Is it time to take DD to psych

mightmom13 · February 2014

It has been a rough few weeks behavior wise (longer than that because it isn't a come and go thing) and really intense. Yelling, screaming, biting, hitting, kicking things and people, putting everything in her mouth, defying like a really pissed off teenager, eating out of the trash can (not for attention), meltdowns/anger when her rigidity is challenged in the slightest....etc. I guess I don't have to mention not listening.

All none rote or "why don't you say it this way" verbalization is usually a command to do something commanded over and over ending in screaming and sometimes even beginning in yelling at me. Shut down at school has begun to happen in the car rather then right before I leave in the morning, sometimes even in the morning at home getting ready - more aggression there though.

She showed all these true colors to her behavioral therapist yesterday (thankfully as she was thinking discharging soon) ramping it up for the first 30 min and pretty much shocking her the last 30 min as "how often does this happen?!" She used words like manipulation, aggression, asking if she thinks she understands what a "nice" voice really means or if she is yelling or not (as she does not always understand crying or what emotion she is feeling), her SLP has said before things like "it's like she has no middle ground/even keel," and I remember her showing major pre-verbal meltdowns when she was in PT because she was turned 45 degrees to the left while walking lead. Just a lot of stuff a 2.5 year old should not be taking to such levels, so often, and so aggressively.

My sister is bi-polar, my mother suffers from moderate to severe depression, my nephew has aggressive ODD (though apparently being managed in kindie without an IEP and just "adjustments" per my sister - it is a liberal town, very liberal), and DD's dad my ex has strong additions as well as abusive, manipulative, and a personality that could be described as sociopath (not an ex venting, I went through a detox intake with him, as well as read some books post divorce for my own recovery).

Do I need to get her into a professional psych on this? Also forgive my ignorance, but what is the real difference between child psychologist and child psychiatrist? I just need a few more sets of "eyes" on this one before we get into the school system or things escalate per structured work/sitting still time/you must work with the group time.

Princess_Lily · February 2014

Psychologists works on behavorial difficulties through therapies. Think marriage counseling/family therapist. However they can DX disorders in children too.

Psychiatrists can DX, provide therapy &
medicate.

I would personally would seek out an extra set of eyes, especially if these behaviors are a frequent/common experience at home & elsewhere. Is she in preschool? If so, what is their feedback to you on her behaviors?

mightmom13 · February 2014

Princess_Lily said:

Psychologists works on behavorial difficulties through therapies. Think marriage counseling/family therapist. However they can DX disorders in children too. Psychiatrists can DX, provide therapy & medicate. I would personally would seek out an extra set of eyes, especially if these behaviors are a frequent/common experience at home & elsewhere. Is she in preschool? If so, what is their feedback to you on her behaviors?

Oh how frequent they are, more so at home or when I take her to church. She is not yet in pre-school; she is in a daycare where things are very much not structured so it is easy for her to just shut down emotionally - she just turns the switch. Their most recent feedback, as her speech therapist wanted me to see how much/how clear she is speaking at daycare was "in the past few months she has gone from mumbling to words. And now the past few weeks, she has been speaking in entrances. She has said "I am done," "no that is mine"or "my toy." At home she speaks in much longer sentences and has for quite awhile - still mumbling and saying things out of context and many rote phrases - but very long and clear rote phrases. So obviously she is taking a long time (over a year) to get comfortable there. When she did not have words, I would get weekly bite/hit incident reports and she only goes 3 days a week.

My concern is that when she does enter pre-school, where she will be structured and kept to an activity, must socialize, etc - these behaviors at home (where we have structure, asked to be clear with speech, follow a certain set of rules, etc) will carry over.

mightmom13 · February 2014

-auntie- said:

Pretty much what the others said.

A psychologist can do both dx and talk therapy/behavior mods.

A psychiatrist can do dx and prescribe meds. A dev pedi can also prescribe meds for children with ADHD and ASD type dxs.

In some places, especially hospital settings, they work together which can streamline care.

Is she on any meds? The eating out of the trashcan is something seen in kids on the neuroleptics like Risperdal.

I am hoping for streamlining as genetics recently told me a about a developmental clinic down the hall from them in the outpatient children's hospital.

She is not on any meds for behaviors, I will have to google neroleptics - this is new as is trying to get anything she wants in the kitchen as she must be learning hunger feelings or something - I am really not sure. She never says or has said she is hungry or responded to the question and is just going in and grabbing anything she can find to eat and will not ask. The trash can is new and I really do not understand it.

mightmom13 · February 2014

fredalina said:

Just want to laugh at the typo "speaking in entrances": TADA! Here I come to save the day! Enter, stage left even! Here she comes, Miss America!

Funny enough, that was after I right clicked and used spell check/auto correct....cool story Hansel!

Unknown · February 2014

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