Try Something Else

There is no direct map from getting from point A to point B with autism. You try things they work for awhile then they stop working. Or there's that dirty word, regression.

We made the decision a year ago to put Boy Wonder on risperdone. Putting a not quite 5 year old on an anti-psychotic was not quite the parenting decision I ever imagined I'd make. Aggressive behavior towards me, self injurious hand biting to the point his hand bore teeth marks constantly like the inside of a mouth guard, lack of focus, and waking up for the day at 3 AM and off the wall vocal stimming forced our hand. We had no choice. Every behavior plan did nothing.

So we put him on the medicine and the effect was profound. His hand no longer bore teeth marks. He didn't go after me. I was allowed to sit at the kitchen table without him getting made or pulling me off my chair. The vocal stimming was tolerable.

But then he began to pee his pants which is a side effect. The boy who was on the edge of being fully toilet trained after 5 long years of potty training. His bloodwork came back with cholesterol just below stroke level. The hand biting has returned. I've been bitten and slapped and pulled off the kitchen chair. The vocal stimming is so loud and goes on for hours. He is back to getting up at 3 AM once or twice a week. Risperdone is no longer working. We only are getting the side effects now.

So back we go to the pediatric neurologist for help because even though I was so against the medicine at first, it helped him gain so much ground. Big Daddy and I are capable of making the tough decisions for Boy Wonder but it sucks.

There is a bright beautiful intelligent little boy locked away in his autism. We get glimpses of it every day. In the big smiles. In the silly giggles. In the games we play. In the fact that he is learning to read and do math. Whatever we have to do to help him struggle less and help him reach his potential we will do it.