New Member

Report post · May 1, 2001

Hi Tamra--

's sensitivity to noises don't seem to happen in restaurants.

It's *scary* noises like sudden *booms* or 'scary music' on the TV.

He can watch the show, but has to turn the volume down or off because

it frightens him. He's watched full shows w/out any sound at all- and

he's fine! I guess this is a coping mechanism of his to avoid feeling

anxious. I've suspected that certain sounds are magnified in his

brain- especially the 'scary sounds.' He LOVES rollercoasters and

NEVER turns down a ride. The scarier, the better. However, one day

recently, he had looked forward to a particular coaster alllll week,

but the *hiss* sound that the hydrolic breaks made, well... he turned

and walked away and could NOT ride the rollercoaster. This was a

FIRST!! He's a daredevil and can ride anything! But, that *hiss*

made him turn pale.

Here's another example: He has always LOVED fireworks, but hates the

noise. When he was 2 yo, he'd say, 'Mom, turn the sound OFF! It

scares my ears!' I still haven't figured out how to turn the sound

off of fireworks yet, but if I do, I'll let you know!

Hang in there.

Joni

> Joni:

>

> It's nice to know someone who deals the loud noise problem.

Sometimes McDs

> can be too loud. Have you found anyway to help with it. I've

tried ear

> plugs, but they were " not comfortable " . It's hard when the other

sibling

> want s to go somewhere and it is too noisy (eg basketball game).

Let me

> know if you have any ideas.

>

> Tamra

Report post · May 27, 2001

Welcome to the list. You must be very proud of your son to be a

college graduate!

Have you contacted the Medical School in Dallas to see who they

recommend?

It is important that your son get the proper treatment and with a

trained Cognitive Behvior Therapist.

I have a 17 y/o who has been taking Celexa. He recently told his Dr.

that he doesn't like taking it because it makes him feel happy.

This certainly made me sad!

I reccomend you spend some time looking in the archives and files of

this list. There is such a wealth of information.

Contacting the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation is another way you

could find out more. Although I can not make my son well, being

informed and in touch with others has helped me to deal with this.

Hope you find what can help, good luck and let us know how things are

going.

Vivian in WA. ST.

> I have been receiving emails for the last couple of days but have

not sent any myself. I have a son that is 22 years old and has OCD.

He graduated from college in Dallas a week ago today. We brought him

home on Sunday. We live in a small town in southeast Arkansas so we

are very limited with resources. He was seeing Dr. Minirth in

Dallas for his meds. and Dr. Les for his therapy. Our family

doctor has been in touch with them and plans to consult with them

from here. Does anybody have any recommendations as to someone who

specializes in OCD within a 5 hour radius? Also, is there someone in

Dallas that is an OCD specialist? He was put on Luvox the first three

weeks but did not do well at all, then was changed to Celexa and

Xanax. Gradually they added Risperdal and about 3 weeks ago started

on Buspar. As of now, he has been on meds for 8 or 9 months. He

seems worse on Buspar and we started decreasing it this week, and

increasing the Celexa and risperdal. He has more obsessions than

compulsions, and they started out religious and relational. Now they

are the same thing over and over all day long, about his relationship

with his now ex-girlfriend. I had a meltdown myself today because I

am so worried about him. Having to see him like this is really hard

on me. My husband is a very strong person, but he is also feeling

the stress. Any time frame on these meds to stop the obsessions

would be of help and encouragement. We have decided that the talk

therapy hasn't done any good except to drain us financially. We have

no mental health coverage on our health insurance policy. Peyton

took a Claritin for an allergy attack on Wed. and became suicidal

within a couple of hours. I believe it is very much a chemical

imbalance, but we are at our wits end. Please advise! p.s. We are

going up on Celexa from 60mg. to 80 and from .25 risperdal to .5 He

takes 1/4th of a .25 Xanax three times a day and 1/2 of a .25 Xanax

at bedtime. Thanks, Sheila W.

Report post · May 28, 2001

HI Sheila:

Welcome to the list. We also have a spinoff list for parents with adult

children with OCD. You may want to join that list. YOu are also very

welcome to be on this list.

