Child with Asperger"s and Dr's want to medicate for mood problems

Brandy - posted on 04/15/2013

My son has ADHD with some Asperger like symptoms. He became very violent towards others and has high anxiety. After trying every parenting method and changing some of his diet, I knew that he could not go to school having violent tendencies. I wanted him to have as close too normal school experience, so we did decide to try medicine, both for the impulsiveness/violence and the anxiety. Result...a totally different child. He is doing SO well in school and is able to control his violence. We were against medication at the start, but there is a need for it. It is has helped our family so much. His other siblings would avoid him because of his behavior. Good luck and don't be afraid to try different things.

Jayne - posted on 12/19/2012

I grew up with a brother who has Asperger's and my son has some tendencies as do other members of the family. Cutting out processed food can help alot. On a behavioral level, offering clear boundaries for behavior while also sharing alot of affection teaches how to be flexible and empathy.

My brother's behavior was best when he could participate in frequent structured, fun activities at home including crafts, light sports, cooking. Our mother led an art class as part of 4H for a while and this was a great period for my brother. He interacted with kids who were invited over without being entirely responsible for one-on-one relationships which he was not very skilled at then.

With my son, who has some tendencies, I always offered lots of hugs and praise for good work and behavior. At one point a behavoir chart if he was acting poorly for a week here or there (sticker reward chart). I put a break on tantrums by putting him in the corner for a few minutes if a tantrum appeared to be brewing, for too much opposition, not listening well enough, etc. My brother had explosive tantrums that were rather unpredictable and was confined to his room for huge outbursts which sometimes lasted half an hour or more. Eventually he grew out of these tantrums (about age 12) when he realized that such behavior did not correspond to his age and he could better control his temper. If I was his Mom I would have attempted to quell those tantrums before they got out of hand if possible.

As for drugs, my Mom gave my brother caffeine pills at one point which calms some Asperger kids, but no other drugs. He seemed like a weird kid, hard to handle sometimes, but always did his schoolwork despite some dyslexia and being easily distracted (maybe ADHD and hyperacousia). He kept maturing into his thirties regarding social relationships, communication, etc. Today he has a good government job, a house, travels, has friends, but is not married.

Close in age to my brother, I often criticized him for his behavior, style of dress, etc. Later I felt guilty about that but in retrospect it was useful to call attention to weird behavior by labelling it how most people would see it. When he was being a dork (repeating the same phrase in a flat, robotic tone of voice for example) I let him know how geeky or annoying it seemed. I don't think parents should refrain from being truthful about this stuff while retaining a certain sense of humour about it.

One thing I notice in my family and with other families of Asperger type kids is that often one or both parents are also affected to some degree. That is, they can have their own short temper and lack of flexibility issues which limit the degree to which they can successfully help their kids at home. Such parents should not hesitate to call a specialist, psychologist or occupational therapist, into the home to offer suggestions before resorting to drugs.

Celina - posted on 07/16/2012

I think you may want to take a look at this resource. It's helped us. (just ignore the 'teen' part of it)

http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/asperg...
AND

http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/Asperg...

Plus he has videos etc. that are informational. Very very good resource. :-)

Be blessed, the Lord Jesus Christ is always in control.

Tara - posted on 12/06/2011

My son is 13, and takes a low dose anti depressant. We tried depakote years ago with little success, so we chose no meds. Years of depression, anxiety, outbursts later, hes on the lowest dose of zoloft (25mg) and it helps with mood which calms the temperment (he is 13 and 5' 10", 140lbs a boy in a mans body). At the end of the day it's what works for your individual child :)

Holly - posted on 11/14/2011

I am raising my grandson as mine, and he was diagnosed at age 5 with Aspergers, ADHD, BiPolar. He is now 9 and has a very long streak of A/B Honor Roll in the regular classroom setting with modifications. We are using (THANKFULLY) a regimen of medications that have helped us drastically....to include Vyvance(for ADHD, but originally used Daytrana patch), Depakote, Risperdal, and Melatonin. His abilities in school are possible because of these medications, otherwise we would have had to find expensive private schooling. I have found that if you can assure unconditional love and safety, it eases their discomfort and helps them to make eye contact. We need a support group in Mesquite, TX. I would love to attend one.

Molli - posted on 11/12/2011

My son, now 8.5 has to be medicated for aggression issues. It started around his 8th bday it got really bad to the point of medication or hospitalization. I obviously do NOT want him hospitalized. I would like to share our experience if you would like. He is now doing well on meds and it took a couple different ones to get it right, but he is still home with us and has some grumpy days, but mostly good ones! :)

Rosalee - posted on 11/07/2011

Our daugther is 18 . she has Aspergers also. Yes she get moody but we decided not put her meds so She could how deal her moods besides depent on meds. she does good most of the time.

Kadie - posted on 06/28/2010

My son grew out of the aggressive/violent issues. He has mood swings still be he is learning to control them. We talk to him in the moment and after it passes about what he should do instead of what just telling him what he did was wrong. (Something we had to learn how to do that he would understand.) There are social stories that you can use that do help.
I personally won't do meds... I think it covers up a problem verses learning how to control it... not that it works all the time. Really it's hard to say one method is better than another... they both have pro's and con's.

Samantha - posted on 06/23/2010

My oldest son is now 9 years old and for years we didn't know what was wrong. We saw the temper, the problems being social and how smart he was. And till we went to the doctor after talk to his teacher and principle said maybe he should get checked out. The doctor ran tests and came back to us and said your son has Asperger's. I was so grateful to finally have a name for what was going on with our son. We (my husband and I) looked up everything we could about Asperger's. The doctor said we should think about putting him on meds. And I can say it was worth it. He works better in school and helps keep him in check. He studies better and seems happier. So I say do what you feel will be right for your daughter.

Tami - posted on 06/11/2010

My Granddaughter is 7 now and she eventually outgrew her aggressive tendencies. Very few flare-ups now. We did not medicate her or even consider that. I guess it depends on how bad it is. Is it just melt downs and she is able to calm down after them? Is she hurting herself or anyone else? Have you tried behavior modification?

We have an aggressive 3 yr old, my Grandson, we are trying reward charts with stickers right now and we also want to try behavior modification. There are specialists in that, some are at autism centers.

Good luck, keep us posted!

Cynthia - posted on 05/01/2010

My son is not violent but we tried the medication route last year. We were just ready to try anything. He's having so many problems in school and has become very depressed. We tried adhd medications and we tried antidepressants. We even tried one medication that was classified as an antipsychotic. Nothing worked. As a matter of fact, most of it made his autistic tendenies worse! Finally we just decided that he wasn't a science experiment and that we were through with the medications. There is no medication for autism, not really, not yet anyway. I've heard some promising things about studies being done with oxytocin. But just because our son didn't respond to meds doesn't mean that your daughter won't. I know what it's like to be apprehensive about medication when it comes to your child. If you think it would improve her quality of life if it actually works, I think it would be worth trying. But I would monitor her carefully and if you realize that it's not working, take her off (with doctor supervision of course)