I wish I knew what to do to help my son ...

It seems that every little thing causes an uproar that disrupts our very lives.

My son, who is 11, happens to be autistic.   He doesn't relate very well with people or with social situations: he is happiest being by himself or with us (his family; we are the only people he trusts or is comfortable being with).

When James is around people he doesn't know or iis n unfamiliar places, he is apt to become anxious or afraid.  This is why whenver we go to church, I have to miss the services because unless I sit with him, James might wander off or start screaming hysterically.  It is extremely embarrassing when I have to explain why James is the way he is or why he does the things he does to others.

Autism may be quite prevelent nowadays (it is reported in one out of every fifty children; why this is, it is unknown), but many people still do not understand it.  

Basically, autism is a developmental disability that inhibits a child's ability to relate to poeple or the world around them.  No two children with autism are alike.  That is, one child may be able to function around poeple with relatively few problems while others may seem lost within their own little world, unable to relate to even their own family members.

My son relates to people he knows (us, his family, or people like his teachers at school or with his friends) quite well, but as I mentioned earlier, people he doesn't know make him extremely anxious and he is more likely to suffer a meltdown.  When he gets upset, James will start screaming, throwing things, or dismantling the house.  It is always very stressful whenever James loses control; then we are doing everything possible to calm him and/or keep the peace.

James is on medication to try to help him function better, but I don't really see it doing any good.  It just makes him goofy-headed or drowsy, and that really doesn't solve the issue at hand: to keep him from destroying our house and/or driving our family apart.

James is in the sixth grade; he is attending a school for children with special needs.  He does pretty good gradewise, but as I said, socially, at times he is a complete flop.  It makes me turn anxious as well and I don't want James to see me upset because that would only make things a lot worse for him ... and for us.  It is a vicious cycle, and personally, I don't see any way out of it.  It is extremely frustrating!