YOu do not mention that your son has done any CBT with E & RP (exposure and

response prevention). Traditional " talk therapy " is ineffective for OCD

although it is something that many of us have found for our kids as a first

step.

Medications generally produce a 40-60% of OCD symptoms. If your son has

moderately severe to severe OCD like my son, Steve, had, medications alone

will not be enough to allow him to resume a mostly typical life. YOu might

want to check out the OCF website for recommendations for OCD support

groups in your area, networking with other parents has been the way we

finally got the right help for our son. It has made all the difference to

him.

Congratulations to Peyton on graduating from college. You must be very

proud of him. This is a major transition time for him going from college

back home and on with the rest of his life. These transitions are

particularly difficult for people with NBDs who often suffer from chronic

inflexibility and find change extra challenging. Obsessing about people

and relationships is a very common symptom and one that can be successfully

addressed through E & RP. I hope you can find someone nearby to help your

son as it sounds like life involves a lot of suffering for him right now.

Our Steve also has depression and I have learned to pay a lot of attention

to this. You might want to discuss what can be done to help with his

depression. It seems from the meds that his anxiety is being addressed and

I encourage you to contact his p-doc and let them know what is going on

right now with Peyton.

Good luck, take care, aloha, Kathy (h)

kathyh@...

Report post · May 29, 2001

Are you increasing Celexa and Risperdal at the same time? My psychiatrist strongly discourages this because if there is a negative reaction you don't know what med is doing it. My son (9 yrs old) is on Celexa and Risperdal and it has worked well. I am sorry I don't know any psychiatrists in your area. My sister lives in Dallas and her bosses' son has OCD and has great success with his psych. and therapist.

Glad you're on the list, it's great to hear what others are doing to help their children. I've gotten great ideas for therapy, etc.

Tamra

(ocdmom2001)

new member

I have been receiving emails for the last couple of days but have not sent any myself. I have a son that is 22 years old and has OCD. He graduated from college in Dallas a week ago today. We brought him home on Sunday. We live in a small town in southeast Arkansas so we are very limited with resources. He was seeing Dr. Minirth in Dallas for his meds. and Dr. Les for his therapy. Our family doctor has been in touch with them and plans to consult with them from here. Does anybody have any recommendations as to someone who specializes in OCD within a 5 hour radius? Also, is there someone in Dallas that is an OCD specialist? He was put on Luvox the first three weeks but did not do well at all, then was changed to Celexa and Xanax. Gradually they added Risperdal and about 3 weeks ago started on Buspar. As of now, he has been on meds for 8 or 9 months. He seems worse on Buspar and we started decreasing it this week, and increasing the Celexa and risperdal. He has more obsessions than compulsions, and they started out religious and relational. Now they are the same thing over and over all day long, about his relationship with his now ex-girlfriend. I had a meltdown myself today because I am so worried about him. Having to see him like this is really hard on me. My husband is a very strong person, but he is also feeling the stress. Any time frame on these meds to stop the obsessions would be of help and encouragement. We have decided that the talk therapy hasn't done any good except to drain us financially. We have no mental health coverage on our health insurance policy. Peyton took a Claritin for an allergy attack on Wed. and became suicidal within a couple of hours. I believe it is very much a chemical imbalance, but we are at our wits end. Please advise! p.s. We are going up on Celexa from 60mg. to 80 and from .25 risperdal to .5 He takes 1/4th of a .25 Xanax three times a day and 1/2 of a .25 Xanax at bedtime. Thanks, Sheila W. You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing listserv@... . In the body of your message write: subscribe OCD-L your name. You may subscribe to the Parents of Adults with OCD List at parentsofadultswithOCD-subscribe . You may subscribe to the OCD and Homeschooling List at ocdandhomeschooling-subscribe . You may change your subscription format or access the files, bookmarks, and archives for our list at . Our list advisors are Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are Birkhan, Kathy Hammes, Jule Monnens, Gail Pesses, Kathy , and Jackie Stout. Subscription issues or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at lharkins@... .

