Autistic Boy, 8, Attempts Suicide After Telling Mom ‘Being Asleep Is Better Than Being Awake’
An 8-year-old autistic boy, Rex Morgan, in Farnborough, Hampshire attempted suicide after telling his mom that “being asleep is better than being awake,” according to the Mirror.
Like most children, Rex was overwhelmed with excitement on his first day of school five years ago, but as the time ensued “his behavior occasionally gave teachers cause for concern, but my main worry was at home,” according to the boy’s mother, Lindsey Morgan.
“He would come back in a violent rage and as his first year progressed and other children blossomed, Rex became increasingly confused and frustrated by school and by his own inability to understand anything around him.”
https://twitter.com/actnowforautism/status/767334434127376384
When he began to lose sleep and became uninterested in the world around him, Lindsey took her son to a local doctor for an assessment.
In 2013, Rex was diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder, which is a “developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.”
Lindsey hoped that after being diagnosed with autism, her son’s life would improve with treatment, but she was in for a shock in October of last year when she walked into her son’s room.
Rex was standing on the windowsill, preparing to jump to his death.
Lindsey quickly rushed to the window and grabbed her son before the 8-year-old could attempt suicide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKrmjFhwXKk
She said afterward he explained that he just wanted to “get away from his anxieties” as “being asleep is better than being awake.”
Although Lindsey says that she is proud of her son for expressing his feelings and explaining that his suicide attempt was not to kill himself but was an attempt to escape his worries, she is afraid of what he might do next.
“I can now only describe it as like being on the edge of a precipice,” said Lindsey.
“It terrifies me daily, but we’ve made an agreement that if he has thoughts like that in the future he needs to come and tell me.”
8-year-old's suicide attempt, "Being asleep is easier than being awake". https://t.co/fVSWrbeFka
— Kidspot (@KidspotSocial) August 21, 2016
Rex is now 9-years-old and he will be entering the fifth grade in September at St. Bernadette’s Catholic primary school in Farnborough. But Lindsey is concerned for her autistic son, wondering how well he will do as he has had difficulties being in a classroom setting.
Lindsey stated that her son only thought of suicide to take away his worries after starting school because it has brought on anxiety.
She said, “Rex explains that learning in his classroom is like trying to listen to classical music when there are one-hundred TVs on different channels at the same time.”
“This isn’t a mental health issue, it’s sensory torture.”
However, Lindsey – who also has a 4-year-old daughter – said that “most of his classmates have known him since he was two so they accept him, but then you might see him in the playground on his own – that’s not because they don’t want to play with him but because that’s what Rex would prefer to do”
“He explains it as not being able to ‘connect’ with people and just finds it so hard to focus in school.”
Eight-year-old boy tries to kill himself after telling his mother 'being asleep is easier than being awake' https://t.co/7a8JyDbNDE
— AwesomismMom ???? (@AwesomismMom) August 23, 2016
According to The Independent, Rex wants so desperately to fit in with other students, but due to his autistic spectrum disorder, it has only caused anxiety.
Staff at St Bernadette’s Catholic primary school is aware of the boy’s mental health and understands that he will “need extra education support.”
Rex will be allowed to return home during lunch time.
“The school has been so supportive but due to his condition, Rex really struggles to do any of the work once he’s at home because he needs to be in a school setting, which is why he needs specialist provision,” Lindsey said.
Lindsey has made several attempts to get her son into a school that specializes in autism, but the Hampshire’s Local Education Authority (LEA) has rejected her application.
After the 8-year-old autistic boy attempted suicide, claiming that “being asleep is better than being awake,” Lindsey has started a Go Fund Me account to help Rex get the education he needs.
[Image via iStock Photo]
