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My son, 5 has been recently diagnosed with PTSD and generalized anxiety. Before, it was thought he had attachment disorder. Now, I'm scrambling to figure out how I should best parent my son.
Any suggestions for books or classes to help me manage his panic attacks and hypervigilance? All my research so far has been for attachment disorder, and he no longer has signs of this. He sleeps very, very poorly, is jumpy and obsesses about things that scare him. Most of the things are odd, like public bathrooms or sprinklers. When he feels unsafe he starts trying to control everything and becomes very defiant-or completely shuts down. Most of the time he is a happy outgoing compliant boy. He is very smart and popular. He has few difficulties at school. Most of his issues show themselves at night at home. I would say his issues seem to cycle. Sometimes it seems like he has outgrown it, then he will have a couple of bad months. I would like to avoid medication if possible. He starts play therapy in two weeks.
Advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
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First: Kudos to you for getting this diagnosis. I had to push. As for parenting: mine does get defiant. He's calmed down considerably where he'll say he will/won't do something but will end up doing/not doing it. (i.e. more mouth). Mine is on meds; wasn't at 5 but he was quite difficult in school. for consequences, I take things away and ignore him. He will come around. He also cycles. This time of year is a trigger. We are still working on that.
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I have found that taking away privileges or toys work the best for him, which is contrary to how I like to parent. I like love and logic, but it is difficult with him. Like yesterday, when he was at the psychiatrist office he was shut down. I asked him do you want to carry your coat or wear it? This tactic has worked with every other child I have ever dealt with...backfired with him totally. But, if I had threatened to take away something he would have done it.
My son seems to do well with the structure of school. He gets panicky at night, when most of the scary stuff happened to him as a baby. He seems to get disordered when he is at home without structure. I have a decent routine down, but a home is not as structured as school. My kids have free play a lot. I may have to structure their day more to keep peace at home. Whatever it takes. My son triggers around the holidays and in the summer typically.
Mine triggers from now until New year's. His bio mom did drugs and he was either left alone with his brother who was a year older or taken from her around this time. She won't admit to anything. but with time, he's gotten better. Mine does not do well with free time. the problem is I work and don't get home until 7. His older brother is there sometimes but he's in college. Yesterday, I told him he was going back to daycare. He totally didn't care for that.