# 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.
- Title: Grandma's Paranoia and a Child's Confusion · Slate Magazine
- Summary: An 11-year-old with autism misses his paranoid grandmother who now lives apart from his family.
- Keywords: grandma, autism, mental health, paranoia, family, child, parenting, communication, Slate Magazine
- Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/advice/2026/11/parenting-advice-grandma-paranoid-delusions.html?via=rss
- Author: Logan Sachon
- Published: 2026-11-05T18:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: grandma, autism, mental health, paranoia, family, child, parenting, communication
## 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?
## Key takeaway

A parent shares how their autistic child struggles to understand their grandmother's mental health issues after being cut from their lives.