Regressions? Do you? How frequently? Duration? Any causes?

Post Reply New Topic

Do you have regressions? How often do you have them? Do you feel like they happen on a regular basis, ie every month, every 6 months or once a year? My 3.5 year old son who is a high functioning autistic regresses every month or so. Often he will seem to be making great progress for a few weeks (few meaning three or four) and then suddenly all his progress goes on hold (or even backwards) and he finds it difficult to cope with things for a few weeks (usually four or five weeks); during these periods of not coping and not making progress my son's anxiety levels increase greatly, he seems to have more OCD and he has more need to control everything in his life and gets more upset if something doesn't go exactly as he feels it needs it to go. It is like he seems unable to relax as his obsessions take over. Then when he comes out of the regression his anxiety levels lessen (or maybe he has more tools to deal with his anxiety) and he seems happy and more relaxed in general and enjoys so much more, and progresses at amazing speed. So he'll have approximately a month doing great (when he seems quite happy and really progressing) and that will then lead into approximately a month or so when he simply can't cope with anything.

I have Aspergers and OCD and invite your contribution about how regressions affect you, if indeed they do. I am asking you to reply with your own experiences of patterns and regressions. With my son it is like two steps forward and one step backwards again. He intrigues me; aged 2 years old he could read many words and name every planet in the solar system and numbers to 20, now at 3.5 he has progressed to Jupiter's moons. The last few days he has entered his latest regression and I cannot find any obvious reason for the periods of time when he slips back. However according to routine it was long overdue as he had been coping so well for over a month now. Tried diet, GFCF etc. The ONLY thing I can see that has any baring on this is SLEEP! My son really needs his sleep. But, nothing seems to reduce his anxiety levels when he is in regression.

I feel that the regressions are now an inevitable part of who my son is. Yes it is human nature to get good days and bad days. My son has good months and bad months. As an Aspie I have experience of good and bad phases in my own life and can observe periodic changes in my husband who is also on the spectrum.

Do you too experience these very pointed highs and lows? If so I would love to hear how your quality of life in general is effected by either the highs or the lows or both!

Venus

I don't find regression an accurate term, because it implies it's possible to grow backwards, and I don't think that losing abilities is like growing in reverse.

But I'm very much like your son in a lot of ways that way.

I've given many reasons here:

http://www.autistics.org/library/more-autistic.html

Yea i have a form of regression all the time, the reasons doctors labelled me moderate functioning because i go from high functioning to low functioning in seconds. I also have periods of times where i just seem more lower functioning, and things like for me my brothers death, finding out my father had cancer, fathers death, meeting my boyfriend, my mother being so sick and almost lost her arm, getting two new pets into our family, breaking my own arm, having my boyfriend move in with me, having my brother meet his now amazing girlfriend, stuff like that trigger such regressions. Also change in seasons, or even something simple as a my mother with a new haircut.

_________________
Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated

Well, I don't have anything I would call a regression. There was a time around 8 when *I* saw a marked decrease in ease to progress farther, but nothing since.

I DO have periods when you could ask me almost anything, and I could answer quick, I learn new stuff effortlessly, etc... And there are times when I can't seem to remember a lot, and don't seem to learn anything new easily. Of course, most of the time I remember most of what I know, can access it within a minute if not accessed for a few weeks or more, and am probably about average with learning 100% new things, and great at learning events, logical things, or things that easily tie into what I know.

Yes i have regressed extremly now because growing up is hell for me & i'm having a hard time so i regressed back into a little kid. I think it was caused because turning 18 turned my world upside down then what i'm used to.