adhd.odd.parent
New Member
I'm new to the site, but I am hoping to get some words of encouragement/advice.. I guess I'll start from the beginning.. When my step-son was about 2 1/2 yrs old we noticed he was very defiant, got into a lot of things (baby proofing was useless), destructive, etc. We thought it was just terrible two's and tried to be patient with him.. As he got older, the behaviors worsened. He went from tearing whole books into a pile of confetti to breaking his bed, dresser, knocking the tv off the stand, peeling paint off the walls, breaking his toys, etc. We took him to be evaluated and he was diagnosed at the end of 2009. They put him on Concerta and it seemed to help some, but the impulsivity and aggression were still there full force. He went to stay with his mother while my husband was in ait (we are Army), and his dr. there put him on Adderol, which made the aggression worse. He came back to live with us, he was put back on the Concerta, which again didn't do much for him. We made an appointment for him to see a psychiatrist, and there was a bit of a wait, but a few days after I made the appointment, he tried to choke his brother who was two at the time. The emergency room dr admitted him to the behavioral health place, where he went to therapy daily, they put him on Ritalin for the hyperness and the impulsivity, Risperdal and Trileptal for the mood stabilization. It seemed to work really well, he didn't lie anymore, he was more apt to do what was asked, and the aggression was gone... for a while.. A few months later, we are back to square one. He breaks things when he gets mad, he does things out of spite or just because he can, he aggravates his brother and sister constantly, he gets in trouble almost every day at school, he pouts at therapy and mumbles and whines and will not participate, it is a battle just to get him to clean up his room. His dad is deployed right now, and all of the hospitalization happened while he has been gone, so I am going at this alone at home, they just changed his medication again to Vyvanse, and I am praying that it works. I have tried everything out there to help him behave, from crazy rewards, to sticker charts, color charts, loosing toys, loosing privileges, time-outs, restrictions, you name it, I've tried it, and it's all failed to work. I have started to go to therapy myself, for this on top of other issues I have been dealing with since I was a teen. I just don't know what to do anymore, it seems like I am fighting a loosing battle, but I do not want to be walked all over.. Advice?? Please!!