Re: Digest Number 4606

[Guest guest]

Dear Patti,

On 12/15/03 7:33 AM, you wrote:

I have noticed that medication can make a huge difference in

> whether or not behavior

> modification works. Something else that I have noticed: seems to

> get in to this 'frame of mind'

> (ie the screaming, withdrawing, wanting to 'die') whenever she is on a

> medication that is a tablet that is dyed.

> (Hopefully, that makes sense). They switched generics on her clonidine and

> after 6 weeks of being on the

> 'new' medication this behavior began to emerge again. (Whenever she has had

> trouble with a med, it works ok

> for about 6 weeks and then she gets almost exactly the same behavior that

> she is exhibiting now.) I have

> mentioned this to her psych, but get the feeling that she doesn't believe me

> (after all - I'm not an 'expert). I am going

> to suggest we take her off the clonidine altogether since it isn't doing

> what it is supposed to be doing (helping

> sleep)

>

This certainly makes sense to me. If the clonidine isn't helping her and

seems to be aggravating her behavior, why have her take it?

There are many other medications that have the primary or side effect of

inducing sleep. I'm sure members of this group can tell you about them!

There are a

> couple of staff members who

> had had a good rapport with , but don't anymore (I don't know why)

>

This is really frustrating when this happens. It once happened to us with a

math teacher. She and Owen got along fine at the beginning of the year,

then things got worse and worse as the year wore on. Part of the problem

seemed to be that when she tried to insist that he do things her way (take

notes in class, or write out all the steps he used to solve algebra

problems), he would start making strange noises or otherwise act up. Then

she would take him out of the classroom to the guidance office for a

time-out, and as he walked down the hall he would yell loudly and make

karate-like motions with his arms. Needless to say this freaked her out. I

was worried that he would hate math as a result, but that never happened.

He continued to get wonderful grades in her class, and in year-end

standardized math tests. But some people just don't know what to do when a

kid starts screaming or yelling. It blows all their fuses and they can't

think rationally.

I don't know if there's any way you can find out if this is what happened in

's case, but even a freaked-out adult can use the strategy of

rewarding good behavior and ignoring or refusing to react to undesirable

behavior. I even have good results sometimes from saying to Owen that if he

stops doing X and does Y instead, then we will be able to do Z (something he

really likes to do). That usually stops the bad behavior in its tracks,

whereas if I just beg him or order him to stop it, he doesn't see any reason

to and continues.

If that strategy works for you, you might try passing it along to the school

staff.

Jill