The title of this post, does not even begin to explain the stress this last week has brought. You see it was the first week that R*** has been at his new place. Now I don’t know what you would call what he is doing now. It’s not a school, and it’s not what you would call a college. It’s……… a placement, is probably the best description. He is going five days a week, fifty weeks a year. He is going to be doing things like dance, walking, rebound, shopping and swimming. There are other things he will be doing, but you get the idea.

      Well, we purposely did not tell him what was happening until late on Sunday. He would have got very stressed about it if we had said anything before. Mrs H had explained where and when he was going, and what he was going to be doing. He appeared to be very calm about it all, and on the Monday morning went off without much fuss. The information in his communication book was very positive, and it seemed he had had a very good first day.

     The problems started around half past nine. He began his ‘no’ routine. This is where he will say no to everything. So we got ‘no H***** on Tuesday’ continuously for about an hour and a half. K*** and his brother S**** eventually managed to calm him down, with a little help from his medication, and get him into his bed by about eleven thirty or so. Then at around half past midnight,it started again, only more intensively. K*** told me on Tuesday, that it had been around half past three, before he went to sleep.

     He went off on Tuesday morning, without the fuss we were expecting. I had gone into work late to help with him, as S**** was on an early shift. However, they had had a problem with him in the afternoon, when he wanted to come home. We had a big problem in the evening, when he got really upset. Sobbing and wailing, like we had never heard before. He eventually calmed down, and the rest of the evening went quite well.

     Wednesday morning came, and K*** said he had been fine. No problems at all. The communication book said he had had a great day, and the transport team said he had been the best ever. Thursday morning, I went in late again, so was able to help get him off. Only once did he say “No H*****”, but he went off without a problem. Not smiling, but calm enough. Friday went very well. There had been a few staffing issues, and a delay on the motorway, but he was smiling when got got out of the taxi, so all was good.

     He is now having his “two days off”, as I call them, and he knows that on Monday, he is going to H***** again. It appears that we may have got it right, with our approach. Of course, we have had the usual issues with him … the random stress … the unexpected anger … the unexplained pain he appears to have at tea time, but we are used to that, and although it is hard, we cope. I have just heard K*** talking about where he is going on Monday, and it seems to be very calm and serene.

     K*** will be on her own with him on Monday . S**** is at work for seven, and I have a meeting at nine. However, going on the way he has been for the last two days, it looks like she may not have too much of a problem. That is providing she can get him out of bed !!!