Have a setback or is he regressing?

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Sounds like you are going through what I went through at the start of last term with my 8 yr old son. It was so stressful trying to work out what was wrong. Everytime I thought I'd worked it out, a couple of days later he packed it in again. I eventually came to the conclusion that it was the whole social "fishbowl" environment of the classroom getting to him - combination of kids winding him up, noise, stress of having to concentrate and listen etc. I often find that he is worse over winter - don't know if it's winter, or just that he gets bored/familiar with the class. Since your son has a teacher aide, maybe they could look at a break from the classroom environment at some stage during the day eg. teacher aide working with him in the library and then either giving him some free time, or giving him a job for a short time helping sort books or something . . . or (if he's into art, like alot of AS kids are) letting him paint for awhile. Then school would be more in bite-sized chunks for him and maybe more manageable.

(What I'm going to write here, I also put in another thread yesterday, so sorry if it repeats what you've read already . . .) I've also just started my son on Phosphatydil Serine which is a natural supplement and supposed to bring calming effects and brain clarity (similar to Ritalin, but not medication). I sourced it through Health 2000 - a Metagenics product that they got in from Brisbane. So far I've noticed that he is calmer (able to calm down quicker after an upset), is more interactive and conversational (actually playing with kids at lunchtime and coming home and telling me about it!), and more able to negotiate in situations, rather than flipping out. This could be an option for you to research, especially if he's not on medication. It is expensive - I give him 1 capsule before he goes to school (along with fish oil) and each capsule is just under $2, but since we get the NZ Child Disability Allowance, I figure that if PS works for him, then it's a good use of spending that money.

DW, can you please tell me more about these 'keys' I need as many as I can get!! !

Tracker, his sugar intake is strictly controlled as with the rest of his diet. It is extrememly hard to drain his energy, you tell me an activity that will wear out and adhd/hfa kid and I will try it! And I'm not not panicing about his behaviour but when he has come so damn far it is disheartening to see him go backwards!! !! !! !! !

Annie, are you in NZ?? Damien is also getting the CDA and can you telll me more about those suppliments and where I might be able to get them. He is now on the healtharies kids multi. He has an aide Mon-Thurs and we might look at her taking him to the office between the classrooms for quiet work time.

I wish I knew which key to hand you, but I don't. Observe. Find the patterns. Use your intuition. And all the knowledge you've accumulated from sites like this one.

ALL kids goes through phases. 2 steps forward; 1 step back. It's constant. I even have that with my NT daughter, although it gets more pronounced with my ASD son. I know it gets frustrating, but you will emerge on the other side.

This is only anecdotal, from personal experience... but when I was growing up, it was like a tugboat in choppy seas. (Bear with me, having trouble finding right comparison) For some brief moments, I would be in sync - the rope taut and even, moving in tandem with those around me. Sometimes I would lurch forward, and there would be a struggle for control and direction. Sometimes the rope would be strained to the point of breaking. There was a cycle that occurred over and over again; just as I would become comfortable with a setting or dynamic, something would change. Might be the classroom I was in, or moving schools, or changing desks... a lot of different causations. As I would struggle to adapt and integrate, it felt as though I was on a plateau while everyone else continued to climb. In time, I would race to catch up only to find them having moved on again once I got there. There were a lot of times that others and myself saw regression; most often, it was only time taken to adapt and understand. Just a thought. Also... I found it much easier to socialize with those older than myself - there wasn't so much rampant change as within my peers, and those understandings lasted much longer.


M.