[car jinx]

My friend has a wonderful four year old boy, but he is prone to episodes of extreme anger and violent outbursts. She had "read and tried" everything she can think of and finally decided to seek professional help. So far, the doctors she has seen have either wanted to put him on meds or haven't been AP friendly. She's looking for a therapist to work with that will try everything they can before turning to a prescription. Has anyone else had thise experience? She would love to find someone who had success without medication. Also, can anyone recommend a good psychologist/counselor in the greater Seattle/King County area ? Thanks!

 

[Leatherette]

Children's Hospital. Now, they do traditional psychiatry, but they do a lot of behavioral, non-medical interventions as well. Just tell them what you are willing to do. There is a hospital and clinics on the East side. Don't know how they are with the AP philosophy per se, but they are very professional and respectful of parents.

L.

 

[L.J.]

Has she looked at foods & the impact they can have on behvaviour?

 

[[email protected]]

My daughter is not violent, but can get pretty wound up and has tantrums every few days. We eat a whole foods diet, so I know that is not the problem. I have started giving her the Herbs for Kids Valerian/Chamomile drops mixed with apple cider when she seems to get wound up. This works very well for her and she does calm down. I also have started giving her more attention when she gets wound up and listening to her more and trying to understand her point of view. We have seem some improvement with her behavior and self esteem.

I hope she finds some answers soon to help her child.

Anne
Mom to Caleb, Amy, Riley 12/17/98 and Seth 12/10/00

 

[ShannonCC]

On the food issue, whole foods don't matter if the child is allergic or sensitive to something they are eating. It's not just chemicals that cause problems, often it's the food itself.

I can't recommend any area doctors, but did want to offer a yahoo list if someone is interested. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Positi...ng-Discipline/

It's Positive Parenting Discipline (discipline as teaching - this list is non-punitive and does not allow posts promoting spanking, punishment, etc). This group has it all! It has all the normal kid raising issues but there are also lots of kids with food issues and some with explosive tantrums.

My dd has food issues. One being she "over" reacts to hunger but she also cannot eat soy or yellow dye. However, even when we're on top of these issues she is still an intense kid. I am also reading The Explosive Child which is very helpful so far as long as you ignore the comments about medication.

I also recently looked up alternative treatments for ADHD and have put her on vitamins. She is taking Omega 3 and now magnesium. It may be wishful thinking but I think the magnesium has made a difference.

Oh, one more thing. For my dd I have noticed she goes through phases. I thought it was seasonal since up til this year she was always really difficult in the summer and pretty easy in the fall. This year she did a flip though and was easy in the summer and I was tearing my hair out in September. Seasonal allergens? Hormones? Some things you'll just never know.