapy, and we’ve designed our entire house to be a sensory seeking kid’s dream—swings, trampolines, every sensory toy on the block.
I’m deep in the trenches right now and so resentful, especially on long holiday weekends like this past weekend. What I wouldn’t give to just be able to go out without a meltdown…does it get better? Does anyone have any tips or tricks?