Help for DS who is very anxious.

[papapoochie]

My ds recently turned 5 years old. He was dx w/Asperger's 4/07 by a pediatric neurologist, so we sought a second opinion and finally got one 7/07. We had to wait months for each appt. Now dx is changed to OCD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. New pediatric neurologist says "definately not aspie nor adhd.' He is VERY anxious child and does have ocd symptoms. The new dr also said, "ask 4 drs and you'll get for different responses." So, here we are with a very anxious child.

We are natural folk for the most part. We'll home school initially. He would be starting kindergarden this fall. He eats well, no artificial colors, no preservatives, whole foods, organic produce.

Any idea on natural remedies for the anxiety. DW got rescue remedie yesterday at Whole Foods store and it seems to help.

I seek your highly prized opinions mothers and fathers. Thanks.

[fluttermama]

Hi,

That's interesting. My dd with Asperger's also has OCD tendencies and Anxiety disorder. Personally, I think it all goes with the Asperger's but they feel the need to have a separate title for everything. Her main symptom though is anxiety. Things that help us is having a consistent rhythm to the day, doing some OT things for the sensory stuff that leads to increased anxiety, giving her an IPOD when we are out , and Rescue Remedy along with Rock Rose. Rock Rose is awesome, I use it, too, and have gotten off my meds for depression/anxiety. Best Wishes!

[sbgrace]

Does he have OCD, then? If so, I'd seriously look into cognitive behavioral therapy--a non drug approach to treating OCD that is quite effective.

It is my opinion that the longer OCD goes on the more the brain patterns change and become entrenched. Cognitive behavioral therapy changes those brain patterns and can break that cycle--and is research based and widely accepted as an OCD treatment that is equal or nearly equal to drug approaches for many people.

As far as herbal or natural approaches--the same medications anyway that work for other anxiety disorders don't work for OCD. It is a different type of anxiety disorder altogether. So while I don't know of herbal treatments I would suspect they would be different than those for other anxiety issues. The medications that do help are anti-depressants like paxil called SSRI's so you could approach your research looking for alternatives to SSRI's (like St. John's Wart though of course anytime you're dealing with herbals you are also dealing with a medical substance by their very nature).

You can search online and I know there are books on amazon about OCD in children and cognitive behavioral approaches though I've not read any of them personally. It would depend on where you are if you can find a competent practioner (bigger areas yes). There is an OCD foundation http://www.ocfoundation.org/ which is very active and I know they could help point you in the right directions.
GAD I know less about but honestly if a person has OCD of course they are anxious all the time. It is a stinky disease when it isn't managed/treated. Kava Kava would be a pretty standard herb for anxiety.

I've said all this and make sure the symptoms you are seeing are really OCD. If they are what I imagine them to be in order to be confused with a spectrum condition I think you need a professional to determine for sure. A spectrum individual could at least outwardly look the same with an adherance to routine or order for example. But the motivation behind it would be different.
OCD is actually a brain difference (can be seen on scans of the brain). Great diet is always a good thing of course but I wouldn't expect it to impact OCD. Like most brain differences there are also good things about it....just help him learn to manage and minimize the bads. As an interesting to me aside, there are some who believe that autism is actually on a broad OCD spectrum. Not at all sure I agree (I don't even necessarily think all we now call autism is actually the same) but I see the potential over-lap.

[LauraLoo]

A good book to check out is "Freeing Your Child From Anxiety" by Tamar Chansky.
http://www.amazon.com/Freeing-Your-C...5482797&sr=8-1

The same author has also done one specifically for OCD. I haven't read it.
http://www.amazon.com/Freeing-Your-C...5482797&sr=8-1

[Roar]

Ditto to Freeing your Child from Anxiety. Also, for your son: http://www.amazon.com/What-When-You-.../dp/1591473144

Did the doctor give you a treatment plan? Have you sought help from a child psychologist?

