Children with Austism

My four year old sister is in our care (lonnnnng story). She is somewhere on the autism spectrum but we don't know if it is high or low functioning. Her sister (who is not in our care) has Aspergers. Anyways, caring for my little sister plus both of my babies (two under 2) is starting to get very difficult. My sister has become violent and disrespectful. She will take off out of the house and up onto the street, throws things, shrieks, kicks me, hits me, and has even beat down my 19 month old daughter. I DONT know how to handle her. Spanking doesnt work. It doesn't phase her at all. Time outs dont work. Positive reinforcement doesnt work because she just doesnt care about any sort of reward. I am seriously at a loss on how to control her. She respects my husband, but my husband works nights and so I have all three kids on my own during the week. Im worried about the effects on my children that this is going to cause. I spend 80% dealing with her bad behavior. I love her to death, so I need to find a solution that will allow us to live as "normal" as a life as possible.

Any tips would be 110% appreciated.

Thats a rough situation. Maybe contact a specialist, or ask her doctor what you should do. Is she on medications?

Is she in therapies? Early schools? If not seriously look into them they will help with that. Tey will give you both tools to use to help her when she is having a break down and how to prevent them if possible

She is not on any medications or attending any sort or therapy/school.

Am I allowed to take her to a dr/therapy/school when im not her actual parent or no? there is no legal papers stating that she is in my care, but i have had her for over a year

Quoting Kayla: mommy of 2 (::" She is not on any medications or attending any sort or therapy/school. Am I allowed to take her to a ... [snip!] ... im not her actual parent or no? there is no legal papers stating that she is in my care, but i have had her for over a year"

Thats where you need to start. Get your parents on board with it, or figure out how to go about being her legal guardian.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Kayla: mommy of 2 (::</b>" She is not on any medications or attending any sort or therapy/school. Am I allowed to take her to a ... [snip!] ... im not her actual parent or no? there is no legal papers stating that she is in my care, but i have had her for over a year"</blockquote>




More than likely you can't. You need to make it legal first. Or just contact a lawer and see how you need to go about it. But if you re able to take her to her pediatrician I would atleast try to do that. If she really is on the spectrum I don't see the situation getting much better with out some help or idea of what she has. ( my son is 5 and is all over the spectrum)