Hi,
My daughter who is about to turn 5 next month is almost out of control. Okay, she is out of control. She was diagnosed at 2 by TARC in Topeka and then at 3 by CCHD at KU Med in Kansas City with Autism. She was determined not to have Fragile X - they just wanted to rule it out. Anyway, her behavior is out of control. She will yell, scream, throw things, kick, hit and we've tried positive and sadly negative reinforcements and she's not really responding well.
Instead of vying for the positive reinforcement, say a reward, she will jump to the conclusion "I don't want ...." because she doesn't want to do what is expected of her.
Currently, she is not on medication, nor has she been. I'm kind of skeptical of the term oppositional defiant disorder, but if there's a way to explain how she is, that's kind of her. She's rigid and totally inflexible and is like a teenager reacting in opposites at many times. She's currently going to pre-school in the afternoon, which clearly isn't working well for her and we have a conference with her teacher this week. Before she turned 4, she was going to morning classes. We may have to pull her out of this preschool, which is a shame because she really likes her teachers and it's familiar. Sameness etc. Meantime, I"m wondering who do I take her to? I think we need to medicate. I've tried using non-confrontational approaches such as using stuffed animals to talk to her and that worked once. We've tried the rewards approach and that worked some of the time. Thankfully, it did work to get her potty trained.
Don't get me wrong, she's a loving kid, but the way her behavior is now, we're at the precipice. She does have some issues communicating, but she can talk. She just doesn't always get the words in the right order. She can be cruel and sadly malicious at times and I have no idea where she got this from - at school maybe?
I took her to a neurologist at about 3 years of age because of staring spells and just wanted to make sure it wasn't a type of seizure she was having and the neurologist offered her Zoloft. I asked if he was receiving kick-backs. her teacher suggested meds earlier this year (or during the last school year), but at the time we were dead against it. She's very up and down in terms of mood and behavior. Her psychologist at CCHD has gone elsewhere so, not sure who else in the Topeka, KS area would be worth going to. Family Service And Guidance Center appear to have an often changing staff, and she does need sameness. Anyone in the Northeast Kansas area that can offer suggestions? I haven't listed everything that my daughter does - but as a mother, I am concerned. Meds aren't top of my preference, but not sure what else to do. Do I take her to a psychologist, psychiatrist, or neurologist. I have looked over the list on the sticky for specialists, but all I saw was CCHD. She's had the diagnosis and commuting for potential blood tests for drug levels etc would be a big inconvenience as we're about to lose a car.
30 Oct 2016, 6:32 pm
