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DS8's behavior has gotten markedly worse the past few months (while we were trying stimulant medication for his (supposed) ADHD) and culminated in Monday's 1hr long fit of rage. We ended the meds, and he seemed a bit happier, but still not "normal". He continued to exhibit the same behaviors in school - Tuesday the principal called and spoke with my husband on the phone and expressed her concern over his behavior and the things he was saying (about how he hates himself). Wed the teacher contacted me to schedule a parent-teacher conference, and then Thursday DS was so out of control my husband had to pick him up and bring him home!

My husband brought him into the psychiatrist we've been seeing and he agreed no more of the meds and that he was no longer sure it was ADHD, and he ended up recommending a place in town called 'The Excel Center'. It's a facility that allows for DS to be monitored the whole time he's there. In the morning he'll have a normal school experience, and in the afternoons either a meeting with the psychiatrist there, or group therapy (which is basically play therapy.) We are a bit overwhelmed/freakedout/stressed/etc, but hopeful that as a result of these folks being able to REALLY get to know DS they will be able to properly diagnose him and we can get rid of these tantrums!

(We still have the WJ-III scheduled for next week, and a full neuropsych eval scheduled for May.)

So, any prayers/good vibes anyone wants to send our way, we'll take 'em!

Yours for the asking!

Many thoughts being sent to your entire family! May this be the path you need to find out some solutions. {{hugs}}

This sounds like a great program. My gut is telling me that they will give you some answers.

Hang in there and please vent here as often as needed.

{{big hug}}

I hope you find some answers! I know you must be incredibly stressed out right now.

Thanks guys. The hubby and I are stressed, but DS was excited to go this morning. He told me yesterday he was excited because there "weren't as many kids there." He's never displayed or expressed any discomfort in large groups, so I'm not sure where that came from, but I was glad he was looking forward do it.

I'm so very sorry that your DS, and your family, is going through this. We had a similar reaction to the ADHD med Concerta. My DS11( then 9) was on it for about 2.5 months, and we saw our son become confrontational, aggressive, and downright unpleasant to be around. He told his principle that he felt angry and violent. It became dramatically worse when the Concerta wore off in the afternoon. He also developed a vocal tic, somewhere between a throat-clearing and a hum. When our doctor said that he needed to be on a higher dose, I reluctantly agreed, against every instinct in my body. He broke out in a full body rash that itched like mad. So much for Concerta.

I remember that he felt better when he went off of the medicine, but it took a while to get out of his system completely. I want to say it was a few weeks to a month. The vocal tic took 8 months to go away.

A year later, we tried to put him on Zoloft for social anxiety, and with the hope that it might also help with the ADHD symptoms. He was really struggling in school, both socially and academically. It was like he was just shutting down. However, he also had a very bad reaction to that medicine. Within a month, he was sleeping in his closet with a metal bar because he was convinced that someone was going to try to attack him. His anxiety levels went through the roof.

There is a happy ending to the story. Now at age 11.5, he is in a different school (one that is much more accepting of quirks and differences), with a second grade acceleration to 8th grade, and is doing well. He has a good group of like-minded friends, and that somehow makes the slow drudgery of school bearable. He still struggles with ADHD-like symptoms occasionally , but they seem to come and go. He has many food allergies, and when he gets into an allergen... then look out! His corn allergy makes him jittergy, impulsive, and if it is a large enough dose, then he becomes very argumentative. The only tantrums that he has ever had were after eating corn. I know that sounds strange, but I thought I would just pass it along. Most people don't think of food allergies as contributing to behavior issues.

The secret for us was to realize that in the summer, when he was away from the school and not being exposed to food allergens, he was a sweet, happy kid that we enjoyed being around. Within a week of being in a bad academic/social fit in school, then the angry, frustrated kid returned. He is a child that has very low tolerance for the boredom of school and for being in a socially stressful situation that included bullying. His old school was just plain toxic to him emotionally. He felt like a constant failure because he didn't fit in and because he was so different. He was being told on a daily basis that he was somehow "broken" because he didn't fit in. (his words) The stress of it was just eating away at him inside. (and yes, we heard the same refrain about how much he hated himself.) The new school is not perfect. He is still not being challenged academically. But we seem to be making do, mostly because he has found a solid group of friends who accept him, and the grade skip has helped. He now has some measure of self-worth again, and has regained his confidence in himself as a person. We are crossing our fingers and hoping that it lasts.

I hope that helps some. Each child is so different. They all have different levels of tolerance to different triggers. I know that having a kid who is having a rough time makes everyone's life difficult in the family. As a parent you can feel your heart just tearing apart as you watch your kid struggle. The worse part is not knowing what to do to help your child. I feel for you. Just know that, somewhere, somehow, there is a way out of this maze. I hope you find the answers you need with this new program. Just take a deep breath and trust your instincts.

<<hugs>>

You got it. I hope the new setup can offer some insight as to what's going on.

Ugh... I feel like I am going to throw up

The van picked up DS at 6:45, and like I mentioned, he was excited to go. The van had several other kids to pick up, so it was a long drive. Apparently, DS got car sick and threw up on himself. When they finally arrive at the facility, he's taken into the nurse's office to get cleaned up/changed. After that he was taken straight into the classroom. He was then asked to do some writing assignment he didn't like so he started to get upset. According to DS when he starting throwing a fit, he was told if he didn't calm down he was going to be taken to a hospital and not allowed to go home!! He then freaked out even harder. I was called at 10:45 to come get him. They were recommending he be admitted to the psych hospital!

I didnt even know what to say to that! We talked to the director of this place for over an hour on Friday about Ethan's issues and how they would be addressed here. We were told that today he'd see the Dr (psychiatrist) and be evaluated. We were told they'd be watching him so they could recommend a treatment/medication plan. And then this happens! They just drop him in a class, no Dr meeting, no intro/on boarding type thing. Just, have a seat, here's a writing assignment.

And of course it's lunch time so I can't get a hold of his regular psychiatrist right now, or the vp from his regular (public) school.

Epoh, I'm so sorry you guys are going through this! It sounds awful and I hope that you can get through to the other side to find the happy ending.

I wanted to say that our son was having terrible violent and emotional outbursts on a regular basis and it happened for at least a year? Maybe two - and he is only 6.5 now, so that is a pretty long time for such a short life and we kept blaming it on his allergies (like Ebeth said above with corn) or the meds he was on (for asthma) or sugar, or...??? and we could never get a hold of it. We went to a play therapist and she didn't think he had ADHD or bi-polar or anything treatable, really. We were frustrated and decided that we needed to try homeopathy again (we tried mostly unsuccessfully when he was a baby to treat his many allergies). Anyway, in addition to various diet changes (only have sugar with fiber or fat, more protein, etc.) she gave him some remedies and with in a number of days we noticed a difference. She said she was trying to 'calm his frayed nerves' or something along those lines. We had to tweak the remedies and we have been going for over 6 months, but it is well worth it. I just thought I would mention it, in case it hasn't been thought of and maybe it can work for others.

Good luck - my heart goes out to your son, I'm sending all my good thoughts your way.