Topic : Raising a Special Needs Child

I'm so sorry for what you've been through and are still going through.  I wish I could offer something of help to you.  I know it would be very hard to just "give up" and place your child in someone else's hands.  It's hard to trust anyone else with our children's care.  I don't think I could do that and yet I know you feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

I've been thinking about your postand I really think you need to paste your post into an email to Dr. Phil.  If you don't get a response, do it several times.  He may be able to help you or put you with someone who could. 

Deb 

Hi I am a mom of an 8 year old boy who is autistic and struggling with it... he is a very loving and gentle child at times...but he is very aggressive with adults and other kids...threatens all of us on a regular basis and curses horribly.  he has seen three doctors that all want to put him on meds and we have tried that route and he was a zombie or a raging bull on them... they killed his personality...he has ADD.....there is not a lot of help for parents like us...i hope that someone here has some advice that can help 

I kind of know what you're dealing with.  My son was diagnosed w/ ADHD when 6 yrs and then Aspergers, which is in the Autism Spectrum, when 7 yrs.  (He is now 11 yrs.) First we tried Naturopathic remedies because we didn't want to use meds unless we had to.  Then we went to meds., we also tried the Feingold Diet.  It is very frustrating trying things and having such hopes and then having them dashed.  The only thing that helped somewhat is eliminating artificial food colors...until someone told us about how glyconutritional supplements and how they helped their child.  We were at the point we would try anything and have been very pleased with the glyconutrition.  He's been taking it for 1 1/2 yrs. now so I am also seeing long-term results.  My son was still on Strattera and has since been taken off of that.  Now he is able to hold very good discussions, isn't hyper, can follow more than one direction at the time, has stopped stuttering, depression is gone, anxiety gone.  He's still immature, but considering how things were, we are very happy with things now.  If you look into alternatives to medication you might want to look into this one.  Feel free to email me if you want to hear more.  Just put "Dr P Board" in the subject so I don't delete it w/o reading it! 

Don't give up!  There is a solution out there for you and things will get better!  Deb 

Is there really no one who has a child with a movement disorder? 

Carol 

Hello. I am a mom of 3 children. My oldest is ADHD, Bi-Polar, CAPD. My second son has not been dx with a particular except the CAPD. He has depression, anxiety, and is possibly a milder BP. Do any of you have problems with a dad not partaking or wanting to deal with the child's issues? I just don't get it. He is BP and probably ADD, he takes his meds, but won't read about anything, doesn't really know anything specific. Why am I left to do it all? I don't know that it is a "dad" thing per say or just the parent who doesn't want to deal. I guess because he can't deal with his own stuff. Sad. 

I am homeschooling mine for the first time. We started in July. They weren't getting educated in school and are really behind. I hope I can do better. Socially they are happier. They aren't restricted to a seat which makes my oldest really happy! :) 

Well, hello. If you have any advise on the dad thing, just let me know! SM 

I don't have advice for you, but I wanted you to know I've had that same complaint for years now!!  I try to educate my husband - it's the best I can do.  My dh isn't a reader, so there's no chance of him reading any books or researching on the Net.  If I found something on tape MAYBE I could get him to listen, and if there's something on TV I can get him to watch that.  But he thinks there should be an easy cure, sees black/white and no gray.  It's especially hard when they are critical of what we're doing because they are ignorant. 

I often think of the many hours I have invested in researching.  My 11yr old was dx w/ ADHD when 6yrs. and Aspergers when 7yrs.  This is my 4th year of homeschooling him.  We love it, too. 

I'm not sure, but I think most men are like our husbands.  It's sad, but true.  I've pretty much resolved it with myself that this is how it is.  I have lists for my husband.  I have my son on a glyco-nutrition supplement program and just took him off his last meds.  I have to lay out all of his supplements for each meal & label them because if I go out to the store & my dh stands in for me he will give him the wrong thing!!  I explain things over and over, but I guess they have so many other responsibilities on their mind they can't handle one more. 

My son can't have artificial colors or he climbs the walls.  I was in the hospital a few yrs ago for 11 days.  I wrote down for my dh "NO YELLOW OR RED FOOD COLOR".  He called me up "R is climbing the walls.  He's totally out of control and I don't know what did it.  All he had was yogurt."  Me: "What color was the yogurt?"  DH: "Green.  I remembered no Yellow or Red."  Me:  "What colors do you blend together to get Green?"   DUH! 

Look at it this way, SM, we are so good at what we do and we are INDESPENSIBLE! 

Deb