Thursday, March 12, 2015

Lack of impulse control

I am at a loss as to what I should do to help prevent/stop/discipline my 10 year old daughter, Iryna (FAS, ADHD) from lashing out and hurting others when she gets frustrated. She has a low frustration level and in the beginning of this school year, she would hurt other students in her special needs classroom. Now she is turning these actions towards adults: the aids and para's in the classroom, the school bus aid, and her Activity Days leader at church. She is currently pinching, hitting, screaming, and throwing her shoes and other objects at them. They are unable to exact any sort of consequence to her other than verbally encouraging her to calm down - which is doing nothing at all. She has been suspended from school once. I have recently started seeing a behavioral play therapist to help, but she is just getting to know Iryna at this stage. I started giving her consequences after school for her behaviors at school, which helped initially, but I still get daily reports of poor behaviors. She struggles with impulse control. She is always sorry after the fact. What can I do?! It is a big source of stress for me. 

I think that winter is finally giving way to spring here in the DC area. The warm sunshine and higher temperatures brings a smile to my face. I love winter, but I am beginning to enjoy spring more and more each year. I want to plant a garden soon and am debating upon the straw bale method or just planting some tomatoes in a pot or two. Someone shared the Sprout Robot website with me and that has been helpful in learning when I should plant what and how. 

I have been trying to improve my diet and have added what I call "The 3 S's" to my daily food. Smoothie, Salad, and Soup. The smoothie contains almond milk, greek yogurt, a small banana, and 2/3 cup of frozen mixed berries. The salad is just romaine lettuce and dressing. The soup is beef or chicken broth, which I make myself. 

I have a goal this year to not repeat dinner recipes, if I can help it. I am going through all my recipes and also new recipes that I want to try, and assigning them a date in 2015. Ambitious? Maybe. But it's nice to know that I won't have to wonder what's on my weekly dinner menu each week. Any dinner recipe recommendations?

The neurodevelopmental psychologist told me that my kids aren't gaining enough weight, so I need to amp up their calorie intake. She recommends drizzling oil over their food before serving it. ::shudder:: That just sounds awful to me. I am now buying them whole milk and trying to fry more foods for them. It seems so contradictory to be purposing making high fat foods when my whole life I have been taught to do the opposite due to my propensity to be obese. But I want for them to grow! 

4 comments:

Rebecca said...

Here are 2 recipes we like!

http://syddallfamilyeatingitup.blogspot.jp/2012/10/funeral-sandwiches.html

http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-chicken-45809
I especially love the bourbon chicken because it is quick and easy to make. The funeral sammies are yummy, and can be made ahead of time and popped into the oven. Love it! Good luck, and post your favorite recipes! I love trying new ones, especially if someone else endorses it.

Ohiomom2121 said...

Gosh, you sound so like me it is scary! :) First, our 10 yo adopted daughter w/FAS & hyperactivity is increasing in her behavior issues (altho not too violent anymore). We are exploring meds and I suspect we will end up with a combination of a stimulant & an anti-anxiety drug. I have heard that the combination can sometimes work for FAS. Our next appt is 4/1/15 w/ a behavioral therapist at our local children's hosp., who will have access to psychiatrist review. These are powerful meds but like you, we are in desperate times. I will say that our ADD adult son used stimulants in his teen years and I don't know that we could have survived without them. He has gone on to be a successful adult, although still needs ADD support from his loving wife & various strategies. I will skip over the diet & garden ideas but I'm with you on those, too! See an actual nutritionist. Ours taught ways to sneak in calories (ice cream is your friend when someone is on the malnutrition line) & the idea is to not let them "graze" all the time, but to eat to "big full" 5/per day with time in between to get hungry & grow the stomach size. Virtually all drinks must have calories (Boost helps) & dense foods like protein bars can help. Add butter to all veggies, crackers, etc. Then drool as you munch on your rabbit food!

Courtney said...

Nestle makes a calorie supplement called Benecalorie. You can order it from Amazon (or at least used to be able to). It gets added to whatever foods you like--yogurt, ice cream, shakes, etc. We found it easiest to mix it up with milk and Carnation Instant Breakfast for a huge calorie boost.

Have you tried coffee with Iryna? You might try some before school and see if it makes a difference in the morning. The caffeine works similarly to the prescription stimulants for ADD. If it helps, you might see if she can have coffee during the day at school a couple of times.

I know it may not be an option for you guys, but homeschooling might be good for her, too. I've found the home environment to be much better for my kiddos that suffer from impulsive behavior and anxiety. I can keep things much more consistent at home than school.

amyl4 said...

I add coconut oil to Liam's food. I bake with it too. We love it. :)