So I'm new...help?

[MisSuenosLocos]

Good afternoon everyone, I have read through some of the threads, I'm a newbie with learning and dealing with the adventure of a "Special" child. My daughter is 7, she takes 27 mg Concerta, 600 mg Seroquel XR, 200 mg Seroquel daily. They say bipolar "tendencies" along with combo ADD/ADHD, some Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a few more things. She is a cocktail of emotions and issues. She will be eight in Dec, they just pushed her to the 1st grade, only cause she was to old to do another year of K, she is in Special Education. She doesn't know her ABC's we are working on numbers, but socially...she is very normal. We have a lot of issues with people lacking understanding of why she can't handle or figure out even the little things like...going to public bathrooms (She has issues figuring out what is the boys..what is girls) So its been hard. I have a 13 year old Son whose only issue is...he is 13. We have had probably our worse year with her the last year which resulted in a very rough life, she tends to get angry and aggressive with her brother which she vents out. He went from being a straight A student in one year, to all E's and will be repeating the 7th grade this fall. So I'm looking for someone who has done this, or could use another shoulder to prop up on during this! I really could use about a dozen or so shoulders! I am also curious...is anyone else have their children on these medications? They are considering adding a third on top of what she takes, cause we are having trouble getting her to sleep at night, and she has started to get awful mean again. Its like the mebs work for only a week...then we are back to "Our" normal. Help? Help?

 

[busywend]

I am at work, so did not have a ton of time to post - but I wanted to welcome you!

So glad you found us!

Now you have THOUSANDS of shoulders to lean on!

 

[TerryJ2]

Bienvenida! I laughed at your avatar words. Too true for all of us.

Yes, there are people here whose kids are on those medications.
I'm not one of them; my son is on adderal.

I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter and her anger issues. I've read about other kids here whose medications seem to only work for a short time so I'm sure you'll get some good advice.

Could you create a profile at the bottom so we can remember your kids' ages and what medications your daughter is on? Thanks.

Are you seeing a child psychiatric to help with-strategies and behaviors?

What is her ed diagnosis? You said she had problems telling apart the boys bathroom and girls bathroom, and doesn't know her ABCs ... is it reading or general cognition? There are lots of other bb's here to look over, too, that may help you ... nutrition, educ., and of course, the Watercooler.

Glad you found us.

 

[house of cards]

Adding my welcome. My difficult child(gift from God) has tried most of the stimulants, they made him MEAN, not just his usual irritable but unbearable mean. He doesn't take Seroquel, but he takes Zyprexa which is also a AP drug. The most helpful for my difficult child is lamictal though, it is a mood stablizer. I find anxiety under almost all of my son's anger/trouble. How is your daughter doing in the summer with less school pressure?

 

[slsh]

Hi and welcome!! Okay, Terry's got me curious now - help out us linguistically challenged folks - what does your screen name mean???

If you click on "FAQ" on the upper lefthand part of the screen, you'll find out how to do a signature and also get a crash course on our abbreviations.

My first inclination is to ask what kind of testing the SD (school district) has done. A kiddo who has repeated K and still doesn't know her ABCs, as well as is having difficulty differentiating between the boys' and girls' bathrooms, screams to me that there's more going on here than an emotional/behavioral issue. To be honest, I'm woefully clueless about learning disabilities, but I'm wondering if there's a visual processing problem or a cognitive issue or ... who knows what. If you need help figuring out what the SD has tested for and where you might want to go from here in terms of school services, please check out the sped 101 forum - great bunch of ladies who are incredibly knowledgeable and can really give you some excellent advice.

I think it's a *huge* positive that she is not having social difficulties. Interactions with peers can be such a major problem with some of our kids. I think it's great that she isn't having those difficulties.

I'm going to assume you mistyped her medications, LOL. Seroquel XR *and* Seroquel?? But to answer your question, yes, my son has been on medication since he was 5. It certainly wasn't/isn't ideal in my book - I'd much prefer no medication but as wise folks who have traveled the road before me pointed out, if my kid were diabetic I certainly wouldn't withhold appropriate medications. Really no difference with our kiddos. The hard part is finding the right mix and dose, especially as they grow. It took us literally years to finally get a decent combination. It's not perfect as thank you still struggles mightily with not only depression but also incredible impulsiveness at times, but... this is the best combo we've ever had.

As far as your 13-year-old... I can only send empathy. I have to keep reminding myself that my 13-year-old is a good kid, that the attitude will someday go away, that the grades *will* improve (though I cannot begin to tell you how much I'm dreading the upcoming school year!!!), and that shipping him off to a deserted island until he's.... oh, 25 or 30 is really not an option, but there are some days....

