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I'm still trying to figure out if my dd (7yo) has RAD. I've gotten great advice on here, she's started with a new therapist, and she is having a psych eval done at a children's hospital soon. Through all of this i have learned that I am the one who knows her the best and my insight will be necessary for a proper diagnosis.
She has many characteristics of RAD, ODD, PTSD and possible BPD.
My confusion starts when things are going well. For about the last 3 mos. or more, things have been worse than ever. Then a few days ago, we're back to "normal". She's like a different person. There is some lying, sneaking, control issues, and defiance but the cloud has lifted. A week ago I was wondering if she needed to be in a RTC and then suddenly things are ok again. What the heck happened? Where has all the misery gone and how do we keep it away? Is this common in RAD?
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My son with RAD does this, he will be great for a few weeks and then slowly spiral back down to terrible and stay there for a few weeks or months and then a secret switch somewhere will flip and he is fine again for a few days or weeks or even a month. Sometimes I can pinpoint the cause of the switch but sometimes I can't. Sometimes it just seems like he gets tired of one or the other.
I think that's pretty normal RAD behavior. The RAD kid I had for four years was very much that way. Awful for awhile then the "switch" would flip and he'd be almost normal for some amount of time and then he'd flip back. I could never isolate (in four years of trying, mind you) a particular trigger. My folks had the kids for a week once and they described the same thing-- perfect behavior then for no identifiable reason, turned into a totally different person. The subject is rather controversial, but I often wondered if he didn't have some dissociative personality issues. As mine got older (came at four, left at eight) not only would his behavior and facial expression change, but his voice would also change with the "switch". It was almost, okay completely, eerie to behold.
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this sounds just like my daughter. She will do fantastic for several weeks at a time them spiral out of control. We recently learned that it is a build up of her PTSD that she is trying to hold inside and not let out and then BAM she does.
We also know that she is officially diagnosed with RAD, PTSD, SID, ADHD
Any of these could be a trigger for her to get anxious and have a few weeks of melt downs.
They are getting farther between but we still go through cycles... My daughters schooling and handwriting goes way down hill when she is in the down weeks.
I would try to figure out her cycles and "read" when they are coming to help her to cope with the down times.
For years the same from my daughter. We have fought for years to find the right therapist and psychiatrist. She has been medicated for years for the wrong things. Psych said ADHD and mood disorder. We have seen multiple medications. Trying to get a residential short term treatment facility so she get get the right help and get off her meds.
Mood changes, potty accidents, changes in handwriting, etc. are also all common symptoms of food sensitivities. Food sensitivities are also rarely considered by counselors and physicians. In fact, they are often scoffed at as possibilities. My dd is now gluten, casein, soy, dyes and artificial sweetener free. This past week we tried a kid's mouthwash(filled with dyes and sweetners, but i thought "maybe" since it wouldnt be swallowed) and she has had a terrible week. Hitting, daily melt downs, and overall very reactive. It had been over a year since we had seen anything like that. Seeing the wonderful changes in my daughter has led to my becoming a huge advocate of looking into food, chemicals, sensory issues and processing challenges as possible causes behind our kids' behavior. Susan