Living with Kyle

by Deborah Woodruff
(Austintown, ohio)

Kyle is my 6 year old granddaughter. She is beautiful and loving but if she doesn't get her own way. Look out!!!!

She constantly tells me what to do, She always needs to be in control of everything! From the minute she wakes up in the morning I have to tell her from minute to minute what we will be doing for the day, over and over so there are no surprises.

We have had her in Therapy, PT,OT and speech therapy. She was diagnosed last her in preschool. She is very bright but she has many tantrums and is especially anguish when drying her off from a bath, You have to dry her off the same way every time or she freaks out! You cannot even talk to her, it just makes her worse. Washing her hair is only once a week thats all she can manage.

She absolutely refuses to wear socks so her boots, the only ones she will wear smell really bad, but changing her shoes is almost impossible.

Her mother cannot keep a job because most days it is impossible to get her anywhere on time. People don't understand this unless they a have a child with this disorder. When she goes to school without wearing a coat in the middle of winter, people look at you like your a bad parent. But getting her there on time is nearly impossible, if she decides her coat scratches her, forget it .

We try new clothes all the time, comfortable ones, if you don't cut the tags out she won't even try them on. So if she feels they are uncomfortable, you can't even take them back to the store. Yes, it is very hard sometimes, but their ours and we love them no matter what!

Bubby