Don't know where to turn anymore

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Hi. I'm new to this group. I'm feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and very afraid that I'll never get it right for my son. Of 4, I have a 9 1/2 year old 3rd grader. He's being diagnosed with ADHD and Sensory Integration Disorder. Others have said he's on the Autism Spectrum, that he might have anxiety, and who knows what else. Here's what I do know:

a) he can't concentrate for more than about 30 seconds

b) he's performing below grade level despite being a very bright boy.

c) he's totally unmotivated, dramatic, and has severe mood swings

d) he's always afraid of everything it seems

e) he's been on almost all of the ADHD meds. Straterra worked well for a while, but then stopped. He was on Vyvanse for a while, and had to stop because it was becoming ineffective. I then lost my job in December and couldn't get more testing done (neurological) and couldn't pay for his therapist anymore

f) he does suffer from Tourettes symptoms, but it hasn't been diagnosed. His tics are there w/o ADHD meds, but are more severe while taking them

g) he has very, very poor self-control, which is a huge problem in school

h) he has a good family life, divorced parents, but no major drama or issues to deal with. Our life is generally peaceful and he wants for nothing

I just have no idea what to do anymore. I did get a new job and start in early June. We are preparing to move after school's out and he'll start a new school in the fall... sigh...

Thanks for any possible insight.

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Parent Replies to "Don't know where to turn anymore"

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yes, PRAYER! 'The Power of a Praying Parent' by Stormie O'Martian has given me great strength. Our daughter as ADD and although I can only partially understand what you are going through, I have experienced similar feelings of helplessness & heartache.

Sounds like your son also needs an good Functional Behavioral Assessment. Here is a great site that explains what that is:

cecp.air.org/fba/

Any behavior that interferes with learning must be evaluated, per IDEA.

Also, if your child is making no progress, IDEA requires that the IEP team meet to revise the IEP so that progress can be made.

Your new school will probably want to evaluate, unless they accept your evaluation done over the summer.

Hopefully, your evaluation will give you more answers.

sorry, posted in a wrong place.

Hi,
have you ever tried any alternative therapies?
Your son sounds very much like mine. My son is younger and he does not have tics, but he stutters and has ADHD and SID too.
we tried meds, but quickly stopped because of the side effects.
We do pediatric acupuncture for him, sometimes herbs. We also had a very good experience with Reiki, but acupuncture proves to be easy for him. Eastern medicine is holistic and unlike medications actually heals. Also martial arts, yoga, swimming, biking are good recourses to improve ADHD and SID.
We do have ups and downs, but they are manageable, far from severity it used to bring, and he started to learn about his condition and how to deal with it.
It is a long way, but considering our boys have a life long condition, it might be worth trying.

justcallmeang, There's Metropolitan Family Services they charge on a sliding scale they have offices all over the chicago area.

Metropolitan Family Services
www.metrofamily.org/

Also UIC has a program
UIC has a Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Program
www.psych.uic.edu/DBDOS/index.shtml

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