Help ! I think my child is possessed.

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ouch... that must have been bad.

It's nice to know I'm not alone - one of the best things WP does for anyone.

Did the puppy survive? I'm worried that my 4yo will kill our dog because he keeps strangling it, sitting on it and holding his hand over it's nose and mouth. We keep telling him not to, but he keeps doing it. If the dog ever does bite him, we're going to believe the dog's side of the story.

yes the dog survived, and it surprised everyone including the vets that she didnt have any damage, not even a chipped tooth, the vet was stunned and said it seems like cause she was so little she must have floated out the window like a feather, or she had something looking after her that day.... and another thing she did when we were looking at buying a dog.. we had gone to the pound and tehre was booful lil sausage dog, we were all ready to pay and the woman was telling us how you need to watch there weight cause it stuffs there back and be careful not 2 step on them and so on, my daughter then announced she was going to sit on the dogs back, the woman looked at me like oh thats nice and i just said well its best we dont get her then

I just wanted to say, whilst I dont agree with the hand thing I do agree that you probably did the right thing at that time.
You all must be very stressed with planing a move xmas and school hols, not to mention our hot weather at the moment (you are aussie aren't you?)
My son loves water play and its real soothing also great cause its summer here. I'm also a child care worker one thing that the kids in the centre I used to work at and the kids that come to my house love, is to paint with water, give him a small container ( ice cream container or sand bucket etc ) and a baisting brush or paint brush let him outside if you can and let him paint every thing. ( fill the buckets with just water or for variety add a couple of drops of food colouring).
Another idea; chalk outside he can draw on every thing it will eventually wash off or better still he can then paint it with his water.
More water play: clear tubes (like hoses) different size buckets funnels, cups etc; he can pour water from one thing to another kids will play for ages.

If he is usually in child care there is lots of structure there, some centres close over xmas he may be missing all the activities and feeling a little lost and bored. Child care centres are also very busy at the end of the year, so has a lot going on, xmas, hols, child care, moving etc.

Your doing a great job. The fact that you did something other than hitting him is a huge plus. And you were very brave to post here my hat goes off to you and your wife. 4 year olds are difficult any way throw AS in, youch! Hope the suggestions help.

Aurea,

Thanks for the suggestions (yes I am Aussie - from Sydney)...

Those were wonderful. It's funny, the people that work at childcare centres have so many excellent ideas and so much experience. It's weird when the parents have to take over "play". Sure, I think we're probably better at bedtime and reading books to them in bed etc... but child care workers have it all over us when it comes to play.

Those are really great ideas which he will enjoy because of his attraction to water.

Thanks.

Investigate:
Pica
Abuse - sexual, emotional or physical because there seems to be a strong element of anger
See an occupational therapist to have a sensory profile done.

If all is clear - positive behaviour support is required.
Start off by structuring time with a visual timetable so that the child always knows what is happening. Building the capacity to cope with change comes later.
Alternate independent time and time with a significant adult.
Oral stimulation seems important. Have a collection of items that it is ok to put in the mouth. Give praise when the child uses these items. Remove inappropriate items without comment in case the behaviour is attention seeking. Offer an appropriate item. By commenting on it, the behaviour is reinforced. Cooking for the family with lots of tasting (observing appropriate hygeine rules of course) hleps to satisfy the need for oral stimulation. Always praise appropriate behaviours or even an attempt.
When the child is calm, the child needs to be involved in the cleanup of any mess made in a tantrum. Ask if she/he wants you to help. Avoid scolding but praise good tidying/repairing eg it is going to be so easy to find the toys you want now they are tidy. The walls look so clean when the writing is washed off.
Avoid ultimatums, threats and orders. If something has to be done, give the instruction as First ... then eg first tidy then watch tv. Have a visual with pictures so that you can remind nonverbally.That way the child sees a benefit to doing the task. You may have to disable the tv before giving that instruction at first, but later when he/she realizes he will get the preferred activity once the task is done, it will not be a problem.
For good self esteem, humans need 4 positive statements to every negative. At first you need to keep count, but it soon becomes a habit and just this one thing can make a significant impact on reducing negative behaviour. When talking to an autistic child though, its important to remember that he or she may not respond to the comments other children value. You might have to target things that child values eg you lined your toys up very neatly. well done. Your pattern is symmetrical. Excellent. The comments have to be valued by the child to be effective. Tidy toys make mommy happy is often not of much interest.