Report post · May 31, 2001

Hi Randy,

Welcome to this list. I don't post alot but do enjoy reading and learning

from this list. We have a son, Gene, who just turned 13 yesterday. We have

another son, Drew, who is 10 and a daughter, Melinda, 6. We live in Grand

Rapids, MI. We too struggle with those old IEPs but this year, finally for

the first time, I took alot of training in this area and feel more empowered

than ever. We are heading into our third reconvening of the IEP next week.

Gene attends a regular 5th grade classroom and has an aide...presently me and

an aide in training.

He had a great party at school yesterday. We had " Gene's Birthday Party " on

his schedule board in the AM and he yelled " NO PARTY " and ripped it off.

After several kids came up to him and excitedly said " Is today your party,

Gene? " and he yelled " NO PARTY " back, we took the hint and told everyone not

to mention it again till it actually happened. We positioned him by the fish

tank for a few minutes while the clown walked in and sure enough, when all

the kids gathered on the floor, Gene, pushed his way to the middle and sat

down to watch. The show was magic, juggling, and then he blew balloon shapes

for all 48 kids in the room ( this is a team taught classroom ). He stood up

for his birthday song, blew out the candles and then opened some gifts the

kids brought. One of the mom's took some extra class funds and bought him a

Michigan teeshirt and Michigan shorts. ( That Uof M...not Michigan State ).

Overall, it was a great day. Trying to keep Gene included has always been a

fight but after yesterday, when things fall so beautifully into place, I am

glad we keep fighting.

Anyway, a little off the topic there, but again welcome and hi to Andy and

your family.

To S regarding Matt...I think I would homeschhool too ...it is

really unbelievable that your principal could be so immature as to cast

stones for things she is allowing her own staff to do. Yikes!!

Lauri in MI

Report post · May 31, 2001

In a message dated 5/31/2001 8:26:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

jmedlen@... writes:

>

> Dear list:

> Wow a list where I can belong. Thanks for the opportunity to belong again.

>

> I have a son who has Down syndrome and autistic spectrum disorder his name

> is

> ANDY (what a weird consequence the listowners sons name is Andy also). My

> Andy is 10 and is the youngest of three sons. My middle son is Kristopher

> and

> he has a profound hearing loss. And my oldest is married and teaching at

> the

> University of MO in Columbia in Mathematics. I am not sure he is mine!

> Math

> was never my thing. My wife reminds me he is mine. Only a joke!!! I love

> my

> children and pray for them always. I just wanted to stop by and say thanks

> for the opportunity to network with other parents this is a wonderful idea.

>

> Please let me know about you and your families. Please let me know where

> you

> live as I am always looking for help in improving those crazy IEPs. Love

> and

> Prayers

> Randy Vaught

>

Hi Randy,

I am from Ct. and have three children,The oldest is 27 ,married with two

girls,my daughter is 21 today,yeh,and is a music ed major,the youngest is 8

and has DS and whatever,depending on the day.I am always looking for help

writing the IEP as I usually do most of it.I seem to always forget

something.The 2000-2001 I forgot to include teacher supports! I shouldn't

have to do this but our district will give nothing unless it's on paper and

then you fight anyway.I am in the process of finishing all this for my

meeting next week.I probably won't sleep next week worrying about all of

this.I might just get it right this year.Welcome.

Charlyne,Pete,Cait 21 Today!,Zeb DS-8?, 27 & Tammy + girls

Report post · May 31, 2001

Welcome Randy and family ,

This is so true , this list is truly a Bless to belong . We live in

San , Texas . We meaning my husband Jim and our 3 sons . Our

oldest 23 yrs. old , lives in Dallas . Our 2 other sons, living with

us, 14 yr.old Rick and then 12 , going on 13 in July .

is also our youngest and has DS/ASD . Our lives has changed in the

right direction this year, THANKS to Joan ( listowner ) , especially

for introducing The Disability Solutions Newsletters on the diagnosis

about Down Syndrome ,( I never expected ) Autistic Spectrum Disorder .

Irma , 12 , DS/ASD .

-- In @y..., jmedlen@q... wrote:

> Dear list:

> Wow a list where I can belong. Thanks for the opportunity to

belong again.