[mamastotwo]

Sorry I can't remember where i read about it, but there is probably lots on the internet. Anyway it was an article that praised teaching meditation as a way to help anxiety - even to a child this young. My NT son is 5 and he does a little meditation in his yoga class in school so i know it can be possible.

[megincl]

Originally Posted by fluttermama

Hi,

That's interesting. My dd with Asperger's also has OCD tendencies and Anxiety disorder. Personally, I think it all goes with the Asperger's but they feel the need to have a separate title for everything. Her main symptom though is anxiety. Things that help us is having a consistent rhythm to the day, doing some OT things for the sensory stuff that leads to increased anxiety, giving her an IPOD when we are out , and Rescue Remedy along with Rock Rose. Rock Rose is awesome, I use it, too, and have gotten off my meds for depression/anxiety. Best Wishes!

What is Rock Rose?

DS has some big anxious tendencies. We work a lot on rhythm, helping him calm down with deep breaths (big belly breaths), progressive relaxation for his body, and occasionally listen to a calming CD called Indigo Dreams that someone on here recommended.

I'm eagerly reading everything here.

thanks!
megin

[fluttermama]

Rock Rose is a flower essence. It's in rescue remedy but taken alone it is for nervousness and extreme fear.

[MyTwoAs]

My son was first dx'd with ADHD, then GAD, then eventually the AS dx was made (2 docs but 3 dxs). What has helped him the most with his anxiety is play therapy. We found a wonderful therapist and Alexander absolutely loves her.

[teachma]

Originally Posted by MyTwoAs

What has helped him the most with his anxiety is play therapy. We found a wonderful therapist and Alexander absolutely loves her.

This has been the best help for my 6 year old son with anxiety as well. My son is diagnosed only with anxiety/OCD; however, he also has many sensory issues. Put those together, along with other social quirks, and I often see Aspergers in him despite the failure of his neuropsych. evaluator to pick up on it...

[Fay]

Play therapy was also the best remedy for my ds1's severe anxiety. "Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen is a good intro on the subject. Vitamin B12 and magnesium supplements can help, too.

[papapoochie]

Wow, thanks everyone for taking the time to give these great responses. I really appreciate it.

I did forget to mention there are a lot of Sensory Processing issues. For this, we are starting OT at a Children's Center with someone who specializes in SPD. I wonder if this can look like OCD/GAD? You can see it in his face when overly stimulated while driving or going into a loud store. His eyes will dart to and fro. Now he will say, "I need a hug." This will help center him. He just turned 5 in June.

We are using the rescue remedy and it is helpful.

All of this is very complex and I suppose evolves over time. One disorder contained within another or mimicking another. Like a child with Asperger's or PDD can also have, anxiety, ocd, adhd, etc.

[LauraLoo]

Sensory issues can definitely look like anxiety.....or cause anxiety! If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When you have trouble navigating all of the input coming at you, that would make even the most even keel person a little on edge. It's very difficult to separate what the main issue is, isn't it?

My ds has sensory issues and anxiety issues. His sensory issues are pretty across the board. However, his anxiety issues are heightened in new situations or when he is overly tired and unable to function normally. In some situations, you'd swear he was ADHD and/or an Aspie, but when he's in the comfort of his own home or in a situation that's become familiar to him, he's pretty "normal." He's also a sensitive child, so he picks up on things that others gloss over, sees things that others miss, hears things that others can tune out.....Most of this is amazing to me, but again can make functioning in every day a little more tiring and anxiety ridden.

[papapoochie]

Originally Posted by LauraLoo

Sensory issues can definitely look like anxiety.....or cause anxiety! If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When you have trouble navigating all of the input coming at you, that would make even the most even keel person a little on edge. It's very difficult to separate what the main issue is, isn't it?

