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personally, I find that dd sleeps very soundly for several hours and is then "refreshed" and bouncing too, I tend to reduce the dose to still help her get of to sleep but for longer. That said, we still have sleep problems here as dd has always been a waker! A x

<'> >< <'> >< <'> >< <'> >< It's hard when nothing seems to change their behaviour, my dd isn't bothered by consequences of her actions either, shes too impulsive! She has no empathy at all and will happily pull my mums house apart (smashing ornaments, pulling over plants) while laughing at us. Hope they settled down and your heads a bit better today. (if it's still painful might be an idea to go to A&E incase you've cracked a cheek bone ) A x <'>

Oh God yes....my little Angel's favourite thing at the moment is turning the TV off , she asks for a DVD and as soon as it's on runs to the TV and turns it off (or the volume buttons) she wont stop even though it means she's not allowed to watch the DVD. She also thinks it's hilarious to bang my keyboard. It's like she's stuck in a rut, even though she's cutting her nose off to spite her face she is sooooo impulsive that she keeps doing these things and is on the floor laughing. (oh and in shops/cafes etc she has now decided to screech and make that loud fake laugh that sounds like a machine gun! ) Arghhhhh, and distraction doesn't work! I'm pinning my hopes on it being a phase (though this type of behaviour has been a very long phase ) Good luck your end....do you get any respite? A x

We have direct payments pushed at us yet the break down of the amounts involved mean that we have to find someone who will look after a disabled child (possibly with challenging behaviour and in nappies) for around �7 per hour heaven forbid they have to travel a fair way as they don't get paid travel/petrol costs! A x

Oh that's a point, I forgot to mention dd's hypermobility (really bendy fingers and unstable shoulders ) and school are about to request funding for a touch screen monitor for her (can't operate mouse/joystick etc due to physical and cognitive problems) Perhaps school could let you ds record work on the computer? (or do they already do this?) A x

Ooo our two must be twins My dd is 6 in sept and she can't even draw a circle or cross (she does have cerebal palsy too though) We've been to a specialist center for her CP and we asked them to focus on her hand skills. As her grip is apparently to weak to hold a pencil steady they suggested loads of squeezy things like playdoh, balls etc and we've stuck a foam golf ball onto her pencils for the grip, hopefully progressing to a "jumbo grip" to develop her tripod grip next. Has an OT looked at your sons pencil grip and grasp? Might be also worth doing all the sensory things like drawing in sand, soap foam etc? Good luck, A x

I just read the article on another forum! Well done to you A x

My dd is a licker, it seems to be her way of exploring an object....bit yuck though! She chews things too, I've used anti nail biting stuff in the past A x

What about the monkey sanctuary out by Abercraf, we went on a Saturday and hardly any one there! We are a bit more west so go to Folly Farm (though that can be too busy in holiday season), the Botanic Gardens is lovely and theres the National Wet Lands for duck/geese feeding out side Llanelli. We've basically decided that we will have to take our dd out of school for Zoo trips though as she spends the time with her face in her lap (wheelchair user) and hands over her ears when it is busy, which is very sad as she is obsessed with animals. Hope you get to find things to do....oh just remembered, there is a huge soft play place (might be too old for it) in LLanelli that has SEN sessions! So might be worth contacting the councils near you to see what attractions have SEN times around you. A x

Phone the paed in the morning!!!!, it sounds like Ritalin isn't the drug for him. I'm sure I've read that it can cause aggression and hyperactivity in some children and that concerta is better suited in those cases (just my recall of posts, hopefully someone more experienced will advise soon) Hope he calms down soon, good luck ((((hug)))) A x

One forum I use has an edit of 5 mins bit short for me and my rubbish spelling (keep forgetting spell check!) but to be honest leaving posts open for changing for hours invites people to delete threads to make others look bad and to post without considering the consequences. If people do regret saying things it's surely no big deal to quote their own reply in a post that clarifies or apologises for the original statement. Anything truely offensive would be deleted by a mod any way I'm guessing (Katheryn obviously will be here 24/7 for that purpose ) I think 30 - 60 min edit should be more than enough to spot errors or calm down and "adjust" the statement made. A x

