Problems With My Son

[KellyT]

Hi everyone! I just stumbled onto this forum and thought that it looked promising. I have a 5 year old son who has had major behavioral problems since he was 2. He just started kindargarten yesterday. Before that he has been kicked out of 5 different daycares and 1 pre-school. He has been diagnosed with ODD and ADHD. In the first of July he was put on Strattera. When he was first put on the medicine he was staying with a familly member so he seemed to be doing much better. Now it seems like all the problems are coming back again. He kicks, hits (punches), bites, headbutts, etc. I'm tall, but thin and he hurts me. I'm also not strong enough to control him if that makes any sense. I can hold him, but I can't stop him and if I turn him loose then he comes after me or whoever is around him.

He did great at school yesterday, but today he got into trouble for not listening. Now that's a major step up from the aggresive behavior, but I'm seeing the aggressive behavior at home again, so it's only a matter of time before it pops up in the classroom. I don't know what to do with him. His self esteem is so bad and he gets frustrated so easily. He is also very smart. Intellectualy he is very high, but socially and behaviorally he is on the lower end. Spanking, grounding, etc doesn't seem to work and everything seems to always be someone else's fault. I don't understand it. My question to all of you would be do I try him on Concerta? Would it help him at all? I apologize if my grammar and typing aren't up to par. It's late here and I can't seem to find the spellcheck button.

KellyT

 

[JJJ]

Hi Kelly,

Welcome. Can you try this form http://www.childbrain.com/pddassess.html ? It looks at a lot of different areas of child development. You can print it out when you are done and show it to your son's psychiatrist. If you need more info about what the question is asking, just click on it.

My son is also very smart but struggles emotionally and behaviorally. We are finally seeing some progress with his emo/behav growth and hope to see academic growth this year. The stims did not work for him -- they made him more aggressive

If you go to "User CP" on the top menu bar and create a sig (see mine below) it will help us all keep your story straight.

Welcome,

 

[gcvmom]

Welcome to the board, Kelly!

If your son's doctor is recommending Concerta, it might be worth a try. However, if it were me, I'd ask to trial him first on a shorter acting medication so that if it's NOT the right drug, it will wear off faster. Concerta lasts about 8 to 10 hours if I remember right? That's a long time to wait if it's not a good fit for him. The short-acting drugs typically wear off after 4 hours. Plus, you may not hit on the perfect dosage for him right out the chute. It can take a couple of weeks to sort that out, even if it is the right medication. A lot has to do with weight and how fast a person metabolizes the drug. It is usually best to start with the smallest possible dose and work up from there. And with stimulants, you should know fairly soon if it's going to work or not for your child.

We look forward to hearing back from you!

 

[busywend]

Welcome!

Well, he was put on the Strattera in July - without school. Has his behavior changed since school started?

 

[BusynMember]

I would take him for thorough evaluation, and I prefer NeuroPsychs. Medicating him without knowing what's wrong with him is the same as going to a doctor for a bad cough and being given medications without the doctor having run any tests to know if medications are the answer or WHAT medications. There are many disorders that could be wrong with your child aside from ADHD and ODD, many of us believe, is not a useful diagnosis. It explains that the child is defiant. Well, we know that! But it doesn't explain WHY.

I'd do the neuropsychologist, especially since he is now in school. It could be anything from an emerging early mood disorders to a form of high functioning autism to a combination of many other things, but it doesn't sound like he has had the six to ten hours of testing that NeuroPsychs do.

Welcome to the board, but sorry you have to be here.