Oh The Witching Hour🙄

Good Morning😊

We all know about “The Witching Hour”. The magical time when our sweet little darlings show their fangs. We are trying to make dinner and get the house back in order while our children fuss, fight and cry. Once they are fed and bellies are full they seem to return to normal. Not my girl!!

Chloe’s “Witching Hour” begins at 2:30 pm and lasts until bedtime (7:30 pm). She goes into overdrive as if someone flipped a switch on her back. She talks, flaps, scripts, sings and paces all over the house. She isn’t misbehaving every day, but definitely gets hyper. I try to keep her busy by having her color, do puzzles or play with play dough. I may even try to get her to play in her room.

There are a few scattered afternoons I see none of this behavior, like this past Monday she was calm. I really enjoy those days. The hyperactivity can be quite tiring. There are times I have to give her a dose of her medication to slow her down. I only do this if she becomes excessively agitated and screams a lot. Thank goodness this doesn’t happen a lot either.

I am hoping as we begin therapy again the therapists can work with her and me on techniques to help during these episodes. She may have to start new medications. That always makes me a bit nervous, but Chloe going at that speed can not be healthy for her. She is sleeping better and I am super thankful for that.

It is very common for children with Autism to struggle with hyperactivity. I never expect Chloe to sit still or be quiet. I just want to help her control the more “out of control” behavior. It has made going to public places more difficult. She gets extremely overstimulated quickly and I can no longer control her. It’s scary at times. I want her to be able to go anywhere she wants to.

I can remember my older 2 arguing a lot during that hour before dinner. At least with Chloe she has no siblings to argue with. Lol. That’s a plus😉

The so called “Witching Hour” looks different for all of us. How does it look in your home? Share below