Give HT a copy of Tony Atwood's book where he makes reference to the "Jekyll and Hyde" phenomenon between school and home! A x

double post

(((((bid)))))) it is a bereavement for you and the loss of a link to your dad too. I'm so sorry. A x

Been up since 2am as well dd is now asleep on the sofa and I have to go help set up the school fate! We get mania and violence as part of the early waking too. I get my hair pulled and dh gets his face raked or bitten. She is confined to her room by a child gate and due to mobility problems we have to be sure she is safe. We use melatonin but like so many cases it doesn't stop the wakings Sometimes we are late into school and frequently she falls asleep in school (they bought her a flop down bed ) I'm pinning my hopes on either her spontaneously out growing it or at least being able to quietly and safely occupy herself so we can sleep! A x

Do you think that he does have regular nightmares or does he just want to be in with you? If he is having frequent nightmare it may relect concerns/worries that he has during the day. Do you have a "debrief" in the evening to talk through anything worrying him? I would talk to the GP if it is nightmares as he is getting older and should be outgrowing regular nightmares. If it is just wanting company have you tried the "phased withdrawl"? 9Not tried it myself but supposed to be quite good) A x

Huge, huge, huge hugs to you, you must be torn apart by this! Did they get him an emergency appointment with any one to discuss meds, counselling etc? It's not reasonable to let you go through this without decent support and certainly shouldn't prolong your suffering. Hope you can get your family back together soon <'> <'> <'> A x

Actually that raises a good point. My dd (5 1/2) is still learning her basic CVC words (dog, cat etc which she knew at 3 before the regression ) At her age I was reading Enid Blyton, my brother, however, was a "late" reader, nearer 7 before he got it. Yet I wouldn't say I was an especially competent reader in adult terms, my word building skills, phonic knowledge, is hopeless, I can only assume I memorised words by sight. My brother is much more proficient! What I'm trying to say is "early/late" reading is kind of immaterial, the majority of children will be reading as adults and some will enjoy it more than others no matter what age they grasped reading! A x

Herbal remedies? Avena (flowering oat) seems to work on my dd but there are better ones that she can't take due to her epilepsy meds. Ask in your local health food shop. A x

God yes! My dd's reading is very poor and I was a primary teacher It's complicated here by the fact that the school is welsh speaking and I am not (neither is dd) so she now refuses to read her books with me at home because I get the pronunciation wrong I've got loads of work books recently and decided to concentrate on the English side at home. Her fine motor skills are dire, still working on circles and crosses, hopefully school are looking into touch screen computers for her. There is only so much we can do though as it is physically and mentally exhausting being a parent to a child with SEN. Plus after school SEN children are likely to be even more shattered from the day's efforts so probably more unwilling to carry on with "school" work. I think as long as you put a positive spin on education and (unless things are really bad) show your child that you are working with school that's the important part done. Don't beat yourself up over it. A x

I'm sorry but as Esther says, there's very little you can do. My dad died from liver failure 3yrs ago. He was an alcoholic yet I can hardly ever remember him being "drunk" but at no point in the day would he have passed a breath test! His body had got used to larger and larger amounts of drink. Then one night, out of the blue, his body gave up and within 12hrs he died! (we suspect a dr must have told him he was suffering liver damage but he never told anyone, guess the booze was more important ) It's amazing he never got caught driving over the limit (something your parents might want to consider the morning after lot's of drink!) It sounds to me like your parents are stressed and looking for easy comfort. Perhaps you could tackle the problem but asking your mum if she's ok? Good luck, it's hard to be the kid sometimes A x

As a young teen I was self conscious of the few spots I had. I had some white cream that helped heal them and some medicated cover up cream. However I have very fair skin and the cover-up was too dark....in my youthful ignorance I decided to mix it with the white cream!....well, let's just say chemical burns aren't pretty! (never did well in chemistry, don't know why ) A x

My mum would have needed a note from the undertaker...lord she was tough Sounds like Bill might be on the road to recovery, bless him A x

ooooo you rotten minx! off to find the heart tablets..... A x

You could write to OFSTED, the school Govenors and the LEA if you think the school has dealt with your son's problems in an unsatisfactory manner. Make sure you have copies of all the correspondence you refer to first! A x