What kind of therapist for this kid?

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amother

Wed, Mar 15 2023, 10:29 pm

We need help with my son 7yo. But I don't have a clue what type of person to go to. Social worker, psychologist, play therapist, child therapist, etc?
Maybe someone here can help.

His main issue is that he gets extremely angry and gets out of control. It's like a different person takes over him. He will beat up whoever he is upset at and won't stop. and not just other kids, but parents too. Even if the other person is not fighting with him he'll go and go till he is physically restrained. Such rage in a 7 yo doesn't seem normal to me. He also can get really chutzpadig and just plain defiant. Of course there are plenty of times when he's really good and calm and easy. As long as no one does anything to bother him.
Any one can tell me who to look for, and also provide recommendations? in brooklyn.
Thank you!

CPenzias

Wed, Mar 15 2023, 11:26 pm

From this little snapshot it sounds like he has ODD. Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Look for a therapist who specializes in ODD. Hatzlacha. It sounds really hard

amother

Crocus

Wed, Mar 15 2023, 11:35 pm

I have a son like this too. In all honesty nothing worked until we tried medication.

We tried ABA (he's autistic), counseling, play therapy, OT but none of it was effective. Medication was the answer for us. We start meds at age 7

Also, what's the cause of the anger? Is it usually for the similar reasons? Or always for something different?

amother

Cinnamon

Wed, Mar 15 2023, 11:52 pm

amother Crocus wrote:

If you can share, I'm curious to know what meds work(ed)? Dealing with similar kid with autism

amother

Viola

Wed, Mar 15 2023, 11:55 pm

Get a full neuropsych eval. You need real answers before therapy. Based on the results they will recommend treatment.

amother

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 12:04 am

amother Crocus wrote:

Thanks.
He doesn't have autism.

What kind of meds?

It's usually for similar reasons. If someone bothered him or hurt him. I understand a 7 yo will get upset about that, but his reaction is so over the top extreme. Like if you take his ball while he's playing, he'll attack you and bash you till he gets pulled away. And the problem is that because I want to protect my other kids, I am very often pulling him away and then he directs his rage towards me.

amother

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 12:05 am

amother Viola wrote:

Get a full neuropsych eval. You need real answers before therapy. Based on the results they will recommend treatment.

How do I get a neuropsych eval? Who does it?

amother

Lawngreen

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 12:08 am

Intense rage and opposition are neurological symptoms. If you're interested in pursuing an alternative/root cause approach, I can try to point you in a helpful direction.

amother

Crocus

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 12:10 am

amother OP wrote:

Every child is different and what works for one can often be harmful for the other.

Atypical antipsychotics can often help with aggression. Risperdal, abilify, zyprexa for example. Certain ADHD medications can actually make things worse. However, they all have side affects but in our case the side affects are worth it since he can now function. You need a qualified doctor, preferably a psychiatrist to work with you. In my experience, therapy works better once the impulsive aggression is under control.

amother

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 12:11 am

amother Lawngreen wrote:

Intense rage and opposition are neurological symptoms. If you're interested in pursuing an alternative/root cause approach, I can try to point you in a helpful direction.

Sounds interesting. I would like to hear about this.

amother

Crocus

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 12:14 am

Also, from what you are describing, a social skills group run by an experienced therapist can work on these skills. The issues that you described were specifically addressed in the groups that we tried.

amother

Lawngreen

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 12:16 am

amother OP wrote:

Sounds interesting. I would like to hear about this.

Chronic infections are a common cause of rage and odd, specifically strep and Lyme.

Blood sugar regulation issues could play a role in these symptoms.

Diet and gut health play a huge role here too.

Just one example: https://thefamilythathealstoge.....rder/

If you want even more info, I'm happy to share even more. I just don't want to bulldoze.

amother

Chicory

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 12:20 am

Sound ADHD to me

amother

Cinnamon

Thu, Mar 16 2023, 2:47 am

amother OP wrote:

Thanks.
He doesn't have autism.

How do you know? Has he already had some sort of evaluation? My child struggled with similar behaviors but didn't think autism because he functioned so well in most other areas.
once he was finally diagnosed we were able to find the right medication that made a tremendous difference

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