At the end of my rope with my eight year old difficult child

snees

New Member
My eight year old son has turned me into a total basket case and don't know what to do. He has been diagnosis with ADHD and Mixed Expressive Receptive Language disorder but there is a lot more going on. He has NO self control and has been hitting other kids to the point that other mothers remove their kids from the pool, playground, etc. He is impossible. This summer has been difficult. His babysitter is unable to watch him so I had to put him and his twin sister in a camp which they both are not thrilled about. He has gotten so bad that he was put in the special needs section (which I was glad to know they had) but he went nuts at the pool and were biting counselors. I don't know what to do. I called his psychiatrist (who we saw last week and thought it was an ADHD medi issue) and made an appointment at the end of august for a behavior counselor consult. However, I don't know what to do. My older son had some issues with aggression but he was able to manage. He used to be such a sweet boy and now he is crazy. His father is in the clouds about this and not sure what else to do. I have tried behavior therapy before and it did not do much but that was two years ago. Who else has had this issue it is ruining my life
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Welcome Snees! You have found a soft place to land. I'm sorry things are so rough right now. My son was so very difficult at that age and I totally understand when you say he has NO self control. When my son was violent I was on the phone a lot to his psychiatrist; he always appreciated the call and it let him know just how difficult things were. You say he wasn't always difficult? Did anything happen that might have triggered his behavior to become worse?

It might be a good idea to start therapy again. To be honest I never knew if it was doing my difficult child any good, in fact, at times I was sure it wasn't. However, over the years I have seen him start to rely on what he learned in therapy. He couldn't access those tools at the time but is able to now.

Sending gentle hugs your way.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry, Snees.
Definitely, stick with therapy, and dig further into a broader diagnosis. He definitely has other issues going on.
Also, watch him for triggers. Is it the word "no"? Is it in any social setting? Or does he act out at home, as well? Any particular noises, textures or lights? Once you find some triggers, you can work on them in therapy.
Chances are, he's got more going on. You have to create a very structured life, plan out each second of the day, and probably strip his room so he can't break anything.
{{hugs}}
 

snees

New Member
One of the problems is he is in nature camp with a lot of kids, lots going on, etc. This is totally off his game. His twin sister is having a ball. He was switched to the special needs group so he is having more assistance. I also feel he is not feeling well (we had a bug go through the house) and this may be his turn. He threw up today in camp but when I came over to get him he said he wanted to stay so let's see. That being said, I have noticed that he has been violent to other kids for some time now. This has been going on for a while and don't know what to do. He was also being oppositional which is going to stop PRONTO. He used to be my most compliant kid so this is a new development. That being said, he is acquiring new skills which is promising. I know that this all day camp is trying for him but we had to find something for him to do as both his dad and I work.
 
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