so I'm sure that there will be things in it that will send his anxiety skyrocketing. I cant just cut those parts out of history and I cant just tell him its pretend because its not. He doesn't believe that it doesn't happen anymore. If it happened once it can happen again.
how do I teach him without terrifying him?
But I understand :)
Quoting JasonsMom2007:
Thanks. I was in one of those groups but I really didn't feel like I belonged. I don't feel like we belong anywhere right now.
Quoting greenmommo:
I think I've commented before that my dd has Aspergers and my 2 year old is already diagnosed in the spectrum. Almost every kid I know does better in public (with exception of his stimulus places like Walmart/grocery stores) than at home. Most kids can "hold it together" long enough to look "normal." Regardless, the issues you are dealing with are very similar to the ones we deal with in the Autism & Aspi group. Even if he isn't diagnosed-you're always welcome. Between us all, we've dealt with just about every type of anxiety and sensory issue possible. I believe myself to have Aspergers too (although no official dx) and while I haven't dealt with that issue with my kids, I was the way you describe your son. Still am to some degree. If you told me it can't happen, I would think you're lying. What's better is explaining it did happen and people learned their lessons and put checks into place to make sure it didn't happen again. There are no garantees, but perhaps if you explain each as a lesson learned, and the rules that went into place because of it ...
Kids on the spectrum are very rule oriented. Rules are in place for a purpose and make sense.
And like I said ... please feel free to join the good group of ladies over there.
Quoting JasonsMom2007:My son is very... special. There is something there but he doesn't fit any of the molds. He has been evaluated for autism but he does better in public than at home so he has them so confused. They did say they could diagnose him with pdd-nos but they didn't feel like it would truly fit him and be the best for him.
Quoting lnrmom:Don't take this wrong... does he have some sort of autism spectrum disorder? (Autism, Asperger's, etc)
Quoting JasonsMom2007:
He says he understands it isn't real but it's scary anyways. I will look into yoga and meditation, thanks. He's not on any medication because like I said, it's a work in progress. And it's with everything. Books, movies, things he sees in real life. One time a dad was pretending to drive away from his son and leave him at the park. The kid was running after him laughing so hard he could hardly run. My son immediately started crying it was scary, wet his pants (they think that's related to his sensory processing disorder), and melted down for the rest of the day. It was like 10 am!
Quoting greenmommo:
We actually have quite a few moms who don't have kids diagnosed and are struggling with where their kid fits ... and we have a new private group ...
But I understand :)
Quoting JasonsMom2007:
Thanks. I was in one of those groups but I really didn't feel like I belonged. I don't feel like we belong anywhere right now.
Quoting greenmommo:
I think I've commented before that my dd has Aspergers and my 2 year old is already diagnosed in the spectrum. Almost every kid I know does better in public (with exception of his stimulus places like Walmart/grocery stores) than at home. Most kids can "hold it together" long enough to look "normal." Regardless, the issues you are dealing with are very similar to the ones we deal with in the Autism & Aspi group. Even if he isn't diagnosed-you're always welcome. Between us all, we've dealt with just about every type of anxiety and sensory issue possible. I believe myself to have Aspergers too (although no official dx) and while I haven't dealt with that issue with my kids, I was the way you describe your son. Still am to some degree. If you told me it can't happen, I would think you're lying. What's better is explaining it did happen and people learned their lessons and put checks into place to make sure it didn't happen again. There are no garantees, but perhaps if you explain each as a lesson learned, and the rules that went into place because of it ...
Kids on the spectrum are very rule oriented. Rules are in place for a purpose and make sense.
And like I said ... please feel free to join the good group of ladies over there.
Quoting JasonsMom2007:My son is very... special. There is something there but he doesn't fit any of the molds. He has been evaluated for autism but he does better in public than at home so he has them so confused. They did say they could diagnose him with pdd-nos but they didn't feel like it would truly fit him and be the best for him.
Quoting lnrmom:Don't take this wrong... does he have some sort of autism spectrum disorder? (Autism, Asperger's, etc)
Quoting JasonsMom2007:
He says he understands it isn't real but it's scary anyways. I will look into yoga and meditation, thanks. He's not on any medication because like I said, it's a work in progress. And it's with everything. Books, movies, things he sees in real life. One time a dad was pretending to drive away from his son and leave him at the park. The kid was running after him laughing so hard he could hardly run. My son immediately started crying it was scary, wet his pants (they think that's related to his sensory processing disorder), and melted down for the rest of the day. It was like 10 am!
Quoting JasonsMom2007:
My son can have a hard time telling me what is bothering him too :( he gets a lot of stomach aches too.
Quoting CampClan:I can't give you advice on your situation. But I do believe one of my DDs has anxiety issues. Last school year alone she called me at work to come get her because her belly hurt. I think I picked her up mabye 5 times all year? But what worries me is she won't talk to me to tell me what is wrong I have asked if she needs to poop, if there is something going on at school that upsets her, everything I can think of- her answer is always no & there is nothing but an upset tummy. She never actually gets sick though.
My dd was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder when she was 14. She had social anxieties and would worry and stress about things so much that it would cause her to be physically ill. School was tough for her because of it and thankfully she graduated this past June.
I really don't have any good advice about how to prepare for learning about things that have happened but I would try to bring what ever the topic is down to a 5 y/o level. I didn't look at the link so I'm not sure if it's already modified to that level or not.
Tackle the anxiety as it comes on. My son has severe anxiety (He's 7) and through his therapy we have found out that slow exposure to the things that causes his anxiety has actually helped him cope and overcome. Have your son start a journal and draw out his fears.. and of course constantly remind him that these things may have happened before but that doesn't mean they will happen again.
Best of Luck.
I volunteer to save lives; What do you do?
My daughter is 9 and was diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder in January. Her triggers tend to revolve around stress or any kind of change. Until recently she was all over the board emotionally. (She may very well be bipolar, but for awhile that was the "in" diagnosis here so they very rarely label anyone with that anymore.) She is on medication that has helped tremendously to smooth out those mood swings while not turning her into a zombie.
Anyway, she is also very fearful; scares very easily which then can turn into a meltdown. If I know something's coming then I'll do what I can to prepare her for it. I look for any kind of positive. Yes this happened, but... It helps. Not always, but often.
I'm sorry your son has to go through this. As a mother, I know it's very difficult to watch. ((HUGS))
is it ok ?
- JasonsMom2007
on Aug. 31, 2012 at 2:58 AM