Does anyone have a child with adhd, bi polar, and aspergers ?

Question

What are some things that help your child, and yourself deal with everyday life? Are they on SSI? Are they in a regular public school? Do they take meds? How do you cope ?

Answer 1

I feel for you. Our 11 year old has not been diagnosed with bi-polar yet but I won't be surprised when it does come up considering his grandfather and mother are both bi-polar. In out case, he's very high functioning, an typical of the autism, he's very intelligent!

We've opted not to use medications as they all left him in a fog. We maintain a schedule for him and any deviation is explained to him well in advance to help prepare him for the change. It seems to help. We also have him in a charter school rather than public school as the class sizes are smaller and they're more willing to deal with some of his social behaviors. We're not accepting SSI either. All the professionals have encouraged us to treat him as normal as possible so that's what we're trying to do.

As for how we cope... lots of tears behind closed doors on the bad days but there's usually more good days than bad. We're noticing the older he's getting the more the social behaviors are affecting him so we'll just have to deal with issues as they come up. He's still our son and we love him unconditionally.

Answer 2

My son is almost 14 and is both ADHD and Bipolar. He is on four different medications and they help very much. Coping is difficult at times, and the schools are less than helpful because most of the administration has only read about these disorders in books, and many of them still are not convinced it's an actual diagnosable problem. They are quick to blame parental deficiency for the child's actions. He goes to public school, and this last year was rough. He is capable of straight A's, but the district will not do an IEP on him, because they say he doesn't qualify. We have obtained a caseworker to handle school issues and she is getting further with the school than I ever will. At home, he can be a handful, but the meds keep him focused enough to be able to engage in activities that keep him quiet and out of trouble. It definitely has not been easy.

Answer 3

My son is adhd and asperger's. I have him off of med now. They were more trouble than they were worth. I also enrolled him in a special school for autistic children, the only one in the county I live in. He's nine. When we moved him from reg ed to special school we found out he was behind in everything. IEP's didn't do enough to keep everyone on the same page. I think reg ed was just pushing him through. He should've been ready to go in to fourth grade and was at second grade levels. My son was reading at 2 1/2. There was no reason for him to fall behind. School said he was too loud and asked for a lot of breaks during work. Guess they gave all the breaks he wanted and let him screw around rather than put their foot done. I tried to ask for more help but they said this was their first autistic kid in their school, and they were doing best they could. So glad he's in special school now. Class only has five students and teachers are specially trained for autistic. NO SSI. Not eligible. He recieves a family subsity check to help ease finacial pain for extra therapies. I cope by remembering my child is going to make it. He is so smart. He just needs guidance and love. I also make sure we stick to set routine so everyone has much needed down time.

Answer 4

my 5 year old son is ADHD and he takes medication for it every day after breakfast. He attends a regular school and classes the only thing is that I have to set more boundries for him most kids his age. Stick to a set routine if you can. I also limit his sugar and also I take the (red #40) and they say that if you have a girl take (yellow #6) also away. As far as coping most days, no problems.... (but when your feeling stressed both of you go to your own corners, step back, and relaxe...it will pass and life will go on...) Best of luck!! and I hope this helped!!

Answer 5

My brother has ADHD. He took meds his whole life since he was 4, and they helped, but also had drawbacks.
Now, however, he is a teen and refuses to take them and it is a bad thing. He got kicked out of school, can't follow directions, and is obsessive compulsive.
O, and yes he is on SSI also.
I take care of him, and I don't know how to cope because he won't listen to me because "I'm not his mother". Obviously you will be able to handle it better because your child can't say that to you.
Just gotta take it one day at a time, and when your temper gets short, just remind yourself that you're dealing with a kid who needs a longer fuse than most.

Answer 6

My son has ADHD,PPD-NOS,OCD,and ODD. Life can be difficult at best. He doesn't recieve SSI because no one ever suggested that we appy. He is on 6 meds daily for various problems both physical and behavioral. He has an IEP and currently is in a BED classroom in a regular school. Please remember to take time for yourself even if all you can manage is a relaxing bath after you put your child to bed.

Answer 7

I work with child protective services and work with several youngsters with these issues. Most of my experience has shown that the chlildren are on some sort of medication. There are several out there and physicians will know how to monitor it and adjust it to therapuetic levels. Besides medication we have found that structure can be very helpful in dealing with behaviors. These youngsters more than other need a schedule for their days. Most of my youngsters are in regular schools but most also have an IEP to help them in the classroom. Hope that helps.

Answer 8

My brother has aspergers and he was in a regular classroom. He has an IEP (Indivdual Education Plan) to make sure teachers are helping him in anything that his condition needs. He takes Zoloft, but orignially he was misdiagnosed as ADHD. It wasn't till I was in college and learned about aspergers did I realize that is what he had. We now understand why my brother is the way that he is, but we also help him to overcome what challenges that come his way. The Zoloft has really helped him to open up to new people and he is more outgoing. I think the important part is understanding why your child is the way they are and helping them overcome any challenges. My brother just graduated with an AA and now is going to pursue a BA.

Answer 9

my 6 year old son is adhd and he takes medication for it during the school year. He attends a regular school and classes the only thing is we have to set more boundries for him than his sisters and stick to a set routine the least thing can set him in a tailspin. We also limit his sugar and caffeine intake and as far as coping most days no problem some days I put myself in timeout to keep from throtteling him.

Answer 10

I have ADHD and so does my brother. My brother's is more serious than mine and went to some private and other public schools. The private worked better for him b/c he was one on one. For me I go to public school. I enjoy it greatly. We both take medication and it is a trememdous help! It totaly depends on your child to were to send them. My brother had low self eastem and was shy. I am the opposite on the shy part so I did pretty well in school. Anyway talk to a dr. about what is best for your child.