Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Total newbie - let me spill my guts
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="cdngrl" data-source="post: 586137" data-attributes="member: 15367"><p>Your situation sounds somewhat similar to ours... I read here frequently, but rarely post, but for some reason I felt compelled to open this thread again and reply. I also have a son in grade three who behaves as a model student (and does very well academically) but loses it at home (and has had similar issues since infancy), and over time we have come to recognize that anxiety and sensory processing issues are underlying a great deal of his issues, but he is does not seem to fit well into any diagnostic "boxes". I work in a related field, and have implemented consistent positive parenting approaches... and I have sought out help from many different professionals, as I recognized around the time that he turned 4 that his challenges were beyond what "good parenting" could solve. He has been seen by 2 psychologists (no neuropsychologists here), 3 psychiatrists, a pediatrician, and numerous other counsellors/mental health clinicians. Aspergers has been on the table (diagnosed by 1 professional but not agreed upon by the others, and as someone who works in this field although I KNOW that he has many symptoms that are consistent with Autism Spectrum Disorders I am not conviced that he truly meets all the criteria or that the underlying reason is the same). At this point, the primary diagnosis is Anxiety Disorder not otherwise specified. He has some features of depression (including previous suicidal thinking), but does not meet the criteria for diagnosis with depression; most recently the new psychiatrist who is seeing him stated that although he would not formally diagnose it at this time, he believes mood dysregulation is an appropriate working diagnosis (will be Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder in the DSM-5 when it comes out in May). My DS does not actually meet the criteria for that diagnosis as his symptoms wax and wane, but I do feel that other than that it is a good fit and it acknowledges the mood component of his challenges. We are taking a multifaceted approach to his treatment. He is currently on Sertraline and Abilify (medications were introduced in the fall, but originally he was taking Seroquel rather than Abilify but depressive-type symptoms re-emerged and the new p-doctor recommended trying a switch to abilify). His mood symptoms are currently much, much better, but anxiety symptoms are still present (though more manageable). We are about to start another attempt at CBT, now that he is more stable again. We have also been using a bit of the explosive child approach (on our own), as well as some autism-based approaches (previously on our own and now with support of an autism specialist who actually happens to be a behaviour therapist but is using a very broad cognitive-behaviour type approach that is tailored for my DS) focusing on teaching understanding of emotions, understanding verbal and nonverbal cues from others (as he was often misinterpreting others' intent which contributed to his anxiety), and self-monitoring and self-regulation skills. I am hopeful that he will continue to develop skills and tools to manage better over time, although I now recognize that he will likely always have some challenges with anxiety at a minimum. The medication has certainly not "fixed" the issue, but my goal with the medication was to get him to a point where he would be more able to work on the skills he needs to build. I am not holding my breath, but I am trying to stay positive.</p><p></p><p>I apologize for my longwinded response... all this to say, you are not alone... </p><p>Re: Aspergers, depending on where you are, they may not even consider giving that diagnosis anymore as it is not in the new DSM (which will be out in May), so the diagnosis would be Autism Spectrum Disorder if those criteria are met... and no diagnosis on the spectrum if the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are not met.</p><p>Regardless of diagnosis (which it seems can be a nearly impossible maze to navigate), figuring out the best (combination of) treatment for each individual child can be challenging. I truly hope you will find the answers you need quickly and you and your child will experience good success in the very near future!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="cdngrl, post: 586137, member: 15367"] Your situation sounds somewhat similar to ours... I read here frequently, but rarely post, but for some reason I felt compelled to open this thread again and reply. I also have a son in grade three who behaves as a model student (and does very well academically) but loses it at home (and has had similar issues since infancy), and over time we have come to recognize that anxiety and sensory processing issues are underlying a great deal of his issues, but he is does not seem to fit well into any diagnostic "boxes". I work in a related field, and have implemented consistent positive parenting approaches... and I have sought out help from many different professionals, as I recognized around the time that he turned 4 that his challenges were beyond what "good parenting" could solve. He has been seen by 2 psychologists (no neuropsychologists here), 3 psychiatrists, a pediatrician, and numerous other counsellors/mental health clinicians. Aspergers has been on the table (diagnosed by 1 professional but not agreed upon by the others, and as someone who works in this field although I KNOW that he has many symptoms that are consistent with Autism Spectrum Disorders I am not conviced that he truly meets all the criteria or that the underlying reason is the same). At this point, the primary diagnosis is Anxiety Disorder not otherwise specified. He has some features of depression (including previous suicidal thinking), but does not meet the criteria for diagnosis with depression; most recently the new psychiatrist who is seeing him stated that although he would not formally diagnose it at this time, he believes mood dysregulation is an appropriate working diagnosis (will be Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder in the DSM-5 when it comes out in May). My DS does not actually meet the criteria for that diagnosis as his symptoms wax and wane, but I do feel that other than that it is a good fit and it acknowledges the mood component of his challenges. We are taking a multifaceted approach to his treatment. He is currently on Sertraline and Abilify (medications were introduced in the fall, but originally he was taking Seroquel rather than Abilify but depressive-type symptoms re-emerged and the new p-doctor recommended trying a switch to abilify). His mood symptoms are currently much, much better, but anxiety symptoms are still present (though more manageable). We are about to start another attempt at CBT, now that he is more stable again. We have also been using a bit of the explosive child approach (on our own), as well as some autism-based approaches (previously on our own and now with support of an autism specialist who actually happens to be a behaviour therapist but is using a very broad cognitive-behaviour type approach that is tailored for my DS) focusing on teaching understanding of emotions, understanding verbal and nonverbal cues from others (as he was often misinterpreting others' intent which contributed to his anxiety), and self-monitoring and self-regulation skills. I am hopeful that he will continue to develop skills and tools to manage better over time, although I now recognize that he will likely always have some challenges with anxiety at a minimum. The medication has certainly not "fixed" the issue, but my goal with the medication was to get him to a point where he would be more able to work on the skills he needs to build. I am not holding my breath, but I am trying to stay positive. I apologize for my longwinded response... all this to say, you are not alone... Re: Aspergers, depending on where you are, they may not even consider giving that diagnosis anymore as it is not in the new DSM (which will be out in May), so the diagnosis would be Autism Spectrum Disorder if those criteria are met... and no diagnosis on the spectrum if the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are not met. Regardless of diagnosis (which it seems can be a nearly impossible maze to navigate), figuring out the best (combination of) treatment for each individual child can be challenging. I truly hope you will find the answers you need quickly and you and your child will experience good success in the very near future! [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Total newbie - let me spill my guts
Top