> I have a son who has Down syndrome and autistic spectrum disorder

his name is

> ANDY (what a weird consequence the listowners sons name is Andy

also). My

> Andy is 10 and is the youngest of three sons. My middle son is

Kristopher and

> he has a profound hearing loss. And my oldest is married and

teaching at the

> University of MO in Columbia in Mathematics. I am not sure he is

mine! Math

> was never my thing. My wife reminds me he is mine. Only a joke!!!

I love my

> children and pray for them always. I just wanted to stop by and say

thanks

> for the opportunity to network with other parents this is a

wonderful idea.

> Please let me know about you and your families. Please let me know

where you

> live as I am always looking for help in improving those crazy

IEPs. Love and

> Prayers

> Randy Vaught

> Proud parent

Report post · May 31, 2001

Hello Randy,

Welcome, I also just joined the group. I understand what you mean about

finding a place to fit in with Ds/ASD. My son, Josh, has not yet been

diagnosed, we are waiting for an appointment at the assessment clinic. I

have always felt he was different than other kids with Ds alone, so this

will not be much of a shock. He is almost 8 yo and also has ADHD so with

all the behaviours he can be quite challenging. We have him fully integrated

in grade one with a full time aide. This has been a great experience for him

as well as us. We also have a daughter , Makenna, she just had her first

birthday.

We live in a small town in Alberta and have a hard time finding others with

this dual diagnosis. Although since I've been on the internet I have

connected with a few people. I have not posted much yet but have gained some

insight into a few things just reading the posts.

Take care...

New member

> Dear list:

> Wow a list where I can belong. Thanks for the opportunity to belong

again.

> I have a son who has Down syndrome and autistic spectrum disorder his name

is

> ANDY (what a weird consequence the listowners sons name is Andy also). My

> Andy is 10 and is the youngest of three sons. My middle son is Kristopher

and

> he has a profound hearing loss. And my oldest is married and teaching at

the

> University of MO in Columbia in Mathematics. I am not sure he is mine!

Math

> was never my thing. My wife reminds me he is mine. Only a joke!!! I love

my

> children and pray for them always. I just wanted to stop by and say thanks

> for the opportunity to network with other parents this is a wonderful

idea.

> Please let me know about you and your families. Please let me know where

you

> live as I am always looking for help in improving those crazy IEPs. Love

and

> Prayers

> Randy Vaught

> Proud parent

>

> --------------------------------------------------

> Checkout our homepage for information, bookmarks, and photos

of our kids. Share favorite bookmarks, ideas, and other information by

including them. Don't forget, messages are a permanent record of the

archives for our list.

> --------------------------------------------

>

Report post · May 31, 2001

Glad your son is doing well with his Celexa. Do you mind me asking about his

dosage? I havn't contacted the medical school in Dallas, but since Peyton is

now home in Ark., I hope to find someone closer we can work with . I have

called the OCfoundation today, but need to try again. Thanks for your

input, Sheila W.

Re: new member

> Welcome to the list. You must be very proud of your son to be a

> college graduate!

> Have you contacted the Medical School in Dallas to see who they

> recommend?

> It is important that your son get the proper treatment and with a

> trained Cognitive Behvior Therapist.

> I have a 17 y/o who has been taking Celexa. He recently told his Dr.

> that he doesn't like taking it because it makes him feel happy.

> This certainly made me sad!

> I reccomend you spend some time looking in the archives and files of

> this list. There is such a wealth of information.

> Contacting the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation is another way you

> could find out more. Although I can not make my son well, being

> informed and in touch with others has helped me to deal with this.

> Hope you find what can help, good luck and let us know how things are

> going.

> Vivian in WA. ST.

>

> > I have been receiving emails for the last couple of days but have

> not sent any myself. I have a son that is 22 years old and has OCD.

