So we rearranged difficult child's room, he was moved out of the one he shared with 19 yo brother and into his own with new laminate flooring, and a new desk. He got his box spring back, but not his mattress. (older brother doesn't want to share room with him and has been sleeping on couch for the last year or so).
Friday he poured syrup all over the pantry while doing dishes. I was in the room but not watching. Saturday he poured canola oil all over the pantry. He was out front washing the car and snuck in while husband and I were moving furniture into his new room.
His sister's DS is missing again and some money, and he had half days on Thursday and Wednesday and didn't tell anyone (nor did the school, we can't wait for this school year to end), so the driver dropped him off to an empty house and things are missing.
Sunday he made a map of his room of all the secret hiding places, there's only under the bed and the desk. And then he squeezed himself into the part of the desk that is meant for the computer tower. It's approx 12" x 18" x 24". He's 12 and 84 lbs and 74 inches tall. We live in south FL and our airconditioning went out and it was 94 degrees. husband made him come out, told him to stop it, and as soon as husband left, difficult child squeezed back into the desk. He was there about 10 hours.
Monday he stayed out of the desk. Today before dinner he went into the desk, but since dinner he hasn't.
Should we take the desk out of the room or is this some of his weird attention seeking behavior that will go away on it's own. Prior examples are the year and a half he spent all his leisure time standing at attention next to the shed, not moving, staring blankly--but oddly enough completely aware of his surroundings. If you called, "difficult child, come here." He'd call back, "OK!" and come running cheerfully to you. But he'd stand for hours without moving. That lasted a year and a half. It was extremely unnerving.
Then he stopped that spontaneously and took up standing in the middle of his bedroom at night, facing a wall in the dark, standing still until he collapsed on the floor at 3 or 4 am. (This is what drove his brother out of the room). If you went in and made him get into bed, he'd pop out as soon as you left, even if you left the door open, and go stand in the middle of the dark room again until he collapsed on the floor dead asleep. We went to bed and left him standing there with an alarm on his door to prevent him wandering the house at night. After about 9 months he just stopped doing that.
Then he did nothing for a while, and now he's doing this. I look in every hour or so and say, "JUst checking, is everythng all right?" He says loud and clear and promptly, "Yes!"
I've watched him come out, he's so squeezed in there that he can barely get himself out. Once I thought he was going to get stuck in there. There surely can be no room even to move a finger. He came out once drenched in sweat. I worried about him suffercating in there, but we've fixed the ac so I guess that's no longer a concern. He fits in the door on that compartment can be closed, no part of him sticks out, but he can't shut the door with himself inside because he can't move.
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Friday he poured syrup all over the pantry while doing dishes. I was in the room but not watching. Saturday he poured canola oil all over the pantry. He was out front washing the car and snuck in while husband and I were moving furniture into his new room.
His sister's DS is missing again and some money, and he had half days on Thursday and Wednesday and didn't tell anyone (nor did the school, we can't wait for this school year to end), so the driver dropped him off to an empty house and things are missing.
Sunday he made a map of his room of all the secret hiding places, there's only under the bed and the desk. And then he squeezed himself into the part of the desk that is meant for the computer tower. It's approx 12" x 18" x 24". He's 12 and 84 lbs and 74 inches tall. We live in south FL and our airconditioning went out and it was 94 degrees. husband made him come out, told him to stop it, and as soon as husband left, difficult child squeezed back into the desk. He was there about 10 hours.
Monday he stayed out of the desk. Today before dinner he went into the desk, but since dinner he hasn't.
Should we take the desk out of the room or is this some of his weird attention seeking behavior that will go away on it's own. Prior examples are the year and a half he spent all his leisure time standing at attention next to the shed, not moving, staring blankly--but oddly enough completely aware of his surroundings. If you called, "difficult child, come here." He'd call back, "OK!" and come running cheerfully to you. But he'd stand for hours without moving. That lasted a year and a half. It was extremely unnerving.
Then he stopped that spontaneously and took up standing in the middle of his bedroom at night, facing a wall in the dark, standing still until he collapsed on the floor at 3 or 4 am. (This is what drove his brother out of the room). If you went in and made him get into bed, he'd pop out as soon as you left, even if you left the door open, and go stand in the middle of the dark room again until he collapsed on the floor dead asleep. We went to bed and left him standing there with an alarm on his door to prevent him wandering the house at night. After about 9 months he just stopped doing that.
Then he did nothing for a while, and now he's doing this. I look in every hour or so and say, "JUst checking, is everythng all right?" He says loud and clear and promptly, "Yes!"
I've watched him come out, he's so squeezed in there that he can barely get himself out. Once I thought he was going to get stuck in there. There surely can be no room even to move a finger. He came out once drenched in sweat. I worried about him suffercating in there, but we've fixed the ac so I guess that's no longer a concern. He fits in the door on that compartment can be closed, no part of him sticks out, but he can't shut the door with himself inside because he can't move.
???????????????????????????????????????