This is similar to what I've done with my sixteen-year-old daughter since she was a toddler. She has autism (not diagnosed until about two years ago, but it's been obvious since she was a toddler), and feelings in general are challenging for her. Starting from when she was a toddler, she would have violent tantrums throughout the day, which went on, slowly lessening, through junior high. Luckily, online school is free, so we could stay home and work together. I was the only person who could comfort her, and it would start with me asking if I could sit by her. This would slowly lead to me asking what's on her mind by giving her the space to talk about words that popped into her head and feelings that appeared in her body. We would work together, starting with a single word or feeling, and gradually she could hone in on what was going on inside, with me repeating what she would say to see if that was correct. There was a lot of uninhibited screaming and movement, and she could always work through what she needed. We still do this, and there's still uninhibited screaming and movement, and it's not nearly as often. She's amazing, seriously amazing! I could (and do) learn a lot from her. It's hard to believe she's 16, dang! I'm so lucky to have the time I have had, and continue to have, with her.
This is similar to what I've done with my sixteen-year-old daughter since she was a toddler. She has autism (not diagnosed until about two years ago, but it's been obvious since she was a toddler), and feelings in general are challenging for her. Starting from when she was a toddler, she would have violent tantrums throughout the day, which went on, slowly lessening, through junior high. Luckily, online school is free, so we could stay home and work together. I was the only person who could comfort her, and it would start with me asking if I could sit by her. This would slowly lead to me asking what's on her mind by giving her the space to talk about words that popped into her head and feelings that appeared in her body. We would work together, starting with a single word or feeling, and gradually she could hone in on what was going on inside, with me repeating what she would say to see if that was correct. There was a lot of uninhibited screaming and movement, and she could always work through what she needed. We still do this, and there's still uninhibited screaming and movement, and it's not nearly as often. She's amazing, seriously amazing! I could (and do) learn a lot from her. It's hard to believe she's 16, dang! I'm so lucky to have the time I have had, and continue to have, with her.