Doctor's appointment (frustrating)

Page 1 of 1 [ 6 posts ] 

kdeering75
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 5 Feb 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 61

22 Feb 2011, 6:23 pm

We saw his specialist that prescribes the ADHD meds as well as work through the asperger issues especially where school was concerned.

My son takes Biphentin 50 mg (just went up from 40). We are having behaviour issues and I can't seem to get the doctor to understand that I don't think it medication but of course it's the first thing he checks.

C is 13 years old and quite small for his peers. He's in 7th Grade and started late immersion this year (70% French/30% English). He did very well as he maintained a 75 average (except for Music which he hates because he needs to practice). The kids are very tolerant to his differences and they don't know his diagnosis except now because my husband forgot to give meds one day and he acted out. The trouble is when he's in his "french" classes, he's the behaved well child that I want always, unfortunately when he's in English (his comfort zone)...he's a different child. He talks excessively, he disrupts people and he's very verbal. That is my son at home. He's talks excessively about whatever he's talking about, if he's doing something that he's told and asked not to, he continues to do and with one look at him, he stops but you can tell he knows why I've looked at him.

He's excessive in everything that he's comfortable with. And the doctor suggests it's impulsive behaviour but I am not convinced. My son feels his concentration in the morning is no different than the afternoon as he knows what he's like when he's not medicated at school. He just doesn't know why he does things even after he's asked not to.

Has anyone ever experienced such a thing and have suggestions?

EDIT -- The dr thinks maybe he's metabolizing his meds but I'm not convinced.



kdeering75
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 5 Feb 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 61

22 Feb 2011, 9:25 pm

So I searched and search and found something that describes it but not sure which well...

Quote:
Echolalia: The immediate and involuntary repetition of words or phrases just spoken by others, often a symptom of autism or some types of schizophrenia.

Perseveration: Uncontrollable repetition of a particular response, such as a word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of a stimulus, usually caused by brain injury or other organic disorder.


Could it be either of these things?



kdeering75
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 5 Feb 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 61

22 Feb 2011, 10:41 pm

So here I'm reading and reading and I happily come to the conclusion that my son DOES stim.

When he plays video games he can not sit, he jumps up and down and I used to swear he though it was going to help him get further but after reading about verbal stimming and reading more and more on stimming...I think I've found a breakthrough. I think he always has and I never realized.

I know it's not something to get excited about but it might be a door opening.

Kelly



magicmom
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 2 Jan 2011
Age: 56
Gender: Female
Posts: 31

05 Mar 2011, 12:39 pm

Hi

It is okay if he stims. Truly it is okay. Who cares? I don't. I would bet there are
1000s on WP who stim and could care less if he does. I know it is hard for a mom.
I am one. I do understand. My son used to flap his arms.

Yes, it could be the medicine. Biphentin is a methylphenidate drug. The mechanism of
action is different, The way the pill works is the a layered system. The medicine is
multilayers beads that melt gradually during the day . And Biphentin is 40% first layer and
60% second layer and Concerta 22% first dose and 78% second and third dose.


I imagine that some layers melt faster than others and each person will react to this
differently. What might work great for one may not for another. Some times medicines
increase anxiety and this increases stimming behaviors.

Why does the doctor think it is the medicine?

What is your son like without medication at all?

You just had an increase in dose? Have behaviors gotten worse or better?
Maybe he needs to return to the originial dosage.

Does he stim only on the meds?
If not, This may just be part of his personality. A medication may not change this.
But if you see the medication helping him by all means stick with it. If not find a
new one or help him develop coping mechanisms to go without medications.

Stimming helps your child get out pent up energy. Stimming is a natural part
of life for everyone. Each one of us has ways we cope with our environment.
Yes, everyone. It might not be stimming but it is a way to handle our surroundings.
Stimming can be embarrassing so focus on other areas about your son that
are wonderful. And remind yourself, EVERYONE stims. Some people talk
to much, crack their knuckles, blink their eyes, twirl their hair, tap their foot,
shake their knee, clicking pens, biting pencils, twisting paperclips... the list goes
on forever.

