That is the issue. Take him to a GI to make sure everything is OK. That can be caused by emotional issues but many medications make you constipated. It could be other issues as well but the Gi can rule that out.
Sometimes children don’t feel safe and go the primal instinct to hold it in till they’re safe. It could be he wasn’t potty trained well.
He wasn’t. He was also abused so we’re really struggling to rule things out for the time being
Glad we can share something in common about the picky eating driving us nuts. They like their vegetables. The issue is the younger one likes his carbs. He likes eggs. But if the food is a little burnt or dry, he will consider it nasty. He likes Golden Corrall Pizza but finds pizzeria pizza yucky
That’s part of being children with issues. There are many schools of thought on how to deal with it.
Personally I wanted my child to be confident and speak her mind. That means at times she says things I don’t like.
When she was younger I use to rationalize with her. If she said go, I’d explain to her the consequences of her actions. I’d tell her to go to her room and think about what I told her. Normally she’d come back with a new attitude.
Don’t discount the physical aspect. He could have some GI issues as well. Often it’s overlooked because people focus on the emotional issues.
Make a list of his meds and look at side effects. See if an have GI side effects. It’s very common.
Yes we often need to have a time in spot as going to his room is something he won’t do.
He is able to calm down but he struggles to realize that leaving the scene is not rejection but really is to gather his thoughts
Have you asked him why he won’t go to his room? If there is trauma, he may associate it with the bedroom.
Definitely. There could be a fear in the room and there could be I need to settle this right now. He’s also has been afraid to be alone though this has dissipated at least somewhat
Abandonment issues I’d suspect.
Is he scared is the dark? Nightlights help with that.
My kid was terrified of the dark. I got her a nightlight and told her, there are scary things out there in the dark but don’t worry, they’re more scared of me then you are of them.
It drives me nuts that people said he did it on purpose aka lazy. He gets distracted but it’s not a refusal. He’s likely constipated. He doesn’t know when it’s a fart or poop. He may have sphincter issues and sensory issues. But we’re working with his trauma therapist because he can’t emotionally handle a physical exam and thus we can’t rule out whether it’s abuse or constipation cause or emotional or potty training issue
From what I found out in my research, the average age with FASD is 15. He definitely wasn’t potty trained well. If we can keep his room clean, we’re able to better notice if he’s attempting to hide clothes to avoid washing them
Magnesium, Zoloft, Focalin, and Zyrtec are his meds
Yes both boys have LEDs from Costco so they’re extremely well lit. We also have street lights
Definitely with both boys more so with the youngest
He needs a physical exam to rule out a physical issue. Pediatric isn’t my jam but for adults I’d give them Valium.
You may see if that’s an option. Ativan is another but personally I like Valium. I find it’s a better feeling.
One of them was on meth. That can causes severe constipation.
Make sure he’s drinking enough water. The GI may recommend miralax as well. I personally think it taste like soap. You have to drink a lot of water with it.
The Miralax is a good idea. The GI did recommend a clean out but he’s not ready for that.
I definitely think this is a good idea to treat constipation as is Citrucel but he’s not ready for a liquid diet as he would likely bind up again
That’s not a bad idea but I’m not sure what’s recommend to ease his concerns
A physical issue from abuse is definitely a possibility unfortunately
Just foster right? Any plans to adopt?
It’s hard working with children with issues. They can’t verbalize their needs well or explain how they feel.
It’s a rough road. Most of my time was adults dealing with depression or military processing discharges. We did pediatric in rotations but my opinion on pediatric psychiatry is unconventional. By that I’m not a fan of drugging the crap out of them. I don’t think medication should be the first like for children. I prefer therapy to medication.
Preadoptive and want to sign the papers
Me neither. Of course getting compliance with therapy can be a huge challenge not only for children but adults as well. That’s why I had them both on a waiting list for neuropsych testing as soon as they were placed in our home
The Valium will ease his concerns. You don’t care about anything on Valium.
Good to know. Thanks for all your help
Adults often just want pills. Drove me nuts. A pill isn’t going to help you with every issue. If you look at the success rate, they’re low.
A new study came out I’ve been wanting to read. It’s causing a large stir in the field. The study says the medications are wrong which is how I felt many years ago. I never thought of doing a study on it.
Likewise.
Unfortunately his PTSD is up there which is what the 37.5 mg of Zoloft is for. I don’t know if the 15mg of Focalin for the ADHD could increase aggression / agitation / mood. His social worker was wondering what he’d be put on but the Abilify didn’t help and the Risperdone substantially increased his aggression
Interesting they’re at best trial and error. My mom was on Lamictal and Cymbalta for bipolar II disorder. My father never found meds that successfully treated his bipolar I.