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Dad reports:
The Vols were losing and Tommy was becoming surly. The stress of the game left no room for Tommy’s insolence and the exchange with the grandparents was arranged. Swap one surly Tommy for three jolly youngsters. The grandmother left the house with the wrong keys so in the driveway Tommy became further enraged and slammed his fist on his grandfather’s company car.
Tommy is so angry lately. Even talking calmly to him will set him off. If he suspects you are going to confront him before you even get your first word out he will whine “Why do you do this to me? You are going to make me yell! It’s your fault!”
Mom and I were considering an evening like last week where the three of us enjoyed a dinner together but before we were to the restaurant and before we were half way home Tommy was already talking rude to us, yelling, arguing and accusing us of ridiculousness. Mom finally through up her hands in frustration and said Tommy was just to stay in his room tonight as she didn’t want to be accosted by him. We later allowed him to come out to watch James Bond’s Thunderball. Tommy adores James Bond movies. They relax him, focus him and calm him. Now as I say that he sits on the floor rocking back and forth rapidly in one of the most autistic behaviors he has ever exhibited. A reminder and he stops. He moves to a chair and finds stillness.
His lastest “twitch”/self-stim is a loud cough. When confronted he says, “I’m not sick. I’m clearing my throat. I’m doing it on purpose.” Then he is lectured on the inappropriateness of the cough and he says he “can’t help it.”
I want Tommy to want to try. He has the control and ability to do better than he is but he seems to choose not to try.