So glad you found us! You are most certainly not alone. Do remember that none of us has *the* answer - we can only share where we've been and give you suggestions. Please use the info you can and don't worry about the rest. If nothing else, we've always got shoulders to share.

 

[susiestar]

Welcome! glad you are here, but sorry you need us!

there are a lot of things going on here. first off, with bipolar "tendencies" it is probably not the greatest idea to have her on stimulants (Concerta). Many people with mood disorders cannot be stable on stimulants. There are other medications that are a problem also - antidepressants are a big problem. Usually it is recommended to get the moods stabilized and tehn work on ADHD and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) issues. Sometimes those things are symptoms of the mood disorder.

I really think seeing a GOOD developmental pediatrician is in order here. They are doctors with special training in child psychiatry and in how children develop. An evaluation by a neuropsychologist is also a good idea.

She CLEARLY has learning disorders - can't tell the boys from the girls bathroom? Numbers and Letters at age 8?? She NEEDS an evaluation to see what kind of learning disorders are there.

Does she have an IEP? Who evaluated her so far?

You have a 13 yo son who went from A's to E's (are those like F's?) in one year? Have you drug tested him? does he have the same friends, and are they good kids?? What other things have changed?? How is he with his sister? IS he the ONLY person she is aggressive with? Has anyone talked to her about why, and to him about why? I find that a bit disturbing, the relationship between them clearly needs some help.

A lot of us have kids on medications. We don't make the decision to use medications lightly, but sometimes they are needed.

Anyway, keep coming back, do a sig, and enjoy the support.

 

[butterflydreams]

I just wanted to add my welcome.

 

[BusynMember]

Ok, as a person who has bipolar tendencies, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and everything else on the mood disorder spectrum (which is what these problems are) that still does not explain why your daughter can't figure out her ABCs or why she can't figure out which bathroom to enter. Those are neurological/cognitive issues that have nothing to do with bipolar/mood disorders. She should pick that up just from life.
This is what I'd do due to her academic and life skill difficulties (not to mention it seems that nobody knows what is really wrong with her so they have assigned her a long list of diagnosis., not knowing which it really is). In spite of her social skills, it wouldn't shock me if she was somewhere on the autism spectrum, high functioning, but I have to say--even most Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) kids know their alphabet and which bathroom to go into at 8. This is something you must look into.

I would take this child for a complete evaluation to a neuropsychologist. She could have some serious non-verbal learning disability. THAT affects your cognitive functioning and memory. She could have other Learning Disability (LD)'s or disorders too. I would defintely, if it were me, not be satisfied that the laundry list of diagnosis. explains why my child can't learn her ABCs and can't figure out which bathroom to go into. It sounds like she is easily confused with short term memory problems. A neuropsychologist is a very thorough evaluator--a psychologist with additional training in the brain. That is where I would go if this were my child. I want to also add that because I do have a mood disorder, I've been on a lot of medication, and some dull your cognitive functioning even more.

Nobody sounds like they really know what is going on with your child. NeuroPsychs can be found at university and children's hospitals. Often there are waiting lists, because they are good, but they are worth the wait. My son was tested for TEN hours. A one hour evaluation or a school evaluation (we had those too) do not nail our very difficult-to-figure-out children. And I am concerned that he has so many diagnosis. It's like they are saying, "We really have no clue."

Those cognitive deficits need addressing. And even if her IQ is very high she has some cognitive deficits. Early intervention is very helpful, but you need to know why she is the way she is. I hope you pursue this route. Whatever you decide, good luck. And welcome

 

[Wiped Out]

Welcome-as you can tell, you are no longer. My difficult child does have Bipolar and can't tolerate anything for his ADHD in the way of stimulants because it really makes him rage. It definitely sounds like your youngest needs an evaluation.

As for the 13 year old, I'm sorry he is struggling. It is a tough age for sure. Any insight on to why the grades dropped so drastically. It's not so unusual for them to drop some at that age but that sounds like quite a turnaround.

So glad you found us-know you will find much support here. Hugs.

 

[TerryJ2]

Susiestar, good catch about the 13-yr-old. I didn't pick up on that progression (regression, actually) and how fast it was.
What other behaviors has he had, MisSuenosLocos?

 

[TerryJ2]

Mis Suenos Locos: My Crazy Kids
Or, My Crazy Dreams. But I immediately assumed it was kids.