First off, what an amazing site here! I hope that someone can help us as we are out of ideas.
I have a 9 yr old step daughter that has been diagnosed "on the autism spectrum " and she lives with us half time. She is a very bright girl, but has many behavioral issues at home and school. she has not voluntarily said a word to me in the 3 years her father and I have been together. She won't talk to anyone other than her dad , and if someone talks to her she gets very nervous and awkward and uncomfortable. She also talks to herself nonstop which I find unbearable. Her father also has a hard time with it and reminds her occasionally to stop, but she'll just start up again 30 seconds later and we are both at our wits end and it causes constant problems between he and I. His remedy is to make her play in her room and ignore it, where mine would be to stay on her and give her consequences like I did with my 3 almost grown children growing up. There has been big issues at school with her disrupting class and other behavior issues but I never see any consequences and I get told I don't understand her. Her mother (I'm told) has always just let her take over and never made to behave but I don't know how much more I can take! Is this something that is normal and she shouldn't be made to listen or behave? We have a 1 yr old that she plays with but will take toys from her and hoard them and it's making me come unglued, but I'm always come out looking like the bad person. Anyone! Help! Please!
I have a 9 yr old step daughter that has been diagnosed "on the autism spectrum " and she lives with us half time. She is a very bright girl, but has many behavioral issues at home and school. she has not voluntarily said a word to me in the 3 years her father and I have been together. She won't talk to anyone other than her dad , and if someone talks to her she gets very nervous and awkward and uncomfortable. She also talks to herself nonstop which I find unbearable. Her father also has a hard time with it and reminds her occasionally to stop, but she'll just start up again 30 seconds later and we are both at our wits end and it causes constant problems between he and I. His remedy is to make her play in her room and ignore it, where mine would be to stay on her and give her consequences like I did with my 3 almost grown children growing up. There has been big issues at school with her disrupting class and other behavior issues but I never see any consequences and I get told I don't understand her. Her mother (I'm told) has always just let her take over and never made to behave but I don't know how much more I can take! Is this something that is normal and she shouldn't be made to listen or behave? We have a 1 yr old that she plays with but will take toys from her and hoard them and it's making me come unglued, but I'm always come out looking like the bad person. Anyone! Help! Please!