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<blockquote data-quote="susiestar" data-source="post: 655795" data-attributes="member: 1233"><p>Your school policy that 9 yo's who make threats get this over the top reaction with police is nuts. Zero tolerance RARELY makes either sense or positive improvements. It provides kids with get out of school cards to use as often as they want. When being in school is a horrible experience due to other kids, teachers/admin who do not understand or refuse to understand, and you have sensory issues, well, who wouldn't violate the zero tolerance policies like this one.</p><p></p><p>If your son has mood disorder not otherwise specified, PLEASE get a copy of The Bipolar Child by Papalous. Esp read the medication sections and INSIST that the psychiatrist follows the approved protocol. The medication protocol is approved by the board of child and adolescent psychiatrists, and it makes sense. Sadly there are a LOT of docs who don't want to follow it or haven't even learned about it. Many times the medication info a doctor gets is from the drug reps. They basically get the info about what the drug cos want them to prescribe and they don't get more than the basic facts that are in the marketing info. This isn't out of laziness on the doctor's part, but rather it is a function of an overwhelming case load. </p><p></p><p>The medication protocol calls for 1 or 2 mood stabilizers FIRST, and an antipsychotic if one is needed. Stimulants, antidepressants, etc... should be avoided until the moods are stable. This can take a very long time because it takes time to titrate up to a therapeutic dose and you must be at the therapeutic dose for quite some time before you know if it will work well. If there are symptoms left after moods are stable on the mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medication, you can TRY stimulants or antidepressants in small doses. This is put off because stimulants and antidepressants can CAUSE mood cycling, which is what you want to avoid. I would absolutely insist that my doctor followed this with my child because it has been proven to work. Often a bipolar patient who is unstable and is given antidepressants will seem much better at first, but then they spiral out of control because of the antidepressants. I know several people this has happened to. They have said they will not try antidepressants again for any reason because they don't like the way they feel on them. </p><p></p><p>What is being done for his sensory problems? Here they tried to tell me that after age 7 the child has 'outgrown' sensory issues and does not need any more help. The Occupational Therapist (OT) that works at our school district tried to convince parents of this so that they could save $$ by treating fewer kids. I have also been told that 7 or 8 is the cutoff age for brushing therapy to work. I don't believe this at all. I still have sensory problems and they are worse now than when I was a kid. I sure wasn't under age 8 when we learned about brushing. I was trained in it by a private Occupational Therapist (OT) to do with my youngest child. The Occupational Therapist (OT) said it wouldn't hurt me to do it to myself, nor would it hurt my older kids though it probably wouldn't provide any real help because the brain is to set in the way it works. I used the therapy on myself and all 3 of my kids. We ALL found ourselves able to handle more and able to cope with the world more than we ever had before. I think it is a very powerful therapy and I know it did more for my youngest child than it was possible for anything to do. And it used NO medication and the only cost involved was the Occupational Therapist (OT)'s time and the little brush.</p><p></p><p>We learned that every problem my kids had was more manageable if their sensory needs were met. If they are uncomfortable or are itchy or hungry or whatever, they struggle MUCH harder to cope with the world in a socially acceptable manner. For my boys (and many of their male friends) snacks with protein make an astounding difference in how they cope. </p><p></p><p>If you haven't read The Out of Sync Child, or haven't read it recently, I strongly recommend it. It really explains sensory issues and how to help them. I also recommend The Out of Sync Child Has Fun. If I was only going to purchase one of these, it would be the Has Fun book. It provides LOTS of fun ways to provide the sensory diet your child needs. I think your son is partly having problems because he is just so overwhelmed with sensory input and cannot cope. It is a horrible way to feel and you feel like a failure because you are the 'only' person who cannot cope with the noise or lighting or whatever. It can make school feel like a very long torture session both physically and emotionally. Then you get totally swamped and you just lash out to try to make it all stop. It is a miserable way to live. Providing the right sensory diet can turn this around very quickly. That is why I suggest the Has Fun book so strongly. </p><p></p><p>The Has fun book is actually fun for the entire family. We used to all participate in some of the activities, and many of my kids' friends would want to play too. We wore out three copies in five years just from constant wear. Most libraries have these books, I think. </p><p></p><p>I am sorry it is so hard. It really can get better but it takes work. Please use the info on the wrightslaw.com website and info here in our archives to help force your school to do what your son needs and has a right to. Also go to the state Dept of Education website to look for an advocate. You can get a free advocate (regardless of income in most states) to help you with the IEP and with enforcing the IEP. Also consult an education attorney or children's rights attorney because your school is not telling you the truth and is NOT providing FAPE for him.