> He graduated from college in Dallas a week ago today. We brought him

> home on Sunday. We live in a small town in southeast Arkansas so we

> are very limited with resources. He was seeing Dr. Minirth in

> Dallas for his meds. and Dr. Les for his therapy. Our family

> doctor has been in touch with them and plans to consult with them

> from here. Does anybody have any recommendations as to someone who

> specializes in OCD within a 5 hour radius? Also, is there someone in

> Dallas that is an OCD specialist? He was put on Luvox the first three

> weeks but did not do well at all, then was changed to Celexa and

> Xanax. Gradually they added Risperdal and about 3 weeks ago started

> on Buspar. As of now, he has been on meds for 8 or 9 months. He

> seems worse on Buspar and we started decreasing it this week, and

> increasing the Celexa and risperdal. He has more obsessions than

> compulsions, and they started out religious and relational. Now they

> are the same thing over and over all day long, about his relationship

> with his now ex-girlfriend. I had a meltdown myself today because I

> am so worried about him. Having to see him like this is really hard

> on me. My husband is a very strong person, but he is also feeling

> the stress. Any time frame on these meds to stop the obsessions

> would be of help and encouragement. We have decided that the talk

> therapy hasn't done any good except to drain us financially. We have

> no mental health coverage on our health insurance policy. Peyton

> took a Claritin for an allergy attack on Wed. and became suicidal

> within a couple of hours. I believe it is very much a chemical

> imbalance, but we are at our wits end. Please advise! p.s. We are

> going up on Celexa from 60mg. to 80 and from .25 risperdal to .5 He

> takes 1/4th of a .25 Xanax three times a day and 1/2 of a .25 Xanax

> at bedtime. Thanks, Sheila W.

>

> You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing listserv@... . In

the body of your message write: subscribe OCD-L your name. You may

subscribe to the Parents of Adults with OCD List at

parentsofadultswithOCD-subscribe . You may subscribe to

the OCD and Homeschooling List at

ocdandhomeschooling-subscribe . You may change your

subscription format or access the files, bookmarks, and archives for our

list at . Our list advisors

are Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D.

Our list moderators are Birkhan, Kathy Hammes, Jule Monnens, Gail

Pesses, Kathy , and Jackie Stout. Subscription issues or

suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

lharkins@... .

>

Report post · May 31, 2001

I have joined the spinoff list, and no, I don't think the therapy he had in

Dallas was CBT, although I am confused as to what that involves. I am

familiar with the E & RP and I know he hasn't had that for sure.We are working

with a family doctor here who is talking to the psychiatrist in Dallas about

the med. adjustments. I was under the impression that it is strictly

biochemical and neurological, and that it's a matter of finding the right

combination for his brain. The more I read from these lists, the more I'm

beginning to question and Peyton is gettting more discouraged with each

passing day. Sheila W.

Re: new member

> HI Sheila:

>

> Welcome to the list. We also have a spinoff list for parents with adult

> children with OCD. You may want to join that list. YOu are also very

> welcome to be on this list.

>

> YOu do not mention that your son has done any CBT with E & RP (exposure and

> response prevention). Traditional " talk therapy " is ineffective for OCD

> although it is something that many of us have found for our kids as a

first

> step.

>

> Medications generally produce a 40-60% of OCD symptoms. If your son has

> moderately severe to severe OCD like my son, Steve, had, medications alone

> will not be enough to allow him to resume a mostly typical life. YOu

might

> want to check out the OCF website for recommendations for OCD support

> groups in your area, networking with other parents has been the way we

> finally got the right help for our son. It has made all the difference to

> him.

>

> Congratulations to Peyton on graduating from college. You must be very

> proud of him. This is a major transition time for him going from college

> back home and on with the rest of his life. These transitions are

> particularly difficult for people with NBDs who often suffer from chronic

> inflexibility and find change extra challenging. Obsessing about people

> and relationships is a very common symptom and one that can be

successfully

> addressed through E & RP. I hope you can find someone nearby to help your

> son as it sounds like life involves a lot of suffering for him right now.

>

> Our Steve also has depression and I have learned to pay a lot of attention

> to this. You might want to discuss what can be done to help with his

> depression. It seems from the meds that his anxiety is being addressed

and

> I encourage you to contact his p-doc and let them know what is going on

> right now with Peyton.

>

> Good luck, take care, aloha, Kathy (h)

> kathyh@...

