Goodbye Summer, Hello HIGH School...

Goodbye Summer, Hello HIGH School...

Well, School has officially started and we will be entering our second week on Tuesday after having Labor Day off. The first part of summer was fantastic and then we got distracted from our goals when we went on vacation to California...but all in all.....a success!

The ending of summer still flew by rather quickly with only one major upset in August. JC was having major anxiety (combined with puberty and hormones - ugh!). We ended up at the hospital who would not take him!!! It's so crazy! We ended up with emergency anti-anxiety meds until we could see his regular psychiatrist who then prescribed buspar. Not so sure it's working even yet... so please be praying for us all. It is so hard to figure out what he is feeling or experiencing or needing since all his emotions come out in almost the same way. When he's happy, he usually takes it too far and gets goofy and impulsive. When he's sad, he is usually down on himself, hitting himself and taking out his sadness by being mean to himself and family. When he's angry, its the scariest.... he has been getting more and more physically aggressive and disrespectful. He is threatening and using his height to push his siblings and parents around. We have to be "on top of it" all the time which being a teenager, he definitely does NOT like! We just didn't know what he needed until we started to realize that school was upon us and then we knew... he was getting anxious for the new school year at a new school with bigger expectations, etc.

Even with all these changes and me wanting to be the mother bear, I have had to loosen up the "momma strings" and let him go more than I normally have. Both times this summer, I let him head off on his own at the water parks (of course he usually finds his way back to us fairly quickly) I have to remember that he is almost 15 and even though he doesn't usually act like a 15 year old, the world is going to treat him that way and I'd better prepare him for it. He started high school with a bang! He is riding his bike to and from school on his own. That is a major milestone for me (he he... not him, he's been ready for this for a long time, it's me!!)  I'm going to have to let him go and make big kid mistakes. I can only prepare him and let him know the consequences for those things so I will know I did my best with him and so he will hopefully be able to make wiser choices. He's got such a big heart and really wants to do good and well most of the time, but as he gets older the mistakes get costlier and not just for mom and dad, but for him.  

There's so many issues JC has to deal with and so as a family, there are so many we have to deal with on a daily basis that its hard to remember the positives sometimes. There are times when we just want to give up, but remember that God called us to a higher purpose.... and He loves us and wants us to succeed in raising JC and our other two kids. 

So, back to school... I can't believe JC's a freshman! I remember my high school years like they were yesterday :) I know, don't we all say that! But I do... and I just so hope for the best for him. It's been a strange "honeymoon period" of the first week of school - we had our meeting with the school at the end of May and were told he was going to be monitored at the high school with someone in every class like he was in middle school, just with different aides, not only one. As of yet, the aides are making themselves un-noticeable or they just aren't there??? I haven't called the school yet, because to be honest, I have been on pins and needles expecting a call from them. It never came last week! He made it through block schedule of high school on his own! What an accomplishment even if it is only for the honeymoon period (oh, you moms of kids like JC understand what I mean with honeymoon period right???) Block schedule still scares me and I wonder who came up with such a ridiculous idea. Most kids cannot fully focus and work for 90 minutes straight - even the so called "normal" kids... Maybe juniors and probably seniors, but really... freshman and sophomores??? Well, I have great hopes for JC's high school years and will be praying for him minute by minute as we go through this school year. I know he'll probably never be a doctor, but I also know he's a fighter and will hopefully want to be on his own enough to work at something hard enough to learn to be who God wants him to be and that is enough for me... my hope is in the Lord, maker of Heaven and earth! 

Jeremiah 29:11 (This is meant for all of God's people, not just the "normals" lol)
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

So, I know this was a little all over the place, but I guess that's just how its got to be :) Have a great school year!!! 

New DSM-V Diagnosis.... What is TDD ~ temper dysregulation disorder???

This new diagnosis for children just came out this year in the DSM-V... I am intrigued by this added diagnosis that the American Psychiatric Association has labeled as a brain or biological dysfunction. Here is what the symptoms are for TDD -

Temper Dysregulation Disorder: This proposed new disorder is seen as a brain or biological dysfunction, but not necessarily a lifelong condition. It can only be diagnosed in children over the age of 6, and onset must begin before a child is 10. 

The disorder is characterized by severe recurrent temper outbursts in response to common stressors. To have the disorder, the person has to have had these symptoms for at least 12 months, and cannot have been free of symptoms for more than three months at a time. 

• temper outbursts involving yelling or physical aggression
• overreacting to common stressors
• temper outbursts occurring on average three or more times a week
• nearly everyday the mood between temper outbursts is persistently negative.
• in the past year the patient has not had a period longer than a day of elevated or euphoric mood.

 I guess I am just wondering if those of you who know "JC" well, think this or the bipolar symptoms fit him better. The bipolar symptoms are -

Bipolar: Patients with bipolar have one or more manic episodes and often also experience major depressive episodes.

Manic episodes are when a person experiences an unusually euphoric or irritable mood that lasts for at least a week. During a manic episode a person may:

• have an inflated self-esteem that can reach delusional proportions
• feel full of energy and be more talkative than usual even while not needing much sleep
• do pleasurable things to excess, often with painful consequences, such as engaging in unrestrained shopping sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business involvements
• it's common during manic episodes for the person to alternate between euphoria and irritability.

Major depressive episodes are described as at least 2 weeks of depressed mood or loss of interest. The patient also shows additional symptoms:   trouble sleeping, lack of interest, feeling sad, hopeless or discouraged, decreased energy or sense of worthlessness and guilt, and difficulty concentrating.

This is what researchers are saying about giving children a diagnosis of bipolar....

"Research psychiatrists worried that the children were being given a label that wasn't right for them, and saddled with the sentence of a serious mental illness for the rest of their lives."  

I also wonder really whether it makes much of a difference in the treatment of either diagnosis. I'm sure that I would rather not have JC labeled with bipolar for the rest of his life if that is truly not a valid diagnosis for him, however, if not, what treatment are the psychiatrists and doctors going to change for a diagnosis of TDD????

It is a little scary I think, for some of us parents who have had our children labeled with this disorder and have tried so many different meds, therapy, counseling and whatever we can do help our kids. Now to think.... if his diagnosis is changed, will insurance cover his meds that truly are helping, will he still receive the help or will insurances decide it is a lesser diagnosis and these kids don't need all of that??? (Obviously they do....) I am hopeful and will be praying that maybe it will spark new interest in researching new treatments and modifications that will help kids like JC. I am interested in comments on this topic especially. I had just heard about this new diagnosis being added, so I am curious to hear feedback from "normal" (as if there is such a thing...) people as well as parents with kids of special needs, either on the autism spectrum or mental illness spectrum...... 

The link below is the article where I researched some of the info. above.... as well as others, but this is really helpful. Good to read, so click on it for more information....

 I found this information here....

On a separate side note.... JC is still on the intuniv. We have been slowly titrating him off of the depakote (I have never been at ease with this med!!!) The intuniv seems to be helping quite a bit in focusing at school, but is definitely making him sleepy even when he takes it during the day. We are hoping he gets used to it day by day and as the depakote is weened, that the full benefits will be seen. The intuniv so far is being given at night and strangely enough, he wakes up refreshed and awake, but mid morning wants to fall asleep and has done so in class a few times. Then around early afternoon, the same sleepiness occurs and he is "OUT", his teachers say. They do not think it is behavior driven, but medication driven. So..... while I so far like the intuniv's workability for school, I don't know if the sleepiness side effect of it will outweigh the benefits and make it not usable for JC, which would be such a bummer! Anyways, just thought I'd update anyone wanting to know about the new med. <3    <><