Hi,
I have been "lurking" for a long time and decided that it is time for me to join in. My 6.5 yo difficult child son, "Bug," has Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). We are also on the watch for signs of bipolar disorder.
Bug just started first grade and is doing fairly well, with the assistance of a 1:1 aide. He is attending "modified days" for now and leaves after lunch and recess. Kindergarten was a complete disaster, with daily outbursts and a big increase in anxiety and tics. We finally seem to be making some progress with medication, and a weekly social skills therapy group over the summer helped a lot.
We are now in our second week of school we have had mostly good days (today was a bad day), but for us the concept of a "good day" is relative, as I'm sure you all understand. Yesterday, Bug had a fabulous day behaviorally, but he also developed a new, painful mouth tic. At bed time he asked me if he could die from his new tic. I doubt this would meet most people's standard for a good day.
So, how do you get to the point where you "accept" your child's situation? I still find it very hard to accept that my son's childhood is already so difficult and that this won't necessarily get better. We have been dealing with behavioral issues since he was two, but have only had a diagnosis for about a year. It is daunting to think that we will be in the same situation next year, and the next, and so on. How do you cope?
Looking forward hearing from you.
----
I have been "lurking" for a long time and decided that it is time for me to join in. My 6.5 yo difficult child son, "Bug," has Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). We are also on the watch for signs of bipolar disorder.
Bug just started first grade and is doing fairly well, with the assistance of a 1:1 aide. He is attending "modified days" for now and leaves after lunch and recess. Kindergarten was a complete disaster, with daily outbursts and a big increase in anxiety and tics. We finally seem to be making some progress with medication, and a weekly social skills therapy group over the summer helped a lot.
We are now in our second week of school we have had mostly good days (today was a bad day), but for us the concept of a "good day" is relative, as I'm sure you all understand. Yesterday, Bug had a fabulous day behaviorally, but he also developed a new, painful mouth tic. At bed time he asked me if he could die from his new tic. I doubt this would meet most people's standard for a good day.
So, how do you get to the point where you "accept" your child's situation? I still find it very hard to accept that my son's childhood is already so difficult and that this won't necessarily get better. We have been dealing with behavioral issues since he was two, but have only had a diagnosis for about a year. It is daunting to think that we will be in the same situation next year, and the next, and so on. How do you cope?
Looking forward hearing from you.
----