New to this site- 4 1/2 yr old with-ODD

[lir34]

Hi,

I am glad to find somewhere to talk to someone. My son is four and a half years old. He has SDD, functioning at 24 mos-to young three year old level. He also has speech and language problems. He has been recently diagnosed with ODD. I feel isolated and depressed. It is very difficult to go out in public with him, so this limits what we can do as a family. This affects my other two children. He tantrums,is aggessive, and is a runner. On the flipside he can be the sweetest most loving kid ever.He has been kicked out of the best special needs childcare facility in our city, after two years. We were in behavioral therapy, but I had to stop after he had no daycare because I could'nt take anymore time off of work. I am about to freak out.

 

[Hound dog]

Hi and welcome to the board. You've landed in a truly great place with people who really care.

How was difficult child with his developmental milestones? Did he meet them on time?

I'm wondering because you said he's functioning at a 24month old level. And with the speech and language issues.......I've got to ask if you've ever had him evaluated for autism?

Actually he reminds me of one of my grandsons who is autistic. And somewhat of my own son who is also.

The best advice I can think of is to get a neuropsychological evaluation for your son. A truly wonderful evaluation that dxes for a broad spectrum of issues.

And to keep coming here of course.

Again, welcome to the board.

(((hugs)))

 

[BusynMember]

Hi there and welcome.

Right off the bat, autism screams at me, not ODD. Who diagnosed him? Has he ever seen a neuropsychologist? There are various types of autism, some very high functioning. Does this child make eye contact with strangers? Does he know how to interact with his same age peers? Does he play appropriately with toys? Does he ever repeat what he has heard on television almost verbatim? Any repetitive behaviors--lip smacking, high pitched vocalizations, arm flapping, rocking, turning lightswitches on and off, etc. Any early interest in memorizing letters and numbers? Does he freak out for transitions?

My son, who is on the high end of autism, used to take off in malls and I'd have to chase him and probably looked like a crazy lady. WE adopted him and he is African-American. I'm white. I think I saw people staring at me in horror, probably thinking I was kidnapping him!!! Then he'd fall to the floor and scream like I was ki lling him. Amazing no one ever called Social Services, but maybe they could see how much I loved him and how connected we were. My son had an early diagnosis. of ADHD/ODD, but it was incorrect.

Most of us here don't believe ODD stands alone and is the result of a bigger disorder. I think your little guy needs a re-evaluation by somebody who will test him for all disorders, and I also think he would benefit greatly from the school's Early Education program.

Welcome again! Good people are here

 

[nvts]

Hi! Welcome to the crowd! We've all been there at one time or another! I'm almost willing to bet almost all of us have been told "adhd or odd" or some other list of initials that sort of diagnose your childs problems! How "neat and sweet" of them! NOT!

Full testing (like Daisy and MidWest suggested) will open up doors for you and give you some avenues to follow. No matter what: don't blame yourself - too many people are willing to accept blame when most of these things are neurological/biological in nature. You've been swimming up stream for a while - naturally you'd be exhaused!

You can usually get a neuropsychologist done at a childrens or teaching hospital, and don't be surprised if they schedule you months out. It's very thorough testing and there's a long line to get it done. See if they keep a cancellation list so that you can be called if someone changes their mind and a spot opens up!

Right now he's freaking out and running because there's too much input. I'm willing to bet he's got "sensory integration" issues - loud noises, too busy (surrounding activities - people milling around, etc), too bright, too dark, etc. He's got an advanced fight or flight mode. Check out www.childbrain.com and see if some of the sensory and/or high functioning autism stuff applies.

We're here for you...stop in often...kick your feet up and dig in. You could take a look at "The Explosive Child" by Ross Greene - it might give you a little insight as to how he sees things!

Feel better!

Beth