Our Aspergers Teenage Boy

Dad reports:
Tommy home from school at 11:30.

Dad reports:

Dad reports:
Tommy said something this morning that I think says a lot about the way his mind works and his reality. I overslept so instead of waking him at 5:30 for medicine and then getting him out of bed at 6am I woke him at 6:10 for medicine and simultaneously made him get out of bed.

His words: “I wish you wouldn’t always get me up at the same time you give me my medicine.”
I very rarely, maybe 3 times this whole school year, get him out of bed at the same time I give him his medicine. Usually its 20-30 minutes later.

Dad reports:
Tommy’s bus shows up and he hussles out the door rapidly carrying something in his left hand. I almost let it go but it looked like a brief case. I follow him out to the bus and he quickly tucks the package into his seat but gives it up when asked about it. He says, “It’s my books.” So I open it to discover all his Dungeons and Dragons books. He yells “arrrgh!” Then grunts and hits the seats and repeats over and over “nehhh! neeeyeah neehh neehh”

I tell the bus driver that if he keeps it up just to bring him back.

Good luck Tommy!

Dad reports this morning:
Last night when I told Tommy to go to bed he got mad and said, “I haven’t fallen asleep in school for 2 days. Give me 30 more minutes.” Granted I’m now sending him to his room to read at 6:30 and taking his glasses with lights out at 7:30pm. He knows the other kids are up but while he is still sleeping in English class and sneaking around at night it has to happen.

So Tommy goes in his room and declares, “I won’t go to sleep until 9 oclock!” Ding. His vision isn’t so bad that he can’t read the bright numbers of his led. I walk in and unplug the clock and Tommy cries out and screams. I give him a few minutes and ask him to lie down and he barks “I will not. I am staying up until 9!” After arguing this a bit I grab his ankles and pull him into a lying position. He screams that I am hurting him. I put a pillow under his head and he stays in that position.

I leave for a client emergency and unbeknownst to Tommy, Mom is in the kitchen when he wanders in seeking food. He tries to cover it with a hug.

I return home at 11:30pm and Tommy is asleep or pretending to be asleep pretty well. I check on him again at 1am. Same.

This morning:
I overslept to at 6:10 I give Tommy his medicine at the same time making him go to the couch in the living room.
T: “I didn’t get enough sleep.”
D: “Need me to send you to be earlier?”
T: “I’ll fall asleep at the same time no matter what time you send me to bed.”
After a bit of asking him to get dressed things deterioate into screaming from Tommy and screaming back from me. Whenever I stand in front of him (say 3-6 feet) to make eye contact and try to lower the tone he jumps away from me and yells “stop getting in my face! You are scaring me!” By this point I have once shoved Tommy to get him off the couch so he is lying fetal on the floor screaming. I tell him to get out on the porch and he curls up into a tighter ball. Noah is over on the couch hugging Amy to comfort her and himself.

Needing Tommy to quit screaming or go outside I’m desperate for anything. I try the squirt bottle and it moves him around on the floor. I consider using it to drive to drive him like a legless cow out the door but decide this is pointless and making things worse. Need to bulldose through this one. I ask Tommy to stand up; he curls up. I grab him under his arms and using his waist strap (he translates this to “you gave me a weggie!”) use my 170 pounds to drag his 227 pounds to a standing position. I try a new approach this morning and pull his arm around his backside so I can movitate and steer him. Outside he wakes the neighbors and I expect a call or visit from the police.

Tommy calms enough that I bring him in. By this time Mom is up on the couch to referee. I offer to go downstairs to get Tommy’s pants and he yells “stop it!” The screaming persists. The dog gets so scared that she runs into Tommy’s room and pees a gallon soaking his only coat and his chess set. This causes hysteria. He starts to clean it up and I take over so he can get dressed. Instead he sits on his bed and sits and sits while Mom and I have a talk with Noah.

D: “Do I hurt Tommy?”
N: “Yes, He said you threw something on his head.” (I had thrown a towel at him during one of his more insulting outbursts)
We talk to Noah about what is going on and finally Mom asks “Do you think Tommy is back there getting dressed or sitting there? He has had time to get dressed and undressed and dressed again.” Tommy hollers “I’m getting dressed.”

In the end after some more hysterics over Tommy’s spilled breakfast he finally calms. He starts talking nice, calm, mannered and socially.

Is this a routine that he has to do out of habit?