Any advice would be appreciated- global developmental delay

Cresama

My grandson is 5 was diagnosed with autism global developmental delay he was discharged from the paediatrition  on the day he was diagnosed. he attends a special needs school he is non verbal he attempts to escape constantly and runs away constantly to the extreme my daughter does not take him out. he has had an occupational therapist involved they have speacial locks on doors and windows a 3/4 door on the living room he is becoming more aggressive and hits out and screams when upset which is happening many times a day.my daughter has requested help from social services who say they can’t do anything my daughter also has 2 other children she has finally been referred back to a paediatrician to be seen in October but is at her witts end and doesn’t know where to turn to I have him as often as I can but don’t know what else I can do 

blitzy123

hi cresama 
i  have been thou this with   my son he is 16 now and he was the same way at 5 year old you need to get her  to request help from the disabilty soical worker team https://www.gov.uk/apply-needs-assessment-social-services i got turned down with my boy 3 times but u need to keep on at them. being at a special school teachers there can help you with this to. they can organize caf for the family this will help make sure everyone is working on same page these was a godsend for me his speech and language therapis  could help with this too and they can get her in touch with local groups for them to attend were u meet other parents who can also help by sharing experiences  and they do lots of activity  for the whole family. hopefully someone here can give you more advice   but after fighting for a social worker with my boy they helped alot an got a lot of help and support from other Agencies ..
let her know they are people to talk to when shes at her wits ends im sure we all been there n still get there at times   xx

Sam_Alumni

@AliceS has written for us before about her son who has global developmental delay. Alice do you have any thoughts?

AmyAspie

Running away is a coping method and if the locks are preventing that and there is no coping method to use instead then anger will be the result. Sensory objects, games, iPad etc could help to distract and cope. Any aggression and anger shouldn't be seen as misbehaving but as symptoms of not being able to cope. Find more things he likes and can take his attention as autistic people can have a hyperfocus on things that interest them. Speak to National Autistic Society for more advice

Sam_Alumni

@KellyParentAdvisor what do you think?

KellyParentAdvisor

@Cresama It's so hard to see our loved ones so frustrated and angry. I agree with @AmyAspie that your grandson needs somewhere to focus his energy. He sounds quite anxious, so this needs investigating further. You mention he's non-verbal -  how does he communicate? Does he use PECS? Or an AAC? If not, perhaps this could be looked into - he may be frustrated at not being able to communicate. As far as professional involvement, it's good that he's been referred back to the paediatrician, but maybe try again with Social Services, especially if there is a risk of violence towards other children in the home (don't worry, they'll help with this, not try anything scary!). Does he attend any respite sessions? Are there any local charities who can help? And what do school say? They should be working very closely with your family, but do they know the full story about his behaviour at home?