Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talk to your pediatrician. Make a list of all your concerns before the appointment. It’s easy to forget things when you’re trying to remember them in the moment. That’s a good starting place.

I should have noted that we did talk to our ped, who ruled out a few physical issues but did refer us to an ent as he theorized that the behavior could be
Linked to poor sleep caused by apnea or other issues. He also gave us the name of a psychology practice that is not taking new patients.

I’m really looking for input from parents who may have dealt with similar circumstances, especially if you have a resource you’d recommend.

Sounds like my DS who has PANDAS....has your son had a lot of strep infections? OCD symptoms/tics?

Thanks everyone who responded, your suggestions were helpful. To PP above - YES, he's had a ton of strep infections, especially atypical ones like skin rashes, and we suspect he's a carrier since DH and I have also had several strep infections and our other child got severe impetigo, which was awful. He has a throat-clearing tic that's developed over the past year or so. And the outbursts are cyclical - we'll have a few weeks where things are pretty calm, he sleeps through the night, we can cut his toenails without worrying that someone will call CPS...and then we'll have a phase where there are these meltdowns every day and he's up in the night every night. How did you get a PANDAS diagnosis? We generally like our Ped but he doesn't seem to think behavior challenges are an issue unless they are 24/7 and has a "let's wait and see" philosophy. But we are truly struggling with this right now.

That sounds like my kid when he's short on sleep or recovering from a cold, which is often since he has asthma. My kid is dysregulated, has borderline ADHD and anxiety.

Patience, routine, and perfect self-care (sleep, diet, exercise, good health) are vital. He is getting better, more flexible, as he gets older.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talk to your pediatrician. Make a list of all your concerns before the appointment. It’s easy to forget things when you’re trying to remember them in the moment. That’s a good starting place.

I should have noted that we did talk to our ped, who ruled out a few physical issues but did refer us to an ent as he theorized that the behavior could be
Linked to poor sleep caused by apnea or other issues. He also gave us the name of a psychology practice that is not taking new patients.

I’m really looking for input from parents who may have dealt with similar circumstances, especially if you have a resource you’d recommend.

OP are you in or near MD? I recommend:
1. Take the course Parent Child Journey (formerly called Raising Your Challenging Child): http://www.parentchildjourney.com If you are married, get child care and take it with DH
2. Continue to follow up on the physical issues
3. Therapy now (find another practice) if desperate but even if you do,
4. Once your DS is 7, you have more answers on the physical issues, you've observed his progress in school this coming year and you've taken the class, get your DS evaluated (neuropsych testing).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talk to your pediatrician. Make a list of all your concerns before the appointment. It’s easy to forget things when you’re trying to remember them in the moment. That’s a good starting place.

I should have noted that we did talk to our ped, who ruled out a few physical issues but did refer us to an ent as he theorized that the behavior could be
Linked to poor sleep caused by apnea or other issues. He also gave us the name of a psychology practice that is not taking new patients.

I’m really looking for input from parents who may have dealt with similar circumstances, especially if you have a resource you’d recommend.

Sounds like my DS who has PANDAS....has your son had a lot of strep infections? OCD symptoms/tics?

Anonymous wrote:Talk to your pediatrician. Make a list of all your concerns before the appointment. It’s easy to forget things when you’re trying to remember them in the moment. That’s a good starting place.

I should have noted that we did talk to our ped, who ruled out a few physical issues but did refer us to an ent as he theorized that the behavior could be
Linked to poor sleep caused by apnea or other issues. He also gave us the name of a psychology practice that is not taking new patients.

I’m really looking for input from parents who may have dealt with similar circumstances, especially if you have a resource you’d recommend.

Talk to your pediatrician. Make a list of all your concerns before the appointment. It’s easy to forget things when you’re trying to remember them in the moment. That’s a good starting place.

I'm hoping someone can commiserate and/or offer advice on how to help our 6 yo son (rising first grader). His meltdowns are INTENSE and can be brought on by the smallest triggers. Things like toenail clipping, showering when he doesn't want to, turning the TV off after his 30 minutes are up, a toy being confiscated, a dr's office visit requiring a minor procedure like a nasal swab - things like that. We're not always perfect parents but for the most part we try to acknowledge feelings, stay calm, and follow through. But even with this, his meltdowns are like wild animal-level and nothing calms him but time. He's also had night wakings for a while now where he'll melt down if we don't take him back to his room and tuck him back in. He doesn't have the same meltdowns in school or camp but does have issues listening to directions and sitting still and gets called out for it a lot. He came a long way in K but has reverted a bit over the summer - he's at a day camp associated with our child care center and frankly I doubt the teachers are managing and disciplining the kids with the same finesse as his K teachers did. DH and I are both anxious people and we worry (of course) that this is DS's issue as well and he will also struggle. Our other child (4 yo) is a typical handful, burns hot and fast, and gets over it. The standard guidance for dealing with tantrums and setting limits works with her. With DS once the meltdown has started, all bets are off. I've read Raising Your Spirited Child, a lot of Janet Lansbury, but still feel out of my depth. Where would you start with addressing this? I already know it's not normal and we really want to help him self-regulate.