Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Counseling?

This sounds JUST like my DD. We did try counseling 9for issues related to anxiety when she was 4) and that was WORTHLESS! Every idea they offered, I had already tried. After going 4 times and realizing I was paying each time for advice, I already tried, we went at it alone. I can tell you that I have done a LOT of reading. DD is highly intense (she is textbook Dabrowski's theory of over-excitabilities). Like your son, she only does it at home. She knows it is not socially appropriate etc. One thing, that one of my friends who has a GT child as well was told from a counselor her DD was seeing was to follow the same diet that ADHD kids are recommended to try. Basically, we monitor her sugar intake BIG TIME! I can tell you that it has REALLY changed these crazy outbursts! With Halloween just being here, she turned back to her old ways with the candy being around. So much that SHE even noticed it when I pointed it out, and asked me to get rid of it for her! I know it sounds crazy, but it's worth a shot. She was a different child within about a week of cutting her sugar WAY OUT. When she does have it when she goes to a party or what not... it's like 3 days that we know it will be out of her system (I know it doesn't take that long, but she really seems to be affected by it that long.) If you do go the route of counseling, please find someone skilled in gifted kids. I think that was part of our problem, but really, wroking it out on our own worked. We devised a series of "coping skills" for when these outbursts happened. The MAIN thing, for me, was to remain calm. I used to get so upset because she was being so irrational, that it was her strong-willed personality battling mine, that it was a no win situation. I found that speaking very calmly calmed her down. She may be angry for a short bit while I am doing it because you turn emoitions off THAT quickly, but she soon realized she could calm down too. We did deep breathes and that helped tremendously. Now, she just says.... I think I need a hug, because that was one of the things we talked about as a resolution. Never try to have a discussion when the child's emotions are flaring like that. Wait til it all calms down and then discuss it. Now, I tell her she isn't making good choices and that usually ends it with "I'm sorry... can I start over." I never thought it would work but the diet played a HUGE role in the length and frequency of these outbursts! HTH!