My ds has sensory issues and anxiety issues. His sensory issues are pretty across the board. However, his anxiety issues are heightened in new situations or when he is overly tired and unable to function normally. In some situations, you'd swear he was ADHD and/or an Aspie, but when he's in the comfort of his own home or in a situation that's become familiar to him, he's pretty "normal." He's also a sensitive child, so he picks up on things that others gloss over, sees things that others miss, hears things that others can tune out.....Most of this is amazing to me, but again can make functioning in every day a little more tiring and anxiety ridden.

I agree w/the above. We are actually approaching this with his sensory processing issues first. We went to a PT appointment and they indicated that PT is secondary (PT was the quickest way to get him in for an appt even though we really needed the OT) to his Sensory Processing Issues. He was referred to their senior SPD person on staff cause he was off the charts during PT. But now we have to wait another 3 weeks. It takes forever to get things moving. Been waiting for appts since 11/06. Anyway hopefully this will eventually help him to feel better internally.

[Sierra]

I am sure I am reaching my quoto for recommending a single book, but I popped in my CD copy during a car ride today today and was blown away at all the great stuff in there I had forgotten since my last listening. My thought is, rescue remedy and the likes is a great method of assistance, but what is causing all the stress on his systems, to create the anxiety? Whether or not it is anxiety disorder or PDD-NOS or ADHD or anything else, there are neurological implications and I thus HIGHLY recommend the book _The Fabric of Autism: Weaving the Threads Into a Cogent Theory_ by Judith Bluestone.

[papapoochie]

Thank you Sierra for the book recommendation. I'll look into it.

[WuWei]

White Chestnut is helpful for "when thoughts go round and round in your head". It is also a Bach Flower remedy. It helps acutely; but classical homeopathy is very beneficial for addressing core emotional issues. Also EFT helps for relieving fears/phobias/anxiety issues. http://www.emofree.com/

ETA: Here are some links about choosing Bach flower remedies. The first helps identify which are most specific to the needs.
http://www.ainsworths.com/remedy/default.aspx

http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/remedies.htm

http://www.bachflower.com/38_Essences.htm



Pat

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I have to get the link from my sister, but she read an article about valarian root tincture and anxiety in children, and reccomended it for my son. He has numerous sensory issues including APD, that can make him anxious. She is also a special ed teacher and thought the article was great. It is something to look into.

Here is the quote she sent me, but I'll try to find the whole article from her.

Actions: Sedative, nervine, hypnotic, antispasmodic, anodyne, hypotensive, carminative.
Common Use: Valerian is one of the most useful relaxing nervines available. This fact is recognized by orthodox medicine as is shown by its inclusion in many pharmacopoeias as a sedative. It has been safely used to reduce tension and anxiety, over-excitability and hysterical states. It is an effective aid in insomnia, producing a natural healing sleep. As an anti-spasmodic it will help in the relief of cramps and intestinal colic and will also be useful for the cramps and pain of periods. As a pain reliever it is indicated when pain is associated with tension, migraines and rheumatic pain. Experiments in Italy and Germany conducted for the past 15 years have found that valerian preparations are effective in treating children with psychomotor agitation (hyperactivity) and behavioral disorders. Unlike other medications for hyperactivity, valerian root has no side effects, even at rather high doses. In fact, in these children, the prepar ation enhanced motor coordination and maintained reaction time, while calming anxiety and fears, curing restlessness and curbing aggression. 20 to 60 drops 2-3 times daily or as needed. Overuse May Cause Mental Agitation.

We don't use it all the time, but I have found on days were he seems anxious (constantly asking me "what?" or "what time it is?" or "what's next?" etc) it really seems to calm him down without making him tired or out of it.

[papapoochie]

Thanks WuWai for the web links. Thanks Race_Kelly for the snippet. I would like to see the entire article if you find it.

[CB73]

Hi!

Interesting for me to have suddenly read this tonight...A week ago I started our (almost) 4YO DS on ASPEN (Bach flower essence) and have seen a wonderful difference! (Aspen: replaces apprehension and vague fears with a sense of security and peace of mind)
No more night waking tears (bad dreams??) for the past week in our home and he seems significantly less tense when someone mentions starting school in September!