New to anxiety..where do I start?

673 Views 9 Replies 7 Participants Last post by dpeacey, Feb 5, 2010

aiccerb

Discussion Starter · Feb 4, 2010

My 7 yr. old DS's anxiety has been dramatically increasing this last year and I dont know where to start looking for website and books to read. My dh is not on board and Im feeling pretty isolated. Can someone please help?

Back story, he is a very smart, social, charming, yet quirky kinda kiddo

He did not meet the criteria for a dx on the autsim spectrum, but I see a lot of similarites to his brother who is autistic.

Right now we've noticed that he is:

avoiding new situations or tasks that he hasnt all ready mastered
he gets really silly for a lack of a better word..think manic sillies
Withdrawal from social situations (play time at school)
Increased insistence on routines/sameness
Lots of flexibility issues
absolute staunch insistance for rules and rigidity
lots of talk about self doubt/worth

Thanks mamas!

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Purple Cat

· #2 · Feb 4, 2010

Have you had him evaluated for sensory processing disorder -- sensory issues? A lot of things you describe sound sensory to me. And, yes, they do sound like elements of anxiety, too. Anxiety and sensory issues overlap and can go hand-in-hand. I'm not surprised you notice similiarities with his autistic brother. All children with autism have sensory issues. But not all children with sensory issues have autism. Occupational therapy and a good sensory diet may reduce a lot of his difficulties.

For background, I have twins with sensory issues. My daughter also has anxiety issues. As far as references, unfortunately, I dont' have any. I've taken my DD to a child psychologist twice for quick consultations and treatment, generally following being traumatized by medical procedures and an allergen procedure.

The take-away lesson in both instances was lots of structure and consistency and firm limits help anxious children.

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LynnS6

· #3 · Feb 4, 2010

I've got to go to bed, so I'm not going to give my usual long reply.

A good book to start with is:
Freeing Your Child from Anxiety

For sensory issues, my favorite book is:
Raising a Sensory Smart Child

I also like The Highly Sensitive Child a lot too - it's the 'typical' side of sensitive, whereas Sensory Processing Disorder is the atypical side.

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aiccerb

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 4, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Cat

Have you had him evaluated for sensory processing disorder -- sensory issues? A lot of things you describe sound sensory to me. And, yes, they do sound like elements of anxiety, too. Anxiety and sensory issues overlap and can go hand-in-hand. I'm not surprised you notice similiarities with his autistic brother. All children with autism have sensory issues. But not all children with sensory issues have autism. Occupational therapy and a good sensory diet may reduce a lot of his difficulties.

.

Thanks for responding! Yep, he was evaluated as a preschooler and has a typical sensory profile. We have a private OT in the house twice a week for his brother (significant sensory challenges) and she has put together a general sensory diet to help calm him as a management tool, but she does not feel that the anxiety is causeed by sensory issues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LynnS6

Ive read the last two books, but I'll go check out Freeing Your Child on Amazon

Anyone else have any ideas/suggestions for me to go try?

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joensally

· #5 · Feb 5, 2010

When was he screened for autism? Some people end up diagnosed later, as the world becomes more complicated as they age.

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aiccerb

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 5, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by joensally

When was he screened for autism? Some people end up diagnosed later, as the world becomes more complicated as they age.

His sensory eval was done at 3.5 yrs and his autism one was at the end of kindergarden (1.5 years ago) when his anxiety was starting to be noticible.

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Kailey's mom

· #7 · Feb 5, 2010

Really sounds kind of "aspie-ish" to me

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joensally

· #8 · Feb 5, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by aiccerb

His sensory eval was done at 3.5 yrs and his autism one was at the end of kindergarden (1.5 years ago) when his anxiety was starting to be noticible.

Who did the screen? Did they use tools like ADOS/ADIR?

It sounds spectrumy to me, too.

My son to date does not meet the criteria for PDD but I have not ruled out that he might at some point. He does have SPD and some anxiety.

If it's anxiety, it's worth consulting a clinician who uses Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques. It's well researched as efficacious and really user friendly (ie replacing red light thoughts with green light thoughts).

Ditto Lynn's books. OOOHHH - also, the SuperFlex program. It makes thinking issues into bad guys that SuperFlex (the flexible thinking super hero!) can defeat. Like Rock Brain (rigid thinking), One Sided Sid (conversation monopolizer), Glass Man (super sensitive with big reactions). Body Snatcher takes control of your body, etc. It has had a dramatic effect on DS's understanding of himself and others.

GL

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Starflower

· #9 · Feb 5, 2010

My DD is having anxiety a lot and we just started seeing a therapist. I'm not sure what direction we're going with it yet. DD has her first session alone with her this weekend, then DH and I see her without DD on Tuesday.

I have anxiety myself: panic disorder and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). If you are noticing a lot more routines you may want to check out some books about OCD. I was reading up on some at the bookstore the other day when I was trying to decide whether or not to take DD to the therapist. Though I had originally thought maybe DD was showing signs of OCD, I decided she didn't have enough of them to really have that. But I did learn about some stuff that I do that fits into OCD, but that I hadn't previously attributed to the OCD, just to quirkiness.

We decided to seek out a therapist after consulting with DD's naturopath. Also, DD's anxiety is causing a lot of problems for her and is disrupting the sleep of the entire family.

If your DC's anxiety is getting out of control, I think a visit to his doctor and/or to a therapist may be in order. If you agree with some other posters on here that it could be autism, I'd seek a re-evaluation for that.

My ND has me taking supplements to help with the OCD and depression. Since there can be physical causes for anxiety sometimes, I would probably start with the doctor.

I hope you get some relief soon. We're still in the thick of it DD, but taking baby steps over here.

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dpeacey

· #10 · Feb 5, 2010

Oooh, thanks for this post! This sound exactly like my son. Exactly. I just met with the school staff today and they want me to get him checked out for Aspergers. Personally, I think a lot of it is sensory ...

Can anyone tell me more about the Superflex program? It sounds really good!

Thanks!

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