Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Any Mommy Advice?

OK, here I am admitting what all mothers want to keep quiet. I need help!!! Drew,my 7 year old has ADHD, in impulsive behavior disorder and a developmental delay. Since Drew was 18 months old we have been to more Dr's,had more evaluations than I can count,we have attended speech therapy,occupational therapy,behavioral therapy and the list goes on and on.

Drew has always been just a little slower than others in academics...who cares when he is making millions in the NFL one day? Everyone who has come into contact with Drew in the past have all described him as such a sweet boy but in his own little world. Well, now things are spiraling out of control. He has become so mean! At 7 he has no problem talking back to me and throws HUGE out of control fits when things don't go his way.Mind you this does not happen at school at all just with his family.

A typical day with Drew consist of him coming home from school,not getting his way and him flipping out! I mean all out screaming,sobbing,tensing up, jaw dropping Nanny 911 style fits! And once they start there is no bringing him back until he gets it all out. Drew is on Focalin daily for his ADHD which really help him at school but I wonder how these narcotics are affecting my baby's emotions.

I have so far tried the following..
-taking him off meds
- constant positive reinforcement
-spanking him
- putting him on a dairy free diet
-time out,no video game privileges
-just plain ol' bribing him with anything I can think of
- star/reward charts
-calling my amazing pediatrician crying

WHAT ELSE DO I DO???
Well I got some parenting advice from an an old schooler...
What do you think?

I am going to get a rubber maid bin and every time Drew is sassy,mean or throws a fit,I will select a toy/video game/book/movie
that he then has to put in the bin for 1 week.
(I have a feeling I should just rent a P.O.D. before we make progress!)
Then as his behavior improves, allow him to slowly get his belongings back.

Like any mother I hate to see my son sad but I have to stop this now!
I refuse to be that mom that looses control at an early
age than has a wild teenager.

Any advice????

***So far today Drew has lost his playstation,4 video games,a sword,3 books,3 wrestling figurines and his gameboy!***
-

3 comments:

Laurie said...

Ugh. It may come to the POD. I'm sorry, Grace. I have no advice. Do you want me to call SuperNanny on you?

Mandi said...

A friend at work has a 'special' boy that can be similar to Drew. She took as much sugar out of his diet as she could. She said the difference was unbelieveable. Now he loves that he's special becuase he gets to eat food that no one else does. She's baked him sugar-free cakes and such and he thinks its great. Good Luck.

LeShayne said...

I dont have any great advice for you. Just wanted to drop a note of encouragement that just like you wrote that Chase is lucky to have Laurie - Drew is lucky to have you who is willing to do whatever it takes to help him through a rough patch! Good luck to you.