Fun at Disneyland

Fun at Disneyland

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Keeping track and getting answers

I have been charting Blake's moods and behavior for four weeks now. It's a pain in the neck to remember to do, but worth it. Having something concrete to look back on gives me a clear picture of where he was then and how he is now. I do see improvement. Considering frequency, intensity and duration, I'd say he's about 50% better now overall. He is still obsessed with Pokemon on Nintendo DS, and still frequently argues, constantly pushes (badgers), is oppositional, overly-sensitive, and is consistently over-reactive in his reactions. But I am hopeful, we'll continue to see improvement.

If you are looking for some wonderful charts that you can use or use as a model to make your own, CABF has some super ones....
http://www.bpkids.org/learn/library/mood-charts-list-of-several
(We use "Kimberly's Mood Chart")

I took James off of the Intuniv and do see that he is slightly more hyper and fidgety, but I didn't think the benefits of him being on it were worth the side effects of making him sleepy and I was concerned that it was contributing to his constant "freaking out" and crying. He doesn't ever get aggressive with us, he just cries and cries LOUD. He overreacts as the victim. His ADHD makes it near impossible for him to follow directions and control his impulses and he is frequently getting into trouble for it. His buttons are also easy to push and that is entirely too temping for big brother Blake. I am hoping that once Blake is stable, that situation will improve. I would like to talk to his doctor about trying Straterra on James. I have read that it does not bring on mania (which is important if we have mood disorders in our family) and doesn't have an intense appetite suppression. I have also read that it works wonders for some kids and does squat for others. He is really having a hard time, both at home and at school with his ADHD and his fine motor struggles, so I feel like it's worth a try. I am waiting (and waiting) to hear back from the OT scheduler. There are not a lot of spaces at this center and I need to wait for an opening. That's frustrating.

Not, to be link happy today, but I need to share a great webpage about meds for mental illness -
http://crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage

On to getting answers.....We have the first of 4 appointments for Blake in a week and a half. He is going to have a neuropsychological evaluation at UCLA. It is not covered by our insurance company, and is not cheap, but I think it will give us a lot of answers that will help us to help him learn and function the very best he can. I would also like their opinion on the mood disorder diagnosis and my hunch that he may also (or instead of?) have PDD-NOS.

As for me, I am working hard to lose weight and get more organized. I am doing really well, actually. I have a lot of hidden messes, so it's a process. It feels really, really good to have some sort of control back in my life. I am the captain of my ship and I don't like the feeling of sinking!!

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