>

> You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing listserv@... . In

the body of your message write: subscribe OCD-L your name. You may

subscribe to the Parents of Adults with OCD List at

parentsofadultswithOCD-subscribe . You may subscribe to

the OCD and Homeschooling List at

ocdandhomeschooling-subscribe . You may change your

subscription format or access the files, bookmarks, and archives for our

list at . Our list advisors

are Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D.

Our list moderators are Birkhan, Kathy Hammes, Jule Monnens, Gail

Pesses, Kathy , and Jackie Stout. Subscription issues or

suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

lharkins@... .

>

Report post · May 31, 2001

We are increasing the Celexa and Risperdal at the same time as well as reducing the Buspar. We are doing it gradually though. We went up this week from 60mg.s of Celexa to 70. We went up on the Risperdal from one .25 pill at night to one and one half pills at night. We have reduced the Buspar from 30 mgs. per day to less than 10 per day. I keep thinking this is why we're having such a tough week, all the medication changes . How much does your son take of each? Also, if we have to go back to Dallas in case we don't find help closer, I may get a recommendation from your sister's boss. Thanks, Sheila W.

new member

I have been receiving emails for the last couple of days but have not sent any myself. I have a son that is 22 years old and has OCD. He graduated from college in Dallas a week ago today. We brought him home on Sunday. We live in a small town in southeast Arkansas so we are very limited with resources. He was seeing Dr. Minirth in Dallas for his meds. and Dr. Les for his therapy. Our family doctor has been in touch with them and plans to consult with them from here. Does anybody have any recommendations as to someone who specializes in OCD within a 5 hour radius? Also, is there someone in Dallas that is an OCD specialist? He was put on Luvox the first three weeks but did not do well at all, then was changed to Celexa and Xanax. Gradually they added Risperdal and about 3 weeks ago started on Buspar. As of now, he has been on meds for 8 or 9 months. He seems worse on Buspar and we started decreasing it this week, and increasing the Celexa and risperdal. He has more obsessions than compulsions, and they started out religious and relational. Now they are the same thing over and over all day long, about his relationship with his now ex-girlfriend. I had a meltdown myself today because I am so worried about him. Having to see him like this is really hard on me. My husband is a very strong person, but he is also feeling the stress. Any time frame on these meds to stop the obsessions would be of help and encouragement. We have decided that the talk therapy hasn't done any good except to drain us financially. We have no mental health coverage on our health insurance policy. Peyton took a Claritin for an allergy attack on Wed. and became suicidal within a couple of hours. I believe it is very much a chemical imbalance, but we are at our wits end. Please advise! p.s. We are going up on Celexa from 60mg. to 80 and from .25 risperdal to .5 He takes 1/4th of a .25 Xanax three times a day and 1/2 of a .25 Xanax at bedtime. Thanks, Sheila W. You may subscribe to the OCD-L by emailing listserv@... . In the body of your message write: subscribe OCD-L your name. You may subscribe to the Parents of Adults with OCD List at parentsofadultswithOCD-subscribe . You may subscribe to the OCD and Homeschooling List at ocdandhomeschooling-subscribe . You may change your subscription format or access the files, bookmarks, and archives for our list at . Our list advisors are Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. Our list moderators are Birkhan, Kathy Hammes, Jule Monnens, Gail Pesses, Kathy , and Jackie Stout. Subscription issues or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at lharkins@... .

Report post · May 31, 2001

Hi ! Lauri ,

Happy Birthday to your son Gene , glad it turned out nice . Its funny

how our kids don't want anything to do with their B-day

celebrations , but I know when that negative mood is on ,they are

still paying attention . My son attends Middle School in a self-

contain class and we have been fortunate to be Bless with great

Educators , Para-professionals , Pinciples , coaches , and the list

goes on . Today was the end of his school year and a celebration was

given to two of his classmates that will attend High School next

school year . The reason I brought this up was because, I was just

glad to see his behavior has improved and was participating well in

the celebration . Monday we'll be flying out to visit my in-laws in

South Bend , Ind . , aren't you about 100 miles away ? Hope the

weather is nice up there . Here in Tx. its upper 90's . Take Care .

