We have always felt that Ethan has coped quite well with every situation we have put him it. He has never been overwhelmed by supermarkets or larger groups of people. We have taken him on days out, to see shows and we regularly visit the zoo.
I have worried that sometimes we push him too much but we have been told that it is good as we are exposing him to different situations.
Recently we think that Ethan is starting to experience sensory overload.
We noticed it for the first time when we visited Smyths Toy Store last weekend. As the shop is still very new there were quite a few people in there but we didn’t think this was a problem. Ethan was quite happy testing out all of the toys that flashed and played music as we walked slowly up and down the aisles.
Ethan suddenly looked very pale and very tired. Worried that he wasn’t feeling very well we decided it would be best to leave and go home. Ethan was fine as soon as we got into the car and back home.
This also happened on Friday when we took him to the his nursery to have his photograph taken and then to the supermarket.
Yesterday we were invited to a birthday lunch and we thought Ethan was doing really well. He had a little cry in the garden but we thought that was because the other children were playing together and he didn’t know what to do in the situation. It wasn’t long before Ethan started to look very tired so we took him upstairs for a little time out. He soon perked up so we took him back downstairs. It wasn’t long before he was looking very tired again and started saying bye. At this point we thought it was time that we should leave. It was a shame as we were not there long, and didn’t get time to catch up with everyone but we have to put Ethan’s needs first.
As Ethan grows, like all of us, he will change. We are wondering if this is a new side to his autism.
As always I have to try to see a positive in the negative. I was wondering if perhaps Ethan is now taking his surroundings in more than ever before and his little brain is working overtime. This may mean that in future our outings will have to be short and sweet.
This changes month by month for Toby. One week he can cope and the next he’s having really bad tantrums in the supermarket. We constantly are reassessing and changing our tactics, it can be so tiring. Lately he has started acting up when we see kids outside at the shops. He flew at one boy who was playing with a Halloween toy in a rage and I had to grab him – I’m wondering if this is b/c of sensory overload and the noise and unpredictability of children just pushes him over the edge. He’s fine with kids at preschool or if we visit anyone.