Re: New With Questions (Long)

January 29, 2004

If you've recently added or increased any supplements stop them. Also give him calcium and magnesium supplements. This happened with my son in November/December. We had increased his dose of transfer factor and he became very aggressive and whiney especially at school also. They were about to have him removed from the class. Taking him off the transfer factor helped but there was still something off. Thanks to an experience of someone on another list, I added calcium and magnesium back to his supplements (in citrate forms). He got them in his multi, but hadn't had them additionaly in a while. Within a half hour he was noticeably calmer, was better behaved the next day at school - no aggression towards others only some whining and sib, and by day two he was back to his normally happy self and behaviors in the classroom are back to what they were prior (about 5% of his day). It's really amazing the effect these supplements have had on him.

In a message dated 1/29/2004 2:16:57 PM Eastern Standard Time, kneiman@... writes:

Hello, my name is Kris and I am a mother to a child with PDD-NOS who will be 7 in April. Seth receives ABA treatment after school and is mainstreamed into a regular first grade class with an aide. He did well in the fall both in the classroom and with his special education teacher for resource room learning. But, ever since the holiday break we have seen almost a daily problem with aggression, violent behavior, non-compliance, etc. where before Seth was never a behavioral issue/problem and when those situations arised they were few and far between. We are seeing some of these behaviors at home and in therapy but i'd say 85% of them are during school. He is what they consider "high functioning" in his capacity to interact, learn and comprehend academics but of course we have the social issues, etc.I am waiting for the call from school to pull him out of the regular classroom and need advice on putting him on some type of medication to handle the aggressive behaviors. He is a big kid for his age, weighs 75 lbs already and is on a fairly strict GFCF diet at home but has time when he does get those bad foods. He is also on Zyrtec for allergies once a day and we have him on Kirkman Labs DMG with B-12 and folionic acid.Just looking for advice on these behavior issues and any medication advice, I am thinking maybe something for ADHD????Thanks! Sorry this was so long!Kris (mom to Seth and Haven)

January 29, 2004

In a message dated 1/29/2004 2:16:57 PM Eastern Standard Time, kneiman@... writes:

He is also on Zyrtec for allergies once a day and we have him on Kirkman Labs DMG with B-12 and folionic acid.

Also I remember reading that DMG can cause hyperactivity and can be offsect with the addition of folic acid.

January 29, 2004

In a message dated 1/29/2004 2:16:57 PM Eastern Standard Time, kneiman@... writes:

He is also on Zyrtec for allergies once a day and we have him on Kirkman Labs DMG with B-12 and folionic acid.

Also I remember reading that DMG can cause hyperactivity and can be offsect with the addition of folic acid.

January 29, 2004

Hi,

first I would have a psychologist or your consultant do a Functional Behavioral Assessment to analyze why these behaviors are occuring.Then I would call for an IEP meeting to write in a behavior plan based on their recommendations.

You don't say under what conditions these behaviors occur(for instance, my son usually has behaviors early or late in the day, often with one strict teacher who I think unintentionally sparks behavior sometimes because his personality is strong and he is a big guy and not a flexible person...my son thinks he has to be perfect and I wonder if the teacher's demeanor feeds into this without meaning to).

If you know doing math triggers the behavior you might have to set up a plan just to get through math problems, or whatever.

If it comes out of the blue, it still probably has a subtle trigger they haven't picked up on, hence the need for the FBA.

Medications...my son is using Strattera and it evened out his mood a LOT and helped him to concentrate. Some kids do well on Adderall or Ritalin but neither worked as well for him.

I would try a token economy system for behavior(rewards based on increments of time of the behavior/working you desire).

For instance, my son was on a plan where if he completed a paper, he got a checkmark. A certain number of checkmarks during the day earned him a small treat at the end of the day(we went for ice cream, he got a comic book, or a candy bar or computer time, etc.) Sometimes kids need an in-school reward if they don't understand delay of reward(he didn't at first, but does now quite well). It can be a few minutes of free time, a break to do art or computer, etc.

We have to reward the on-task and "good" behaviors even more than worry about correcting the poor ones, one knocks the other out:) I am a strong believer in consequences for actions(if my son has a really really bad day he does housework, which he HATES)

Consult with your Dr. about meds...take care, Sally

January 29, 2004

Wow, thanks for the information and advice. School has tried tokens,

incentives, rewards, etc. to no avail, also sensory breaks throughout

the day as well. His spec ed teacher does put a lot of demands on him

but she does this because she sees the comprehension he has and he

also did wonderful all throughout the fall - the times of the

outbursts at school are not centered around a specific time or tasks,

they never know what to expect on a daily basis. I did speak with his

psychologist from the ABA center and she gave me some great advice on

meds - my DH took him to the pediatrician this pm to have a physical

and talk about meds. I will fill you all in, thanks so much!

Kris

January 29, 2004