Risperidone and also a bit of a vent

[badgranola]

Hi everybody. I'm still pretty new to the forum, but thought I'd post anyway. Today we had an appointment with the psychiatrist. difficult child has been taking Intuniv 2mg for about 3 weeks now, and in the beginning things looked promising, but then the mood swings resurfaced. Today the doctor basically broke it down for me that we've run the gamut of adhd medications and this is the same result which leads him to believe mood disorder (which I sort of suspected anyway with difficult children temper tantrums, rages, etc). He prescribed Risperidone, 0.25 to start then up to 0.5 and so forth if necessary and to drop the Intuniv since it wasn't really helping him. Anyone else in a similar situation?

My difficult child is 6, having a really difficult time in school. We had A LOT of issues last year with this school, in a nutshell they called an IEP, made the paperwork disappear, transferred him into an ODD class where he picked up a lot of behaviors he didn't have before and basically crushed his self esteem. Well I found the paperwork that they supposedly never sent (one of the times I'm super thankful that I keep every single paper that might be important for a ridiculous amount of time) and managed to get an IEP in place. However, I made the principal at this prestigious magnet school (that we're zoned for) very upset due to the repercussions due to her actions last year. This year he has a fantastic inclusion teacher, a great regular teacher but the administration is still on the warpath against us. Yesterday he got in trouble for allegedly shoving a boy at aftercare causing him to scrape his face on the sidewalk (I still haven't gotten an absolutely clear story of what happened). My difficult child is honest to a fault and claims he just ran into the boy but the other kids blamed it on him and said he did it on purpose and that is when he went into one of his tantrums, screaming, running around the playground, running away from counsellors, making threats, etc. He was suspended from aftercare due to the incident. Well, today when I was on my way to take him to school after his appointment I received a call from the assistant principal to inform me that she and the principal saw the little boy that he allegedly shoved down and they thought it would be in his best interest if my son just didn't come to school today. I asked that her request be put into writing and signed so that I have documentation of them calling me (on a day he had not even been to school yet, regarding an incident that happened at aftercare which is run by a contracted entity, not the school). Anyway, I'm at my wits end with trying to get this place to do what they are required to do by law and I'm sick of my son getting his feelings hurt and feeling so singled out. I could rant on and on about this place, but I'm sure this is a little difficult to read. Sorry, I get going and I just can't stop! Anyway, any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TeDo]

I would contact an advocate or maybe even a lawyer. This seems like clear retaliation that is bordering on harassment. I hope you are documenting everything that is happening in detail. I keep a notebook with a running account of things that happen at school including phone calls, emails, notes, and at meetings. Is the aftercare provided on school grounds or something the school arranges for but does not conduct themselves? If so, then it is considered a "school-sponsored" event and can fall under the school's discipline policy. If not, what happens there cannot be used as a basis for discipline. I'm sorry you are going through this. You really need to get an advocate or lawyer so the situation doesn't get worse. You really should do a signature (information) for your posts. It is a big help in giving advice if we know about all the players and relevant details. Keep us posted.

 

[smallworld]

I agree that you need to get an advocate or an attorney. If school officials deem that a child is a threat to self or others, I believe they can determine that a child not be in school until he receives appropriate treatment and gets a doctor's statement of medical clearance to return to school. You haven't seen what the other child's injuries look like and you don't know what the other child's parents are telling the school (and I'm not judging who is right or wrong here). You need to ask the school in writing why they are insisting that your child not be in school and what you need to do to have your child return to school.

To find an advocate or attorney in your area, you can check these websites:
www.nami.org (click on state/local to find offices in your community)
www.ffcmh.org
www.yellowpagesforkids.com
www.copaa.org

Hang in there.

 

[badgranola]

Up until yesterday I was employed at an attorney's office as a paralegal. I lost my job due to "restructuring" as well as my absences I'm pretty sure. I've missed a bit of time having to run to school to pick him up then try to find a babysitter for the remainder of the day for every little thing. I swear, it's like he's under a microscope. I do have an advocate that I'm working with. I did ask that the school put in writing why he couldn't return Thursday, I will pick it up on Monday. My advocate told me that it is a violation of his rights to ask me to keep him home the day after the event since it was at aftercare and the fact that I was called from the assistant's cell phone rather than the school line seemed sketchy. I agree with you, I did not see the childs injuries. I wasn't even given a written report of the event from aftercare (which I will be asking for Monday as well). I'm not trying to make excuses for my difficult child. Until Thursday at his psychiatric appointment, we hadn't even touched on mood disorders. We have seen a therapist in the past who gave me a long list of techniques to implement in our home to see if they helped even though I told him those were things I was already doing. The center that evaluated him for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)'s pretty much told us to medicate the ADHD and go from there. We are scheduled to start seeing a therapist that works with our psychiatric on November 1st. I'm just quite frustrated with everyone at his school labeling him as "the bad kid". I just don't feel that anyone gives him the benefit of a doubt, its just easier to label him and move on. I'm sure a lot of you have been here before! I'm really glad that I found this board, it is nice to have a "conversation" with someone that understands that my difficult child isn't just a spoiled rotten child. (I can't even tell you how many times I've heard that!).

 

[TiredSoul]

I'm so sorry you lost your job. I'm sure that is something you just didn't need happening right now to make your situation even more difficult. Hang in there. Your child is not spoiled or a bad kid and we understand that.

 

[BusynMember]

Although I can't tell you how to handle the school district...I do suggest you have your child evaluated again this time by a private neuropsychologist. Sounds like he COULD be on the autism spectrum, high functioning, which would not only explain all of his behaviors (and "honest to a fault"), but would force the school to respect his problems and give him accommodations. I would never allow my kid to sit in an ODD class. What in the world is THAT? ODD is basically a diagnosis. they give when they don't know what is going on.
Mainstreaming works best if you are very on target as to the disorder the child has because then you are sure what he needs in order to remain mainstreamed successfully. Kids on the spectrum often do have meltdowns when they are frustrated and often require an aide, but you don't get one with a bunch of different diagnosis. Not saying he's on the spectrum, but it sounds like he could be. NeuroPsychs tend to find what others miss.
As an aside, some people just can't afford attornys. That was never on the table for us...don't have enough $$$ for that. Advocates can be good, but they also need to know the label...labels mean a lot in getting school help. Good luck and hang in there

 

[Wiped Out]

Definitely sounds very strange. No way should the school be interfering with After School stuff. It's one thing for aftercare to suspend him but the school? I remember when my difficult child was in 5th grade and had problems with another child in After School (both boys were at fault). The dad of the other child wanted the school to suspend difficult child and school said they don't have jurisdiction in after school situations. Also After School told the dad both kids were at fault and they would not kick out difficult child (which is also what the dad wanted). I hope you can get to the bottom of this. Gentle hugs.