Today was Matthew's first appointment back at the therapists. He did well. He waited quietly as his therapist and I talked about what had been going on. She is going to see him a few times and then give us a diagnosis so that the school can get the 504 plan in place. She also is going to spend the first couple appointments just playing games so he feels more comfortable talking to her when the time comes. We also talked about getting Matthew a med evaluation so that after he is given time to adjust to meds she can start teaching him coping skills. I really hope this helps him.

Doctors appointment

Last week the twins had a physical. Matthew refused to do what was asked of him. He hid in the corner under the exam table until I coaxed him out. The dr had to tell him step by step what she was doing and he still refused to have his privates checked. She said he could wait til next year for that part. The dr asked me if I wanted her to document his behavior, I told her that it was up to her. She also asked if I thought medication might help. I told her I wanted to wait until after he started therapy, but I am wondering if meds might help. I am not sure what to do about it.

Matthew served his detention with no problem. He was a little standoffish when walking into the office because there were a lot of kids in there.

Behavior at home has been ok the past few days, except when it came to cleaning his room. He hid under a blanket while his twin brother cleaned their room.

Today we made stress balls with a balloon filled with playdoh. He seems to have liked that and I hope he uses it.

Matthew starts therapy again on Tuesday...I hope that I can continue to find a time that works to be able to take him. I have talked to my employer about getting on FMLA so that I don't have to worry about losing my job while I seek help for my son.

The beginning

My son Matthew is 8 yrs old. He has a twin brother and is the baby of 6 children. A couple years ago my husband and I started noticing changes in Matthew's behavior. Actually his behavior changed dramatically when we moved to another town where we had bought a house. Matthew would say things like "No one cares about me", "I want to die", "I hate everyone". And some other things. Because of the nature of what he was saying, we decided he needed some outside help. We took him to the local mental health office and they evaluated him. They sent him to an outpatient program and he was there everyday after school for 6 weeks. They diagnosed him with a mood disorder, gave him some techniques to use when he felt anxious or anything. He has never used those techniques since then. I had Matthew in counseling but after a few weeks the counselor said he didn't need further counseling. Matthew has continued to misbehave at school, and at home, but more so at home. He refuses to do things asked of him. He gets very upset when he doesn't get his way. Recently the school transportation  department made some changes with the buses and now my kids are on a different bus then they have been for 2 years. Matthew got very anxious when the bus arrived and took off running into our neighbors yard. I chased after him and brought him to school. The next day he did the same thing when the bus came but this time I couldn't find him for 15 mins. Even after screaming his name in panic he didn't yell back to me. Since then he has gotten used to riding the new bus. Last week at school Matthew got upset when he arrived at school and saw that his desk had been moved and there was a new student in the room. He turned around and walked out of the classroom and ran down the hall. Then in Art class he walked out of the class without permission. He has sent to the office and the Assistant Principal gave him an after school detention which he has to serve tomorrow. He also has to write both teachers an apology letter. Tuesday Matthew starts going to counseling again. We are hoping to get him diagnosed so that we can get him covered under a 504 plan. That way he is protected at school.