SRL
Active Member
Monica, I've copied your post into a new thread because you'll get more reponses and it will be easier to sort out from the others.
Wow - it is so refreshing and therapeutic to connect to other parents who are in similar situations... I totally can relate to you and what you have gone through with your preschool-age youngster. I just joined the forum tonight after finding it through a search engine when I was searching for info about Oppositional Defiant Disorder, which I am pretty certain my daughter has. Becky (my daughter) just turned 4 a couple weeks ago, and is in a special needs preschool. She has an IEP plan for what was originally a speech delay (apraxia), but has since changed to significant behavioral issues - temper tantrums, defiant behavior, the like. Everything seems to be a battle with her - getting her to sit down and eat, getting her to get dressed, getting her to put on her coat to go somewhere, getting her to get in the car without having to chase her all over the yard first. Tonight I almost had a mental and emotional breakdown after she finished a tumbling class and had an absolute meltdown when I tried to put her shoes on. I ultimately ended up carrying her out to the car barefoot (in late February nonetheless) because I simply could not put her shoes on her feet. She made me so angry I was in tears. After having taught 115 high school students my patience stores are already somewhat depleted when I get her in the afternoon (my husband works 2nd shift), and that is when her episodes seem to be worse. She has had psychological testing and the doctors have indicated that they believe she has ODD, and, although it is too early to diagnose definitively, she also showed some characteristics of ADHD.
Anyway, it is nice to read about other people's similar experiences - it helps me because sometimes I find that I doubt myself - I wonder if Becky acts the way she does because of something I'm doing wrong or because I'm not doing something I should be doing. I'm sure that there are some things that I could be doing better, but I am also starting to recognize that ODD is not something that parents necessarily have control over, as it can also be genetic and medically-based.
I guess all we can do is to take it one day at a time and to take time for ourselves - all important! I think that is why I feel so frayed because I simply have not had much time to myself. I am also expecting, so at times I am an emotional rollercoaster. I am hoping and praying that this baby will be normal (or relatively normal), and I look forward to Becky having a sibling to play with. Hopefully having a sibling will help with her behavioral issues (of course, it could just make me even more crazy!!).
Wow - it is so refreshing and therapeutic to connect to other parents who are in similar situations... I totally can relate to you and what you have gone through with your preschool-age youngster. I just joined the forum tonight after finding it through a search engine when I was searching for info about Oppositional Defiant Disorder, which I am pretty certain my daughter has. Becky (my daughter) just turned 4 a couple weeks ago, and is in a special needs preschool. She has an IEP plan for what was originally a speech delay (apraxia), but has since changed to significant behavioral issues - temper tantrums, defiant behavior, the like. Everything seems to be a battle with her - getting her to sit down and eat, getting her to get dressed, getting her to put on her coat to go somewhere, getting her to get in the car without having to chase her all over the yard first. Tonight I almost had a mental and emotional breakdown after she finished a tumbling class and had an absolute meltdown when I tried to put her shoes on. I ultimately ended up carrying her out to the car barefoot (in late February nonetheless) because I simply could not put her shoes on her feet. She made me so angry I was in tears. After having taught 115 high school students my patience stores are already somewhat depleted when I get her in the afternoon (my husband works 2nd shift), and that is when her episodes seem to be worse. She has had psychological testing and the doctors have indicated that they believe she has ODD, and, although it is too early to diagnose definitively, she also showed some characteristics of ADHD.
Anyway, it is nice to read about other people's similar experiences - it helps me because sometimes I find that I doubt myself - I wonder if Becky acts the way she does because of something I'm doing wrong or because I'm not doing something I should be doing. I'm sure that there are some things that I could be doing better, but I am also starting to recognize that ODD is not something that parents necessarily have control over, as it can also be genetic and medically-based.
I guess all we can do is to take it one day at a time and to take time for ourselves - all important! I think that is why I feel so frayed because I simply have not had much time to myself. I am also expecting, so at times I am an emotional rollercoaster. I am hoping and praying that this baby will be normal (or relatively normal), and I look forward to Becky having a sibling to play with. Hopefully having a sibling will help with her behavioral issues (of course, it could just make me even more crazy!!).