</p><p></p><p>I hope it gets better sooner rather than later!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="susiestar, post: 655795, member: 1233"] Your school policy that 9 yo's who make threats get this over the top reaction with police is nuts. Zero tolerance RARELY makes either sense or positive improvements. It provides kids with get out of school cards to use as often as they want. When being in school is a horrible experience due to other kids, teachers/admin who do not understand or refuse to understand, and you have sensory issues, well, who wouldn't violate the zero tolerance policies like this one. If your son has mood disorder not otherwise specified, PLEASE get a copy of The Bipolar Child by Papalous. Esp read the medication sections and INSIST that the psychiatrist follows the approved protocol. The medication protocol is approved by the board of child and adolescent psychiatrists, and it makes sense. Sadly there are a LOT of docs who don't want to follow it or haven't even learned about it. Many times the medication info a doctor gets is from the drug reps. They basically get the info about what the drug cos want them to prescribe and they don't get more than the basic facts that are in the marketing info. This isn't out of laziness on the doctor's part, but rather it is a function of an overwhelming case load. The medication protocol calls for 1 or 2 mood stabilizers FIRST, and an antipsychotic if one is needed. Stimulants, antidepressants, etc... should be avoided until the moods are stable. This can take a very long time because it takes time to titrate up to a therapeutic dose and you must be at the therapeutic dose for quite some time before you know if it will work well. If there are symptoms left after moods are stable on the mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medication, you can TRY stimulants or antidepressants in small doses. This is put off because stimulants and antidepressants can CAUSE mood cycling, which is what you want to avoid. I would absolutely insist that my doctor followed this with my child because it has been proven to work. Often a bipolar patient who is unstable and is given antidepressants will seem much better at first, but then they spiral out of control because of the antidepressants. I know several people this has happened to. They have said they will not try antidepressants again for any reason because they don't like the way they feel on them. What is being done for his sensory problems? Here they tried to tell me that after age 7 the child has 'outgrown' sensory issues and does not need any more help. The Occupational Therapist (OT) that works at our school district tried to convince parents of this so that they could save $$ by treating fewer kids. I have also been told that 7 or 8 is the cutoff age for brushing therapy to work. I don't believe this at all. I still have sensory problems and they are worse now than when I was a kid. I sure wasn't under age 8 when we learned about brushing. I was trained in it by a private Occupational Therapist (OT) to do with my youngest child. The Occupational Therapist (OT) said it wouldn't hurt me to do it to myself, nor would it hurt my older kids though it probably wouldn't provide any real help because the brain is to set in the way it works. I used the therapy on myself and all 3 of my kids. We ALL found ourselves able to handle more and able to cope with the world more than we ever had before. I think it is a very powerful therapy and I know it did more for my youngest child than it was possible for anything to do. And it used NO medication and the only cost involved was the Occupational Therapist (OT)'s time and the little brush. We learned that every problem my kids had was more manageable if their sensory needs were met. If they are uncomfortable or are itchy or hungry or whatever, they struggle MUCH harder to cope with the world in a socially acceptable manner. For my boys (and many of their male friends) snacks with protein make an astounding difference in how they cope. If you haven't read The Out of Sync Child, or haven't read it recently, I strongly recommend it. It really explains sensory issues and how to help them. I also recommend The Out of Sync Child Has Fun. If I was only going to purchase one of these, it would be the Has Fun book. It provides LOTS of fun ways to provide the sensory diet your child needs. I think your son is partly having problems because he is just so overwhelmed with sensory input and cannot cope. It is a horrible way to feel and you feel like a failure because you are the 'only' person who cannot cope with the noise or lighting or whatever. It can make school feel like a very long torture session both physically and emotionally. Then you get totally swamped and you just lash out to try to make it all stop. It is a miserable way to live. Providing the right sensory diet can turn this around very quickly. That is why I suggest the Has Fun book so strongly. The Has fun book is actually fun for the entire family. We used to all participate in some of the activities, and many of my kids' friends would want to play too. We wore out three copies in five years just from constant wear. Most libraries have these books, I think. I am sorry it is so hard. It really can get better but it takes work. Please use the info on the wrightslaw.com website and info here in our archives to help force your school to do what your son needs and has a right to. Also go to the state Dept of Education website to look for an advocate. You can get a free advocate (regardless of income in most states) to help you with the IEP and with enforcing the IEP. Also consult an education attorney or children's rights attorney because your school is not telling you the truth and is NOT providing FAPE for him. I hope it gets better sooner rather than later! [/QUOTE]
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