emotional support

gbaker051289

Hi, i have a diagnosis of autism myself and my 11 year old son is currently being assessed, so he has undiagnosed autism. 

Lately, ive been finding iv'e simply 'had enough' of dealing with the issues we face on a daily basis. I think im facing a kind of burnout scenario. My son has his needs, he's abov aerage average in terms of his needs at his age and as his mother, i can honestly say i will always be there. I will always be the one, that will support him, fight for him, stand by him through everything he needs.

In the same breath, iv'e just had enough of it all. Im exhausted and i wake somedays, feeling so overwhelmed by our situation. 

I'm forever told by people i speak to, to take time out for myself, relax, have 5, but its easier said than done and i'm even finding it hard to find the time to do this. 

How do other parents/carers strike that balance, between supporting the child and supporting yourself? (its so hard and im really feeling it lately). 

Thanks all. 

chiarieds

HI @gbaker051289 - & welcome to the community, tho I'm sorry that I can't directly answer your query. I can only say, & hope it helps both yourself & son, that Scope offers some help. They have a programme called 'Navigate' that has helped many parents. Please see: https://www.scope.org.uk/family-services/navigate/ 

I do hope this may help, & you'd consider it. As a Mum I do know how much you fight for the best for your child/children.

As well as 'Navigate' please know that this community also offers support at all times...come here please at any time. We are here to listen or chat whenever you might need it. Thank you for joining this community.

poppy123456

HI and welcome,

Yes, i can certainly relate to this. Having been a single mum to 3 children (although all grown up now) my youngest will be 20 in less than 2 weeks and still lives at home. She has ASD and a learning disability and wasn't diagnosed until she was 17.

Having a disability myself with 3 children growing up, it wasn't an easy process and i had my hands full. My eldest daughter was and is my absolute rock and i have to admit if it wasn't for her i have no idea where i would be now and what i would have done. She's my world, my everything and my dearest best friend. She now has a son of her own and he's the apple of my eye! he's 9 months old now.

As for help, you can refer your son for a needs assessment and also refer yourself for a carers assessment and you can do this by contacting your local council Social Services department through these links.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/help-from-social-services-and-charities/getting-a-needs-assessment/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/support-and-benefits-for-carers/carer-assessments/

Under normal circumstances both assessments are usually completed in your own home but for obvious reasons this may not be possible at the moment. It maybe that the assessments will be completed through telephone calls. Not ideal but better than nothing.

I hope this helps.

Louise_Scope

@gbaker051289 - as well as the Navigate service, we also have our Parents Connect sessions starting up again this week. They are 6 week Zoom sessions where you can meet other parents of children with additional needs. We work on your own well-being and how to develop resilience when you're a parent of a child with needs. Please either follow this link: https://www.scope.org.uk/family-services/parents-connect/ or email us at parentsconnect@scope.org.uk

Take care
Louise
Team leader - Parents Connect

Ross_Alumni

Hello @gbaker051289 and welcome. 

I'm sorry to read that you're finding things a struggle at the moment, it must be hard. From my point of view though you seem to be doing a marvellous job. 

As mentioned above, the Parents Connect sessions might be of use to your situation so I would definitely recommend looking into those. Hopefully your son's assessment concludes soon and you get an outcome that you're hoping for, which will enable you to receive support.

janer1967

Hi and welcome from me too and hope you find some support from the community 

gbaker051289

thank you for your help/guidance. 
Really apprecited.