It's the 1st of September and we brought it in with a day full of manipulation and tantrums.
Gavin is extremely manipulative. Ask any parent with a child that has reactive attachment disorder or conduct disorder and they will likely tell of a similar story.
I'm just going to focus on the most recent events. They start off with Gavin caught trying to manipulate Elliott into wanting to play video games. As you know, Gavin is not allowed to play video games very often, because he gets too upset and he also has epilepsy, so that's a concern as well.
On occasion, we allow him to help his brothers while they are playing a game. This allows Gavin to play, but in a limited capacity. This is one of those things that you will just have to accept, is in place for good reason.
What Gavin was trying to do was convince Elliott to play Super Mario Sunshine. The moment that Elliott would decide to play, Gavin would come running down the steps and ask if he could help Elliott.
Unfortunately, this happens all too often.
Usually, Elliott picks up in this and will come tell us. However, Gavin has been improving his manipulative skill and so Elliott doesn't always catch on right away.
When we realized what was happening, I called Gavin down, in order to speak with him about this.
I asked him what had happened. Gavin has a *tell*, and it's most obvious when he's been caught red handed. He will begin trying to break his fingers by bending them all the way back son that they touch the top of his hand. He will also start twisting his legs and become all tensed up.
This is how we know for sure what happened. I told Gavin that he is not allowed to manipulate or *trick* his brothers or anyone else into doing something that he wants them to do.
I informed him that he would be losing his choice for dinner tonight.
Upon hearing those words, Gavin in had a huge tantrum. Granted, we seen much worse but it was enough to send the boys running and shake the house.
It just so happened that I was too tired to cook tonight so we were having Little Caesars $5 pizzas for dinner. As soon as he realized that, he really let loose.
However, at any point, I was able to ask him what his heart rate was and he would stop and check his watch. After telling me, he would go right back to throwing a fit.
He began the day with problems and ended it the same way. I'm always saddened when this happens because it's like he's lost an entire day of his life. I realize that it's a direct result of the choices he makes but still, it sucks.
*This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsungs Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me.*
*Please join our Autism Help Forums*
*Look for "Autism Help" app at the Google Play Store*