Irma , 12 , DS/ASD .

- In @y..., timothytlstein@c... wrote:

> Hi Randy,

>

> Welcome to this list. I don't post alot but do enjoy reading and

learning

> from this list. We have a son, Gene, who just turned 13

yesterday. We have

> another son, Drew, who is 10 and a daughter, Melinda, 6. We live

in Grand

> Rapids, MI. We too struggle with those old IEPs but this year,

finally for

> the first time, I took alot of training in this area and feel more

empowered

> than ever. We are heading into our third reconvening of the IEP

next week.

> Gene attends a regular 5th grade classroom and has an

aide...presently me and

> an aide in training.

>

> He had a great party at school yesterday. We had " Gene's Birthday

Party " on

> his schedule board in the AM and he yelled " NO PARTY " and ripped it

off.

> After several kids came up to him and excitedly said " Is today

your party,

> Gene? " and he yelled " NO PARTY " back, we took the hint and told

everyone not

> to mention it again till it actually happened. We positioned him

by the fish

> tank for a few minutes while the clown walked in and sure enough,

when all

> the kids gathered on the floor, Gene, pushed his way to the middle

and sat

> down to watch. The show was magic, juggling, and then he blew

balloon shapes

> for all 48 kids in the room ( this is a team taught classroom ).

He stood up

> for his birthday song, blew out the candles and then opened some

gifts the

> kids brought. One of the mom's took some extra class funds and

bought him a

> Michigan teeshirt and Michigan shorts. ( That Uof M...not Michigan

State ).

> Overall, it was a great day. Trying to keep Gene included has

always been a

> fight but after yesterday, when things fall so beautifully into

place, I am

> glad we keep fighting.

>

> Anyway, a little off the topic there, but again welcome and hi to

Andy and

> your family.

>

> To S regarding Matt...I think I would homeschhool too

...it is

> really unbelievable that your principal could be so immature as to

cast

> stones for things she is allowing her own staff to do. Yikes!!

>

> Lauri in MI

Report post · May 31, 2001

please remove my name from your list.

thanks.

Report post · May 31, 2001

Hi Randy,You have found the right place as a parent of a child with d.s. and

a.s.d. and other problems.This list can answer so many of your questions and

concerns and when they post so often you will say " my kid does that too!!! " . It

is such a relief to find that there are other kids out there who do not fit the

mold of the sweet little placid D.S. kid.I am from New Jersey as is my grandson

who is 9 years old. He just started on Concerta which has done such great

things for him when other meds made him angry and aggresive.He is going to be

student of the month tomorrow which considering his behavior this year seems

like a miracle!I am what they calll a lurker here and do not post much as i am

just a grandmom but i have learned so much and then in turn relay the info to my

daughter and s-i-l. has gone to a special needs school for 5 years but next

year will be going to a regular school where he will do specials and lunch with

a regular class . I really think he will do well there as they will have one

teacher and four kids instead of the present 12 kids 1 teacher and 2 aides. I am

also a respite worker for kids of many different problems.We kind of have a bad

name as some are not reliable but the ones i know are very caring and

knowledgeable about the job and we got intensive training.Welcome to the list

!! Carole

jmedlen@... wrote: Dear list:

Wow a list where I can belong. Thanks for the opportunity to belong again.

I have a son who has Down syndrome and autistic spectrum disorder his name is

ANDY (what a weird consequence the listowners sons name is Andy also). My

Andy is 10 and is the youngest of three sons. My middle son is Kristopher and

he has a profound hearing loss. And my oldest is married and teaching at the

University of MO in Columbia in Mathematics. I am not sure he is mine! Math

was never my thing. My wife reminds me he is mine. Only a joke!!! I love my

children and pray for them always. I just wanted to stop by and say thanks

for the opportunity to network with other parents this is a wonderful idea.

Please let me know about you and your families. Please let me know where you

live as I am always looking for help in improving those crazy IEPs. Love and

Prayers

Randy Vaught

Proud parent

Report post · May 31, 2001

Sheila, How are things going for your son?

> Glad your son is doing well with his Celexa. Do you mind me asking

about his dosage?

