From Slate Magazine · Logan Sachon · · 1m
Grandma's Paranoia and a Child's Confusion
An 11-year-old with autism misses his paranoid grandmother who now lives apart from his family.
In brief
An 11-year-old with autism misses his paranoid grandmother who now lives apart from his family. A parent shares how their autistic child struggles to understand their grandmother's mental health issues after being cut from their lives. Originally reported by Slate Magazine.
Grandmother's Mental Health
My mother-in-law has had a long history of addiction and mental health issues.
Living Together Period
She lived with us for several years during a relatively stable period of her life.
Current Situation
Her mental health issues went unchecked, and we cut her out of our lives for the past two years.
Child's Autism Diagnosis
My 11-year-old son was recently diagnosed with level-2 autism and suffered a TBI when he was 2.
Child's Emotional State
He emotionally misses his grandmother and all the good memories he has.
Child's Cognitive Understanding
Cognitively, he cannot understand the true extent and danger of her mental health issues.
Parent's Question
How best to communicate and work through this situation with him?
The key point
A parent shares how their autistic child struggles to understand their grandmother's mental health issues after being cut from their lives.
