all stressed out and nowhere to go!

So I'm a little stressed out right now. I love my kids - really and truly. Right now we are on summer break and ending our 2nd week of no camps for Harry. For those of you who don't realize what it's like to have a kid with Autism, you can't begin to understand what that statement means. I wish I could be one of those parents that loves the summer break because I get to spend my time with my kids doing wonderful and fun things. The fact is, that's not me. I do love doing things with my kids, but with Harry it's an all-out struggle to keep him stable over the summer.

All of this means that his behavior is deteriorating. He is falling apart. Tantrums, crying jags, scripting, finger flicking, and odd moments of mania have begun. What's the answer? A nice consistent routine of course. So you may ask, "Amy, since you know how bad it can be, why don't you provide your son a nice, consistent routine?". Well my friend, I also have a 2 year-old to consider. She doesn't exactly work on a routine that allows me to keep my 6 year-old busy 8 hours a day without some of her own demands. This is why there is a problem.

With Harry, even if we go somewhere every day (which we do), it isn't enough. He needs to have the same things happening at roughly the same times every day to be truly happy and in his element. With the laid-back pace of summer, that just doesn't happen.

Some may say, "why not put him in camps all summer?" Easier said than done. Not every camp out there provides structure every minute of every day and we can't afford all of those that do. So we make do. Next week he's going to a day camp in Carrboro. I'm hoping for the best but am not at all sure what will happen when he's there.

I heard Dr. Phil say to one family that you reach a point where you say you can't live like this anymore. The problem is, I don't know what to do to change things. With two other kids in the mix, I can't customize a day just for Harry. I do the best I can but feel like I'm losing the battle because I am so exhausted by the demands.

Any ideas?