M
myah
Guest
Hello, this is my first post on this site and I joined this group to maybe find someone to talk to who understands the hell I go through with my son. My son is 7 years old and has been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD. He is also speech impaired and on top of that has sensory issues, as if the first two diagnoses weren't enough. He is also a very anxious child. He is usually the worst behaved child in every scenario and it's getting so old. The ADHD part of his problem is irritating but I can deal with that much better than I can with the ODD part. He is passively defiant, which means that he will not outright defy you to your face, but will defy you in a sneaky way behind your back. He is constantly testing his limits and will do the same bad things over and over again regardless of the punishment. It's almost like he never learns from his mistakes. He is a pathological liar and feels absolutely zero remorse when he's done something wrong. That scares the **** out of me. Isn't remorse an innate trait that one is born with?? What if you're born without it?
He is seeing a mental health counselor once a week to work on these problems and I am hoping that it's going to help. We just started seeing her a month ago because we didn't get the ODD diagnosis until late September. His counselor thinks that things are going to get better, but I'm not so sure at this point. He's been quite the handful his entire life and I started seeing these defiant behaviors when he was 2 1/2 years of age. We just assumed he was going through the terrible two's. Well, the terrible two's never stopped and it has not gotten easier one bit. I guess my question to you all is if it ever gets easier?? Do you people with older children that have ODD see any sort of improvement with age??? I was hoping that by age 7 things would have gotten easier and that he would have outgrown most of this. Well that didn't happen and it seems like the older he gets, the more problems we uncover.
I know I have thrown alot of negativity on the table but would like to say that he is not all bad and that there are good traits under all of those problems. He is a very bright child and is extremely artistic. He definately thinks "outside the box" and is one of the funniest kids I've ever met. He can be very charming but turn into a different child in a matter of minutes. I just wish that people could see past all of the ugly to see the good, but the "ugly" can be so overpowering.
One of the hardest parts for me for having a child like this is that I never really feel like a good parent. There are times when parenting my son is rewarding, but those times seem so outnumbered by the power struggles and the defiance. I feel so exhausted and depressed and it seems like no matter what I do for him or what help I get him, nothing ever works or makes the situation better. He is currently taking 36mg of Concerta a day for the ADHD and it does help but it is not a miracle drug by any stretch of the sentence. The dr has also recently prescribed him Clonidine but to be very very honest, I am scared to death to give that to him. She wants me to give him half a pill at bedtime and I have this paranoid fear that I will wake up one morning and find him dead or something from the Clonidine. I don't know but I just don't feel right about giving him that drug. Something in my gut is just telling me not to. I hate even giving him the Concerta but he would fail in school if I didnt. He is just not gaining weight like he should. He is also super irritable in the afternoons after school. The counselor has attributed this to the Concerta wearing off at this time. Anyone else have a similar experience??
I have a 6 year old son that is normal with the exception of the speech impairment that my 7 year old has. However, when those two are together, my youngest feeds into the energy of my oldest.
I really think that this problem is 100% hereditary. Does anyone else see a genetic link to these disorders?? My ex husband was a complete loser who had ADHD and had speech issues when he was a kid. He was in and out of foster care and jail as a teenager and young adult. After we got married, he got addicted to drugs and got very abusive. We have been divorced for 6 years now and he now has 5 kids that he doesnt take care of...I know, I picked a winner, huh?
I am so sorry to go on for so long but I just really need to know that there are other people with children like this. Having a child with this problem has been such an isolating experience. I am embarassed to take him anywhere in fear that he might humiliate me or act out or whatever.
Well, if you've managed to read this far and not become completely bored, I really appreciate you taking the time to read this. I will check back often and would love to hear from you all...
Thanks and God Bless
He is seeing a mental health counselor once a week to work on these problems and I am hoping that it's going to help. We just started seeing her a month ago because we didn't get the ODD diagnosis until late September. His counselor thinks that things are going to get better, but I'm not so sure at this point. He's been quite the handful his entire life and I started seeing these defiant behaviors when he was 2 1/2 years of age. We just assumed he was going through the terrible two's. Well, the terrible two's never stopped and it has not gotten easier one bit. I guess my question to you all is if it ever gets easier?? Do you people with older children that have ODD see any sort of improvement with age??? I was hoping that by age 7 things would have gotten easier and that he would have outgrown most of this. Well that didn't happen and it seems like the older he gets, the more problems we uncover.
I know I have thrown alot of negativity on the table but would like to say that he is not all bad and that there are good traits under all of those problems. He is a very bright child and is extremely artistic. He definately thinks "outside the box" and is one of the funniest kids I've ever met. He can be very charming but turn into a different child in a matter of minutes. I just wish that people could see past all of the ugly to see the good, but the "ugly" can be so overpowering.
One of the hardest parts for me for having a child like this is that I never really feel like a good parent. There are times when parenting my son is rewarding, but those times seem so outnumbered by the power struggles and the defiance. I feel so exhausted and depressed and it seems like no matter what I do for him or what help I get him, nothing ever works or makes the situation better. He is currently taking 36mg of Concerta a day for the ADHD and it does help but it is not a miracle drug by any stretch of the sentence. The dr has also recently prescribed him Clonidine but to be very very honest, I am scared to death to give that to him. She wants me to give him half a pill at bedtime and I have this paranoid fear that I will wake up one morning and find him dead or something from the Clonidine. I don't know but I just don't feel right about giving him that drug. Something in my gut is just telling me not to. I hate even giving him the Concerta but he would fail in school if I didnt. He is just not gaining weight like he should. He is also super irritable in the afternoons after school. The counselor has attributed this to the Concerta wearing off at this time. Anyone else have a similar experience??
I have a 6 year old son that is normal with the exception of the speech impairment that my 7 year old has. However, when those two are together, my youngest feeds into the energy of my oldest.
I really think that this problem is 100% hereditary. Does anyone else see a genetic link to these disorders?? My ex husband was a complete loser who had ADHD and had speech issues when he was a kid. He was in and out of foster care and jail as a teenager and young adult. After we got married, he got addicted to drugs and got very abusive. We have been divorced for 6 years now and he now has 5 kids that he doesnt take care of...I know, I picked a winner, huh?
I am so sorry to go on for so long but I just really need to know that there are other people with children like this. Having a child with this problem has been such an isolating experience. I am embarassed to take him anywhere in fear that he might humiliate me or act out or whatever.
Well, if you've managed to read this far and not become completely bored, I really appreciate you taking the time to read this. I will check back often and would love to hear from you all...
Thanks and God Bless