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General Parenting
I give. Will be asking for medications, I guess.
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 169067" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Shari, it depends on what medications and how they affect him. </p><p></p><p>difficult child 1 was originally diagnosed as ADHD, but it never explained everything. and because his reaction to stressful situations was to shut down, we didn't realise at the time that there was a lot of anxiety there as well. In other words, sometimes he would rage and storm off, but other times he would just curl up in a ball on the floor and stay there. Anxiety driven - we know now.</p><p></p><p>WHen difficult child 3 was diagnosed as autistic (age 3-ish, we'd been asking for assessment since he was 2 and a half) difficult child 1 was diagnosed with Asperger's at the same time. Made a lot of sense.</p><p></p><p>medications - difficult child 1 had been on ritalin since age 6. It helped a lot, but never enough. He also had rebound problems (symptoms even worse for a few hours, as medications wore off). WHen difficult child 3 was diagnosed, the new doctor put them both on dexampthetamine which helped a lot. Once dosage was established they were switched to a privately compounded sustained-release dex.</p><p></p><p>OK, they're Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) - so why ADHD medications so successful? </p><p>I don't know. But they are.</p><p></p><p>Anxiety still a problem - antidepressants. But difficult child 3 couldn't take them. He was either allergic (rash) or had a weird reaction (insomnia, leading to worsening behaviour after three days of no sleep).</p><p></p><p>difficult child 1, however, has calmed down a great deal on antidepressants. If he misses taking them or tries to cut them back too far, his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) becomes a big problem and he paces the house, checking doors & windows etc.</p><p></p><p>medications and interacting with other kids - on the dex, both boys were able to focus well enough to interact with other kids more gently and more stably. Less wild behaviour, less raging, more ability to think before reacting.</p><p>HOWEVER - there is still a big social gulf between difficult child 3 and his peers. Even really decent kids in his class finally shrugged their shoulders and stopped trying to involve difficult child 3 in their games. He just didn't 'get it'.</p><p></p><p>Now - difficult child 3 can interact well with adults, and with much younger kids. His best friends are all much younger, about 9 years old to his 14. But they are good friends, they seek him out. Generally they tend to be the brighter 9 year olds, too.</p><p></p><p>If medications work for your son, they MAY help him stay focussed long enough to learn the social skills he needs to interact more appropriately. But if he's on the spectrum, he may still have other social problems to overcome and could need to find friends elsewhere.</p><p></p><p>However, friends are friends, wherever you find them. One good friend is better than no friends.</p><p></p><p>I agree with you that anxiety can be a huge problem and make it hard to see exactly what the problem is; but it does also fit with both ADHD and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). It's not unusual to have both. Some people believe ADHD is part of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) spectrum. I'm keeping an open mind about it.</p><p></p><p>I hated the thought of having to medicate my tiny son at only three years old. But with hindsight, I am so glad we did. The difference in him was almost magical.</p><p></p><p>His dose has just been increased. He now takes more than his adult brother. We have been given license to increase the dose even further. We will do so if we feel he will benefit.</p><p></p><p>I hope you will be able to accept the medications and find them helpful. If you have friends/family likely to be critical, don't tell them, until YOU are comfortable with it.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 169067, member: 1991"] Shari, it depends on what medications and how they affect him. difficult child 1 was originally diagnosed as ADHD, but it never explained everything. and because his reaction to stressful situations was to shut down, we didn't realise at the time that there was a lot of anxiety there as well. In other words, sometimes he would rage and storm off, but other times he would just curl up in a ball on the floor and stay there. Anxiety driven - we know now. WHen difficult child 3 was diagnosed as autistic (age 3-ish, we'd been asking for assessment since he was 2 and a half) difficult child 1 was diagnosed with Asperger's at the same time. Made a lot of sense. medications - difficult child 1 had been on ritalin since age 6. It helped a lot, but never enough. He also had rebound problems (symptoms even worse for a few hours, as medications wore off). WHen difficult child 3 was diagnosed, the new doctor put them both on dexampthetamine which helped a lot. Once dosage was established they were switched to a privately compounded sustained-release dex. OK, they're Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) - so why ADHD medications so successful? I don't know. But they are. Anxiety still a problem - antidepressants. But difficult child 3 couldn't take them. He was either allergic (rash) or had a weird reaction (insomnia, leading to worsening behaviour after three days of no sleep). difficult child 1, however, has calmed down a great deal on antidepressants. If he misses taking them or tries to cut them back too far, his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) becomes a big problem and he paces the house, checking doors & windows etc. medications and interacting with other kids - on the dex, both boys were able to focus well enough to interact with other kids more gently and more stably. Less wild behaviour, less raging, more ability to think before reacting. HOWEVER - there is still a big social gulf between difficult child 3 and his peers. Even really decent kids in his class finally shrugged their shoulders and stopped trying to involve difficult child 3 in their games. He just didn't 'get it'. Now - difficult child 3 can interact well with adults, and with much younger kids. His best friends are all much younger, about 9 years old to his 14. But they are good friends, they seek him out. Generally they tend to be the brighter 9 year olds, too. If medications work for your son, they MAY help him stay focussed long enough to learn the social skills he needs to interact more appropriately. But if he's on the spectrum, he may still have other social problems to overcome and could need to find friends elsewhere. However, friends are friends, wherever you find them. One good friend is better than no friends. I agree with you that anxiety can be a huge problem and make it hard to see exactly what the problem is; but it does also fit with both ADHD and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). It's not unusual to have both. Some people believe ADHD is part of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) spectrum. I'm keeping an open mind about it. I hated the thought of having to medicate my tiny son at only three years old. But with hindsight, I am so glad we did. The difference in him was almost magical. His dose has just been increased. He now takes more than his adult brother. We have been given license to increase the dose even further. We will do so if we feel he will benefit. I hope you will be able to accept the medications and find them helpful. If you have friends/family likely to be critical, don't tell them, until YOU are comfortable with it. Marg [/QUOTE]
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I give. Will be asking for medications, I guess.
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