Oh For A Melt Down Free Holiday

[cassa333]

Too late. Actually this is No:3 but the others were quite mild in comparison.

DD has no concept of personal hygiene. She does not like baths but will shower (and I’m convinced it is with just water and minimal shampoo, no soap) Only on Sundays and Wed evening OR Thursday morning!! Any other time and it’s a fight to the death on who wins the clean stakes.

She does a paper round every day before school and we are lucky if she changes her cloths. Her hair is falling off in great clumps and there are knots galore as she keeps it in a tight pony tail but often refuses to brush it more than once a day (when she gets up before her paper round).

The last time she had a shower was last Thursday. In the meantime she has done four paper rounds, been to school, went to the end of year party at Explorers (refused to have a shower for that as well) out for walks and went rock climbing for her birthday yesterday. She stank Friday, Saturday, Sunday and today but wouldn’t shower.

She refused to shower yesterday as she was tired. She refused to shower this evening as she was tired and it was getting late and she wouldn’t be able to dry her hair. She wouldn’t shower tomorrow morning as she wanted to open presents.

She was given a choice. Shower now or when she gets up in the morning.

Role on twenty minutes of screaming and shouting. In the meantime her twin went for his bath. Cue another twenty minutes of screaming and shouting and now playing loud music her brother doesn’t like lol

Wishing everyone with Aspies in the house a stress free holiday.

[woofgang]

body sized wipes?

[ladybirder]

Has she always been like this? How old is she cassa?

[kvalidir]

My Aspie brother is coming on Thursday ( white plate, silver coloured cutlery, none of his food touching any of his other food, symmetrical table, doesn't like velvet etc etc etc) so fingers crossed :) x

[ummmm]

How old is she?

[cassa333]

She turned 15 yesterday.

She is without doubt my wonderful, beautiful, intelligent girl but oh how she smells. Lol

She has the habits of Slattern and the unmentionable things left in her room means that she has to keep her door shut or the stench permeates the whole house.

She has got so used to the smell that if I go in and give it a good old spray with detol or something she has a melt down as it’s not right.

Hope all goes well Kvalidir.

No matter how much we try to make things right Sod’s law someth8ng throws a spanner in the works. Do they ever get used to sudden or unexpected change ormwill she always be like thins I wonder?

[ummmm]

I'd say she'll get a bit better with age. My son is autistic. He'd over wash himself but his room was disgusting. And stank!

[kvalidir]

Ciaran is a lot better than he was when he was younger, literally it could be anything then set him off, but he still is better if you can try to accommodate him a bit. He functions very well generally though and is pleasant to be around, he just has these odd things that can set him off being Ciaran :) x

[ummmm]

Kval - same as Owen.

[Cloverjo]

Does she have friends? Do they ever tell her she could do with a wash?

[Eleena]

It's difficult isn't it. This reminds me of my brother when he was particularly ill and first diagnosed with limbic encephalitis. His hygiene was non existent, we had to resort to having a quiet word, and ended up physically running the bath and keeping tabs on him that he did wash himself. At his worst, he grew his hair and facial hair and ended up looking like grizzly Adams! You're continually trying to work out ways to encourage them to wash.

[EDDIE51]

Does she not get comments at school? There was a girl like that at my school (over 40 years ago). Other pupils would refuse to sit near her. Eventually the school nurse took her to the shower room,washed her & got her clean cloths from 'lost property' . ( But that is probably illegal now!)

[Mamyalynne]

If it's a time issue or a sensory one for her then Woofgang's idea is a good as is a non rinse foam - easy to use.

The clothes may stay smelling sweeter longer too if she does.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nilaqua-Rinse-Waterless-Body-Cleansing/dp/B00CBD8YP2

[cassa333]

If she gets comments at school she doesn’t say and tbh she hasn’t any friends.

We tell her when she smells but that is so often I think she doesn’t believe us.

I think it is her mindset and she doesn’t smell the smell as others do. She can’t smell herself or at least has got used to the smell so any other smell is alien to her... if that makes sense.

[cassa333]

Only one melt down so far today. That was 8am this morning.

Alls well so far. Long may it carry on lol

[Mamyalynne]

Hope so Cassa, have the best time possible.

[woofgang]

It makes absolute sense....maybe she find the smells from others unsettling and her own smell is like a security blanket?

[murraymints]

when she starts to fancy boys she will change perhaps..or girls of course

[cassa333]

That’s my thoughts as well murrymints.