Child With Extreme Behavioral Problems; Need Help - Page 2

[Sierra]

I have not read any of the other responses, I am sorry to say. I appreciated your long and detailed post but ran out of reading time when it came to the responses.

You are doing good work sorting through this.

I want to recommend a therapy that might be helpful called PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy). We did this therapy at a Trauma Center with one of our kids who had a rough start in life. It was not the be-all-end-all, but it was extremely helpful with the behaviors we were dealing with at the time. We were never blamed for dd's behavior, but we knew she was a kid who was going to need a very different kind of parenting than we had done before, so PCIT was about building a skill set for dd's particular needs as well as addressing her behavioral issues.

PCIT *is* different than play therapy, though they have some similarities. I would recommend it is done on top of play therapy, or as a short-term substitution for play therapy, but that play-therapy is not used as a substitute for PCIT.

[cchrissyy]

Mama,

you are descibing my child!

when he was 4, he started risperdol, and it was the BEST thing we ever did for him. from the first dose he became a happier child. his mind was finally free to learn and he caught up on all sorts of social and acedemic skills. he was free from constantly being in trouble, from the stress of screaming hours on end and hurting himself or being held back to keep him from injuring others. I can't count how many hours of raging he speant in those first 4 years when he should have been free to learn, play, explore, or rest.

He's 7 now. and over 4 ft tall. He takes risperdol 3x a day and if he misses a dose it's straight back to the bad old days. It seems he'll need it forever. But oh my gosh has that medicine given him a chance at life !

it's been a hard road- he's needed other therapies, such as floortime therapists in our home 4x a week, and an IEP in school. we've done diet and specialists out the wazoo. he does take other meds now. I just want to be clear that the one thing that made all the other growth possible was starting him on the risperdol. it may sound scary but that kind of payoff is so worth a try. (PM or call me if you ever want to talk more)

[Rosebud1]

Just want to second what Heatherdeg said. Sometimes we are 'naughtier', or let it all hang out more with the people we trust the most.

It's true in adult relationships as well. Like when I call my best girlfriend, I'm not afraid to show I'm a little depressed or haggard because I know she'll still accept me.

It's like the people we trust are our shelter in the storm -- but sometimes we bring the storm we're battling with us to them!

[Bisou]

Originally Posted by Sierra

I have not read any of the other responses, I am sorry to say. I appreciated your long and detailed post but ran out of reading time when it came to the responses.

You are doing good work sorting through this.

I want to recommend a therapy that might be helpful called PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy). We did this therapy at a Trauma Center with one of our kids who had a rough start in life. It was not the be-all-end-all, but it was extremely helpful with the behaviors we were dealing with at the time. We were never blamed for dd's behavior, but we knew she was a kid who was going to need a very different kind of parenting than we had done before, so PCIT was about building a skill set for dd's particular needs as well as addressing her behavioral issues.

PCIT *is* different than play therapy, though they have some similarities. I would recommend it is done on top of play therapy, or as a short-term substitution for play therapy, but that play-therapy is not used as a substitute for PCIT.

Thanks for that recommendation! I've definitely followed everyone's suggestions so far! I have every book that's been recommended on my nightstand. I will check with my son's therapist about this kind of therapy.

If you have a minute, could you describe it a little? Or if not, I should be able to find something online.

Thanks!

[Sierra]

If you Google PCIT, the first link that comes up is: http://pcit.phhp.ufl.edu/, which has a lot of information. There is also some information here: http://www.pcittraining.tv/ and referrals on that site as well. This is the program we did, which had some great adaptations to the original method: http://www.traumacenter.org/clients/pcit-a_svcs.php. Our therapist further adapted it to meet the specific needs of our family. I also talked about the method and our experience with it briefly here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...highlight=pcit.