One of those days

Every Friday, I pick up the kids and breathe a sigh of relief. The weekend is upon us, and I don't have to worry about what type of (bad) behavior Jack will be displaying in school the next few days. I don't have to stick by my phone like usual, because nobody on the school staff is going to call me. I don't have an after-school email from the teacher (or Intervention Specialist) to be anxious about, wondering what report they're going to have for me about how things went (good or bad). I don't have to feel embarrassed either dropping Jack off or picking him up, because of something he did the day before, or something he did that day that I have yet to find out about. Most parents can't wait for Monday to come, so their kids are in school instead of at home, driving everyone crazy.. and yes, I do feel that way to an extent.. but in this house, with Jack, the anxiety of not knowing how his day at school will go makes me a nervous wreck just about every single day.

We're in a holding pattern right now with medication. He's on 4mg of Intuniv, and the .5 mg of Clonidine. He's been doing pretty well the last couple of weeks- Friday before last being the last really bad day that I can think of. This week was super short- no school Monday or Tuesday, then a day off today because of weather. Wednesday wasn't too bad, but Thursday was horrible. He very well could have gotten detention (again) but they opted to let him off with writing 3 apology notes- 2 to fellow classmates, and the other to the librarian. Swell. So anyway, not knowing what today would bring, I think I felt relieved to hear that school was closed.

Jack's dad has suggested that we leave the medication where it is for now- no increase in the Intuniv, no addition of Zoloft- because he suspects that Jack's behavior comes and goes in waves. If true, we're definitely on the down curve. 2 weeks ups and 2 weeks down doesn't sound all that hot to me, but I guess it's worth paying attention to. Gives me something to report to the psychiatrist when we finally see him again in a month.

Tomorrow Jack sees a new psychologist, due to redetermination of services by the County. Every several years, they need to see how Jack is doing, to see if he still qualifies for the diagnosis of Autism. I'm not sure when the DSM-5 officially kicks in with its new updates, but Jack, according to the psychiatrist, most probably has Asperger's- which is really just a high functioning form of Autism.

“[Autism] criteria will incorporate several diagnoses from DSM-IV including autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder (not otherwise specified) into the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder for DSM-5 to help more accurately and consistently diagnose children with autism,” according to an APA statement Saturday.

(I find it amusing in a way that they're throwing in Hoarding as a new disorder, but yet Sensory Processing Disorder is still considered too controversial to be included (with the claim that not enough research has been done on it- yeah, right!!).. and yet Occupational Therapists everywhere are quite well aware of it, and actively "treating" it). I am curious about the "Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder" inclusion. Definitely want to look into that more, although from this article, many feel it's just a way to avoid dealing with the fact that some kids are just spoiled rotten. LOL Yes, there are plenty of kids spoiled rotten, but there are children out there - like Jack, for example - who deal with Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing.. all of these things combined- I know I can't possibly understand the full extent of how this affects his brain. He's definitely got trouble handling his anger, and I would love to avoid medicating him. Sometimes it takes a diagnosis to get the help you need. If that is therapy over drugs, why can't this be included in the DSM-5?

So on this day off, Jack will be doing a lot of reading and (hopefully) quiet playing. The rules are that if he has a bad day at school, he doesn't get his electronics. Yesterday was a disaster, so they won't be available all weekend. They are pretty much what motivate him these days, and he knew full well that if he had a really great (full) week at school, he would earn a DS game that he's been wanting, that I picked up for 1/2 off. Unfortunately, his emotions just got the best of him (or worst), and the game will not be making an appearance any time soon.