Very concerned mom

My son, JD, is 8 years old and has been having a tough time for the past few years. When he was 3 years old, he contracted an unusual childhood illness called HSP and was in the hospital with kidney problems for two weeks. He has always been very bright -- learned to talk and read very early -- and has always been kind of anxious. Since he turned five, however, I have noticed increasing tantrums and anxiety in him. He has some sensory issues -- mostly around clothing -- that we have helped him learn to deal with. He does not like to wear shirts with tags in them, won't wear socks with seams, and won't wear pants unless they fit "perfectly." In the past three years, however, this has not gotten any better and he seems to be angry all the time.

We are taking him to a psychologist -- mainly to help us deal with his behavior and find strategies to help him. His behavioral outbursts -- or "freak outs" as we call them -- seem to have escalated lately. For example, his soccer socks did not feel right today and he spent 30 minutes screaming and crying and throwing things; then, when he realized that he was now going to be late for soccer, this intensified his behavior.

When he is not "freaking out" he is a good kid. He NEVER has trouble in school or when he is at a friend's house. His behaviors are ALWAYS with me and my husband. His teachers would be shocked to hear that any of this is going on.

My husband and I are not sure where to go from here. We have a younger son who is three years old and we are concerned for him, too. He usually witnesses his brother's freak outs and is sometimes in the path of his anger. JD has never hurt his brother and usually will lash out at me or my husband -- someone he knows he cannot really hurt -- but I am still concerned.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much,
Meg

Hi Meg

You dont describe any anxiety outside of that related to sensory integration issues. It may be that his only diagnosis is sensory processing disorder. Most often I recommend occupational therapy for children with this, because it can help them to learn to tolerate and integrate the things that are so distressing to them!

The link below is to a book worth reading.The out of sync child


I would also make sure he is learning to identify anxiety, communicate about it, and understand that it can't hurt him. Often we react out of fear when we have anxious feelings, trying to avoid them because we think they are uncomfortable. Teaching children to tolerate anxious feelings can often have a miraculous effect.

Good luck to you

Sincerely

Kristen McClure