I don't mind at all. He is taking 120mg per day. He started at 20,

then 40 and on up to 80. His annoyance level was still high so the

Dr. decided, with our input, to try more. He has been at the 120 for

3 weeks now. We are trying the higher dose first before changing

meds. He tried prozac and luvox before but they didn't work out

because he didn't like taking the med. so he stopped. He would like

to stop the Celexa but I am very against it. We left the Dr. office

last time with the aggreement he would take it for another month at

least.

I have

> called the OCfoundation today, but need to try again.

Have you tried to e-mail them? I don't know how easy it is to reach

someone by phone there. Good luck with finding someone in your area.

Please let us know how it is going.

My son was seeing someone at one time who thought Buspar would work

well for him...is your son still taking it? Vivian in wa.st.

Report post · June 1, 2001

Hi Sheila, OCD *is* biochemical and neurological, but SSRI therapy is not

the only way to alter the brain's function. Cognitive Behavior Therapy, to

include Exposure and Response Prevention, has also been shown to alter the

brain's function, reducing or eliminating OCD symptoms, and the effects are

long-lasting and persist after therapy ends. In contrast, most relapse

after stopping SSRI therapy. Many kids represented on this list have been

able to reduce or eliminate their SSRI following successful CBT for their

OCD.

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

From: " Welch " <raw@...>

> I have joined the spinoff list, and no, I don't think the therapy he had

in

> Dallas was CBT, although I am confused as to what that involves. I am

> familiar with the E & RP and I know he hasn't had that for sure.We are

working

> with a family doctor here who is talking to the psychiatrist in Dallas

about

> the med. adjustments. I was under the impression that it is strictly

> biochemical and neurological, and that it's a matter of finding the right

> combination for his brain. The more I read from these lists, the more I'm

> beginning to question and Peyton is gettting more discouraged with each

> passing day. Sheila W.

Report post · June 1, 2001

Hello ,

. My name

is Donna i'am also new to the board,i have only been on a few weeks i have a

12 year old son with downs syndrome will will be 13 on august 7,i also have

a 6 year old little girl who has autism, and they are the light of my life,

we live in new jersey. so good to see you on ,nice to meet you!

.

Donna

Report post · June 1, 2001

Ruth, We are leaving in a while to go out of town and to a wedding. Don't

know how Peyton made the morning as he hasn't made it in for lunch yet. He

started work at the bank this week, but had a bad afternoon yesterday. They

put him in a cubicle by himself entering data in a computer, and he started

obsessing about , the ex girlfriend and their relationship failing,

etc...the same thing that is always his obsessions and as usual, he had to

call me as he was having a meltdown. We are up to 70mgs. on Celexa and we

are decreasing Buspar as he has seemingly felt worse in the last month, the

same time Buspar was started. We hope the decrease in Buspar will help and

we want the Celexa dosage increase to show some improvement soon. We are

supposed to eventually get up to 80mgs. Peyton weighs only 132 so I " m not

sure if this would have any effect on the dosages or not. Good luck with

the meds for your son. Peyton wants the meds, so we are lucky in that way!

Sheila W. in AR

Re: new member

> Sheila, How are things going for your son?

>

> > Glad your son is doing well with his Celexa. Do you mind me asking

> about his dosage?

> I don't mind at all. He is taking 120mg per day. He started at 20,

> then 40 and on up to 80. His annoyance level was still high so the

> Dr. decided, with our input, to try more. He has been at the 120 for

> 3 weeks now. We are trying the higher dose first before changing

> meds. He tried prozac and luvox before but they didn't work out

> because he didn't like taking the med. so he stopped. He would like

> to stop the Celexa but I am very against it. We left the Dr. office

> last time with the aggreement he would take it for another month at

> least.

>

> I have

> > called the OCfoundation today, but need to try again.

> Have you tried to e-mail them? I don't know how easy it is to reach

> someone by phone there. Good luck with finding someone in your area.

> Please let us know how it is going.

> My son was seeing someone at one time who thought Buspar would work

> well for him...is your son still taking it? Vivian in wa.st.

>

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Report post · June 1, 2001