Wow!!
You've got Ryan nailed.
The cabinet that he gets into is padlocked with a keyed padlock ... he just takes the hinges off ... which we only discovered when Zack picked up a screwdriver and said (talking to himself) "Thanks Ryan, for the great idea!" And began working at one of the screws. Sometimes even inadvertant ratting out is helpful ... though, I don't know what else we can do ... our closets in this apartment don't have doors, and we are very limited in what we are allowed to do to alter the structure of the building ... including things like doorknobs and such. There is an agency affiliated with Community Resources for People with Autism called Adaptive Design. Once upon a time they build special keyed locks for my refrigerator, when my then eight year old autistic son was accidentally shutting his toddler brother into the fridge (because he didn't notice him following him around like a lost puppy.) I am thinking of calling them in and asking what, if anything, they can do to Ryan proof the house.
The computer thing was partially my fault, as I'd left it out after taking it from Alex, along with Alex's tv remote and DS. The DS was appropriated by Ryan, and the computer screen cracked. Poor Alex is going to be devastated.
I called the psychiatrists office back and let them know that for the time being if all they have are outservice clinicians then we are willing to start with that and then move to clinic based therapy when it becomes available. It isn't something we can really wait for anymore. There seems to be a glut of special needs children in our area, leading to long waiting lists and a lot of "we are not accepting new patients at this time." So, it's been a long process.
We have had similar problems with Ryan stealing at school and at grandparents and family friend's houses. We can't even let him go to birthday parties and such that friends from school invite him to, because his behavior cannot be guaranteed. I'm sure this only re-inforces his feelings of isolation and stuff ... but we're at a loss as to how to help him.
We don't want Ryan to grow up and be unable to function in the world. Worse, we DO NOT want Ryan to end up involved in the wrong end of the justice system.
Any more advice would be greatly appreciated. At this point, Ryan's difficulties are top priority for us. Having so many special kids, it's sometimes hard to coordinate services and time that has to be devoted to each special child.
Trust me, a friendly word here and there is a GREAT help.
Thanks again for replying ... we both appreciate it.
