Diabolique
New Member
Hello everyone --
I have been lurking here for a while and have finally decided to register and make contact with others who seem to going through things similar to what I'm going through with my son. To say that I'm battle-weary would be the understatement of the century. To say that I'm worn out, anxiety-ridden, exhausted beyond description, and about 30 seconds from a nervous breakdown 24/7 might be closer to the truth...and I don't think that's even descriptive enough. I'm a wreck.
I have a 3.5 year-old son who is the air I breathe. I am in the process of finding a professional to evaluate him for what his regular pediatrician suspects is ADHD and ODD. Tomorrow, I will be making more phone calls to doctors on the list the pediatrician gave me in the hopes that I can find someone who will accept the insurance I carry so that I won't be bankrupted in the process of getting the help my son (and his father and I) so desperately need. I have known for a long time, probably at least 2 years, that something just didn't seem right with my son. I am a high school teacher and deal with defiance on a daily basis at work. My son, even at 2 years old, put even the most defiant of my students to shame; at 3.5 years old, my son is now putting me through hell on a daily basis. I'm just about ready to come unglued.
I have been ravenously reading everything I can get my hands on, and I feel 6876549746% certain that he has, at the very least, ODD. I know we need a professional diagnosis to be sure, but it would blow my mind were he not to be found to have ODD: every single one of the criteria is a frightenly perfect fit for my son. In the meantime, before going to the doctor, I have been reading books I've seen recommended on different sites. I have ordered Greene's "The Explosive Child" and it should be to me within a few days. In the past week, I have read two other books in my attempt to begin to understand what could be going on in my son's head. I have read "Your Defiant Child" (Dr. Russell A. Barkley) and "The Defiant Child: A Parent's Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder" (Dr. Douglas A. Riley). Both books had me reading with tears running down my face because it was like reading a book written about my Noah. Maybe I was crying because both books offer hope for help and improvement, or maybe it was due to relief of knowing that it's really NOT all my fault and there are other perfectly good people out there who have kids like mine.
I can see that the book by Ross Greene is very popular among members on this forum. Has anyone read either of the other books I mentioned? They take two very different approaches to dealing with a defiant child, and I was curious to know what opinions or experiences others have had with these two approaches.
I am sorry for the incredibly long first post. Thanks for reading it if you managed to stick it out! I look forward to interacting with people here; it's good to know that I'm really not alone in this battle.
I have been lurking here for a while and have finally decided to register and make contact with others who seem to going through things similar to what I'm going through with my son. To say that I'm battle-weary would be the understatement of the century. To say that I'm worn out, anxiety-ridden, exhausted beyond description, and about 30 seconds from a nervous breakdown 24/7 might be closer to the truth...and I don't think that's even descriptive enough. I'm a wreck.
I have a 3.5 year-old son who is the air I breathe. I am in the process of finding a professional to evaluate him for what his regular pediatrician suspects is ADHD and ODD. Tomorrow, I will be making more phone calls to doctors on the list the pediatrician gave me in the hopes that I can find someone who will accept the insurance I carry so that I won't be bankrupted in the process of getting the help my son (and his father and I) so desperately need. I have known for a long time, probably at least 2 years, that something just didn't seem right with my son. I am a high school teacher and deal with defiance on a daily basis at work. My son, even at 2 years old, put even the most defiant of my students to shame; at 3.5 years old, my son is now putting me through hell on a daily basis. I'm just about ready to come unglued.
I have been ravenously reading everything I can get my hands on, and I feel 6876549746% certain that he has, at the very least, ODD. I know we need a professional diagnosis to be sure, but it would blow my mind were he not to be found to have ODD: every single one of the criteria is a frightenly perfect fit for my son. In the meantime, before going to the doctor, I have been reading books I've seen recommended on different sites. I have ordered Greene's "The Explosive Child" and it should be to me within a few days. In the past week, I have read two other books in my attempt to begin to understand what could be going on in my son's head. I have read "Your Defiant Child" (Dr. Russell A. Barkley) and "The Defiant Child: A Parent's Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder" (Dr. Douglas A. Riley). Both books had me reading with tears running down my face because it was like reading a book written about my Noah. Maybe I was crying because both books offer hope for help and improvement, or maybe it was due to relief of knowing that it's really NOT all my fault and there are other perfectly good people out there who have kids like mine.
I can see that the book by Ross Greene is very popular among members on this forum. Has anyone read either of the other books I mentioned? They take two very different approaches to dealing with a defiant child, and I was curious to know what opinions or experiences others have had with these two approaches.
I am sorry for the incredibly long first post. Thanks for reading it if you managed to stick it out! I look forward to interacting with people here; it's good to know that I'm really not alone in this battle.