Overall, my classic autistic son is a happy kid, but his first real burst of anger was terrifying.

This is where having a good state case worker can be a godsend. Adjusting and learning how to handle classic autism took time because, initially, there was really no one to talk to. There are great support groups, but none really resonated with me. So, let me share about that first burst of anger and how I dealt with it.

I could see the frustration building in him, and he must have only been around three years old. He was trying to communicate, and we were trying to figure out what he needed. I’m sure he could sense our frustration as well. And then, it happened—he kicked the wall, and suddenly there was a hole. Then he threw a heavy coaster, and there went a window (thankfully, it wasn’t winter).

At this point, I took him to his room, closed the door, and waited, showing no emotion, no reaction. Soon enough, he came to me and laid on my lap. I have no idea how long we sat there, but you could tell every circuit in his brain had fired off, and he was totally spent. We got past that moment, but now I had a broken window and a hole in the wall. We also realized he would throw items when frustrated. He was already prone to bolting, so our house was like a mini-prison to keep him from opening doors and trying to run away (that’s another story).

I don’t recall how our case worker got involved, but when she heard about the broken windows, she was amazing. She recognized this as a safety issue. My wife and I were worried about what would happen next. To our surprise, they came in and replaced all the windows with thick tempered glass, added special coating for privacy since we could no longer have curtains, changed the lights in his room to ceiling-mounted fixtures, and even waterproofed the bathroom because he had caused some flooding. We were forever grateful.

This is what I mean about having a great case worker. They can make a huge difference in managing safety and providing the support needed to create a secure environment for your child. I will have many more examples to share, highlighting the invaluable assistance we’ve received.