Re: I Don't Know How To Help Him Anymore

November 3, 2011

i also have custody of my grandson who is 9, diagnosed aspergers, pdd nos, adhd, odd. it depends on the state u live in, but here in jersey, there are numerous resources for special needs kids and custodial grandparents. sometimes its very hard to find the help, but spending hours and hours on the phone and internet will pay off tho in the end. it took 4 long years to get him in a great theraputic school, on meds that work fairly well in helping with the anger, aggression, and lack of impulse control. we've got a long way to go, but i think i can see a light at the end of the tunnel now. his medicaid pays for his meds, and our school district pays for the school, where he gets one on one therapy, ot, speech, and the psychiatrist is on staff and monitors his meds. keep up the good fight, it can start with one phone call and

snowball from there. you're all he has and he is very lucky to have u!

November 3, 2011

Oops. didn't notice you are on an ADHD med. Might need to tweak the dosages?

>

> Maybe try a higher dosage of Risperidone or add an anti-stimulant medication

for ADHD- we have had some good results from Intuniv in calming DS.

>

November 3, 2011

Maybe try a higher dosage of Risperidone or add an anti-stimulant medication for

ADHD- we have had some good results from Intuniv in calming DS.

November 3, 2011

>

> Maybe try a higher dosage of Risperidone or add an anti-stimulant medication

for ADHD- we have had some good results from Intuniv in calming DS.

>

I am thinking the Risperdone could be causing some Kidney problems. I am hoping

to go the all natural route, but that takes a lot of planning.

November 3, 2011

he is on 200mg seroquel three times a day, 1mg clonidine three times a day, and

150mg lithium in the morn and 300mg lithium at bedtime. i know it seems like an

outrageous amount of drugs, but we've been thru so many others in the last 4

years and this combination seems to be working at this time. as he grows and

gets older it will probably change again. we just take one day at a time. for

now, his rages and aggression are manageable, his impulse control is a little

better.

>

> i also have custody of my grandson who is 9, diagnosed aspergers, pdd nos,

adhd, odd. it depends on the state u live in, but here in jersey, there are

numerous resources for special needs kids and custodial grandparents. sometimes

its very hard to find the help, but spending hours and hours on the phone and

internet will pay off tho in the end. it took 4 long years to get him in a great

theraputic school, on meds that work fairly well in helping with the anger,

aggression, and lack of impulse control. we've got a long way to go, but i think

i can see a light at the end of the tunnel now. his medicaid pays for his meds,

and our school district pays for the school, where he gets one on one therapy,

ot, speech, and the psychiatrist is on staff and monitors his meds. keep up the

good fight, it can start with one phone call and snowball from there. you're all

he has and he is very lucky to have u!

>

November 4, 2011

It definitely caused aggression in our son. He went from getting upset at not

getting his way, to physically attacking his little sister, and knocking a tooth

out.

>

> I have heard that Risperdone causes aggression.Â Might want to check that

out.Â

>

December 1, 2011

Hello,

Have you tried getting help from his school? Maybe calling an IEP meeting and

requesting the school psychologist be there so that you can let them know what

is going on? Chances are they have seen the same behavior. They can come up with

a plan with you on how to deal with his aggression. Also you could request he

receive counseling at school.

Hope this helps!

All the best,

Marci

>

> I have custody of my 7yr old grandson. He was diagnosed around 3 with

Asperger. Not only is he dealing with Asperger he has to deal with his parents

not being in the picture unless it's convenient for them. Here lately he is

having a lot of anger issues and getting aggressive. He is taking Risperdone for

the aggression and Vyvanse for ADHD and a small dose of Zoloft for depression.

I put him in Karate hoping to deal with some of the anger and try and help him

focus. He does well one on one but once he is put in the group, he loses focus.

His insurance won't pay for decent Dr's and not any outside help. Can someone

please help me and lead me in the right direction? I feel for him and I ask him

why and try to get him to talk to me but all he will tell me is he just gets so

angry and doesn't know why.

>

December 2, 2011

Definitely talk to the doc about the meds. We just changed my son's meds and it

caused aggression, so we switched to something else and he's doing well again.

Just for reference, Hayden is 6, has PDD-NOS (and ADHD), sensory issues, and

Apraxia of Speech (along with some other motor planning issues). He has a high

IQ so he gets really frustrated when people don't understand him. His issues

are mainly social/behavioral and because of the sensory too, he is really

impulsive and can't keep his hands to himself. He takes Tae Kwon Do and when he

became aggressive, he used it... on the gym teacher of all people.

Anyway, he takes 50mg Metadate in the morning. He was metabolizing it fast and

it was wearing off at 2pm or so. We tried adding straight up Ritalin at lunch

time to try to get him through the day. Doing so made him really aggressive.

We took him off that and have added Tenex in the morning and afternoon instead,

keeping the Metadate in the morning. This has really helped and he's even able

to control himself later into the afternoon.

So, be sure to check with your pediatrician about changing up meds.

Best of luck.

December 2, 2011

Hi, First of all, kudos to you for being there for your grandson, and in a tough

situation it seems.

Our son is also 7, with Aspergers/ADHD/anxiety. He doesn't take any medication

at this time, and we take it day by day. We haven't ruled it out, but are doing

a lot of other things to try to maximize his strengths and minimize the

challenging parts. In my opinion, nutrition and routines are key.

1) We have a strict sleep routine. Our son is in bed reading at 7:30, lights out

at 8:00, and gets up for school at 7:00. We give him valerian drops after dinner

to encourage sleep. He usually falls asleep between 8:30 and 9:00.

2) We do not allow him any artificial colors or preservatives (especially sodium

benzoate). These have been proven to produce ADHD behaviors even in some kids

without ADHD. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and some high-quality protein

at every meal, especially at breakfast. If you have a picky eater I know this

part is a huge challenge.

3) We give him supplements to complement his healthy diet. Fish oil, magnesium,

calcium, probiotics and a multivitamin every day.

4) We do our best to differentiate between behaviors he can control, and those

we can't. We try to have natural consequences, and give him leeway for

controlling his attitude and emotions since we know that is a struggle for him.

We don't give in to prevent tantrums, even when it would be much easier to do

so. If he is being abusive or violent we have him go to his room to cool down.

5) We limit screen time, especially during the week. No more than an hour a day,

and since Wii always seems to get him worked up and out-of-control, he has to

earn that with good behavior. We sometimes use tangible rewards for positive

behavior (waiting for the behavior we want to see, and then rewarding with a

pokemon card or extra Wii time, as opposed to " bribing " him to behave well in

the future).

6) Celebrate and build on his strengths. What is he good at? Encourage, praise,

and celebrate it. Our son likes to run, so we let him run cross country and

challenged him to do his best. It was great for his self-esteem.

I second (or third?) the advice to meet with his school social worker or

psychologist to get an IEP or 504 plan for him, or in-school therapy if they

provide it.

I've had many " at the end of my rope " days. It's not easy. You're not alone. I

hope there is something here that helps.