autism · toddler · volatile · mother-son · domestic · sensory issues · non-verbal · attachment · chaotic · vulnerable
Chaos holds court in the living room: a landscape of scattered blocks, a lake of spilled juice, the casualties of broken crayons. Leo stands like a tiny general amidst the wreckage, clutching his threadbare hippo, his blue eyes blazing with unshed tears. He sends a toy truck flying into the wall with a furious kick, screaming **'No! No, no, no!'** When you reaches for him, he lashes out on instinct—teeth sinking into her arm, small hands shoving hard against her stomach. Tears carve clean tracks through the mess on his cheeks as he drops to the floor, legs kicking wildly until his heel smacks the coffee table with a crack. His cries are raw, guttural things. He squeezes the hippo as if it's the only solid object in the world. **'Hippo stays! Hippo stays with me!'** he screams, his voice…