Standoff at the school gate...

Today our routine was altered as we left home to pick up two of K's friends to take them to school. Last friday he had a monumental meltdown when we dropped them back home after school and he couldn't go in to play. So this morning I thought that I would prep him early about picking them up in the morning and then dropping them home in the afternoon. There, my friends, began the negotiations...

"Can I go in to play at their house after school?"

"Not really mate, your sister has dance this afternoon"

"ARGH, I HATE going to dance! I don't want to go there and sit around and wait, I want to play at their house"

On and On it went until finally a compromise was reached. He can play for half an hour (while his sister goes to dance with another Mum) and then we will go there to pick her up at the end. This hopefully will be compromise enough for him.

So we pick the boys up from home and I pull into the drop off zone at school and out they jump. The boys run off and K drops his jacket. As he stops to pick it up they have run into the school without a backward glance.

There stood my son, looking at the school, looking back at me and then......eruption!

"I DON'T want to go to school today! this is a no school day for me! NO, I DON'T WANT TO GO!"

For 5 minutes I put him inside the gate only for him to exit it again screaming at me. Yelling things like, "I don't want to go to the DUMB school and learn the DUMB lessons" . Parents shuffled past us. Some hugging their children closer as they made a wide girth around us. One Mum offered to take him, tried to talk to him but he was too far gone, I thanked her for the offer as I struggled to hold him to me.

He threatened to run away. He got out of my grasp and he ran! I ran and caught him. I couldn't take the kids out of the car, his sister did not have socks on and brother no shoes. We were only meant to drop him off and then come home. So what could I do?

I took him to the car, we drove to the office and I got his teacher to come and get him. As she asked if he was ok I mentioned the threat of running away, I asked her to watch him today. He was never ever done anything like this before. Never tried to run away, never refused to go to school like this.

I have no idea what is going on with him. Perhaps it is the middle of the term and he is hitting his coping limit for school? I don't know, but I wish that someone would pass the manual this way so I could work it out! The recent increase and intensity of meltdowns/ tantrums and now threatening to run away.....what is next? :(

My son K was diagnosed with Aspergers middle of last year, he is 6 years old. We have been thrown into the deep end and some days it takes all of our energy just to stay afloat! . I'm Jen and my blog is Jemikaan!