For Aspies sometimes it is flapping arms or wildly embarrasing ways to cope. These
do fade over time. It really is okay if he stims.
Keep loving your son and life will work itself out.
Magicmom



DW_a_mom
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Feb 2008
Gender: Female
Posts: 13,683
Location: Northern California

05 Mar 2011, 4:18 pm

kdeering75 wrote:
I think I've found a breakthrough. I think he always has and I never realized.

I know it's not something to get excited about but it might be a door opening.

Kelly


I always get excited when I find little break throughs :)

Stims are self-calming and difficult to control. A child often needs them to stay focused. Asking him to control a stim will require him to focus on controlling the stim instead of paying attention to the teacher.

However, verbal stims are a problem in class. Not sure why he's saving the stim for the less stressful class, so maybe there is more to the story, but ... moving on to a strategy.

My son is a physical stimmer, needing to play with things like pen caps. But that can get noisy and disruptive, too. He is capable of holding off the stim for the length of a lecture session or testing period, but it is so subconscious to him that he doesn't even realize he's doing it. What worked was to ask the teachers to guitely walk over to his desk and rest a hand on the desk as a signal. When the teacher did that, he knew he was making too much noise and needed to focus on holding it in. Some kids may need to be touched.

At a younger age he would rattle on and on in answer to teacher questions, and he had to learn to cut that short, too. A hand signal was used for that, as well, telling him, "wrap it up!'

Explain to the child that the behavior is disruptive to the rest of the class, which is why you want him to learn to hold it off. Also explain that you don't believe he is trying to be disruptive, which is why the signal is quiet. The other kids hopefully will never even notice it.

At home, my son likes to talk and talk and talk and talk. The deal is simple: talk all you want, but don't require us to listen to all of it. When it's super duper important to you for us to actually hear you, then get our attention and let us know.


_________________
Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).


kdeering75
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 5 Feb 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 61

12 Mar 2011, 3:59 pm

Sorry I'm quite late to reply. Since I decided not to increase the meds and the ASD team will see him towards the end of the month and I've been dealing with things for a little (issues with my daughter's teacher now).

The doctor "says" because he has Asperger as well as ADHD, these children tend to metabolize their "meds" more quickly than a regular ADHD child.

We increased him only 10 mg because he gained some weight but the behaviour hasn't really changed but they never overly mentioned it because he's in a new school, new changes, kinda thought it would pass....

No he stims from what I can tell while he's not on meds, because he'll play video games and be jumping like a mexican jumping bean whether he's medicated or not. And can't help it...only stops on command and then goes right back at it, lol.

It doesn't bother me so much I'm trying to help keep him as less of a distraction in class and looking into the future of high school. The school is going to try out a "Whisperphone" to get him more familar with his level of talking while working. Especially where it's days of over-stimming. They are building 2 "offices" at the back of the class using those cardboard voting booths, can't recall the name....so not only him but others needing space can go to the "office" to work, since he's not the only one who needs his own space during class at times. As far as home I just stay out of the space he occupies (for video games), what I can't see can't bother me too much, lol.

We'll see what the ASD teams suggests after observing him for a day (his most "Transitional" difficult day of the week....) on March 31.

Thanks

magicmom wrote:
Hi

Why does the doctor think it is the medicine?

What is your son like without medication at all?

You just had an increase in dose? Have behaviors gotten worse or better?
Maybe he needs to return to the originial dosage.

Does he stim only on the meds?
If not, This may just be part of his personality. A medication may not change this.
But if you see the medication helping him by all means stick with it. If not find a
new one or help him develop coping mechanisms to go without medications.

Stimming helps your child get out pent up energy. Stimming is a natural part
of life for everyone. Each one of us has ways we cope with our environment.
Yes, everyone. It might not be stimming but it is a way to handle our surroundings.
Stimming can be embarrassing so focus on other areas about your son that
are wonderful. And remind yourself, EVERYONE stims. Some people talk
to much, crack their knuckles, blink their eyes, twirl their hair, tap their foot,
shake their knee, clicking pens, biting pencils, twisting paperclips... the list goes
on forever.

For Aspies sometimes it is flapping arms or wildly embarrasing ways to cope. These
do fade over time. It really is okay if he stims.
Keep loving your son and life will work itself out.
Magicmom