Brad acted up at school again. Yay me.: The joys of special needs parenting.

A few days ago, April 8^th, I had a call from Brad’s school. I hate these calls because I don’t know what to expect. A call never means Brad did something good.  The teacher said a student dropped some food in the trashcan during lunch. Brad wanted an apple from the trash and went to dig through the trash can. The aides told Brad to stop and Brad started wailing his arms and falling on the floor. In the process, he hit both of his aides in the face, in front of the assistant principal. The assistant principal had to restrain Brad and then, the staff got Brad back to the classroom.

Once Brad got in the classroom, he was throwing tables and chairs. Then, the phone calls started.  I was feeding the toddlers, when the first two calls came. I heard the phone ring, but could not answer it. After this, the front office calls and asks if I can come pick up brad.

My mother is sound asleep. I caught a ride with Willie C, Brad’s grandfather (my father), to go get Brad. 

When Brad got home, he still was erratic. He wants to scream and holler; throw items; knock over the house computer, etc. He even pushed Kalen, which caused a breath-holding spell. I gave Brad some melatonin but he did not calm down until hours later. 7 milliliters and he stayed woke until 9 or 10 p.m. 

I was trying to clean the game room so the toddlers can play safely. Kalen went to sleep after his spell. I laid Kalen on the couch so I could sweep and vacuum. Brad kept going near Kalen trying to wake him up. I ended up sitting the floor, using the vac hose to clean the floor, with Kalen in my lap.

I also called Brad’s psychiatrist and pediatrician to ask for help. The pediatrician never called back. The psych appointment is at the end of the month. Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County (MHMRA) called same day to see if I wanted to keep Brad on the waiting list. I said yes and also asked for help. MHMRA told me they would refer him to their clinic. If he obtains the referral, I can walk-in or make appointments for any concerns.

April 8^th, 2014 was a bad day. School year is almost over and I do not want to think about Brad being put out of school for behavior and aggression problems. When he was attending Thompson, the same thing happened. He had his problems throughout the year, but towards the end, his behavior was getting worse. I kept hearing from the bus drivers how the school wants to put Brad off the bus and out of school. Too much stress for mama to take.

Hopefully, the next two months goes better than normal. I am going to ask the psych to try a different medication other than Rispercrap (Risperidone). Brad is getting older, stronger, and taller. I need his behavior controlled 

The Nabi 2.0

Last week, I went to Wal-Mart for my normal household goods. I wrote a list, but that didn't do me any good. My mission: diapers, wipes, pull-ups, sippy cup with straw, soap, trash bags, diaper pail bags, printer paper, printer ink. I ended up with over 400 dollars worth of items, not including McDonalds. Normally, I spend between 200 and 300 dollars. The Diapers, wipes, and Depends are over 100 dollars.

Diapers: $20 dollars
Wipes: $8.00
Depends: 19.95 a bag times 3 to 5 bags, depending on what's in stock.
Diaper pail bags: 5.00
Trash bags: 5.00
Printer ink: 50 dollars
Printer Paper: 10 dollars
Sippy Cup: 6 dollars or less
Soap: 4 to 5 bottles. 1.28 each.

While I was in the Electronics Department, I asked to see their tablets, but not an Ipad. Even though I have a Mac, I am still a PC at heart. I knew wal-mart had android tablets, which will work with either google play or amazon. I could not get google play on the tablet but I did install Amazon app store.

Nabi 2 Tablet

I had two employees try to shift me to the Ipads, so I said point me to where I need to go, so I can look and price. I saw the nabi box, but no nabi. I asked if they had either the nabi jr or nabi 2 in stock. The employee said no, so I kept looking. I saw one nabi left. It cost me $194 dollars but I thought it could help in certain situations. I had to take Brad with me to WIC (women, infants, and children) the other day. Normally, I would not take him because he acts up and has meltdowns because of the long waits. He sat peacefully and watched videos, played games, and listened to music.

ON THE OTHER FREAKING HAND:

Brad does not want other people to touch it, even though I bought it for me, him, and his brother. I downloaded apps from Amazon, which will appeal to both of them. The nabi already comes with various apps and stuff.

Brad gets mad when it has to charge. Brad will take it off the charger and try to get it to come back on

I sat through a long melt-down today,where Brad hit me because I was showing Kalen how to say his ABCs. Kalen starts school next year and I want him to have a head start, especially on language, since his primary word is EAT. Brad was screaming, punching, hitting.

I have to find new ways to teach Brad how to share and handle his aggression. it will be a long, hard road, but I can't go through a meltdown over something, I thought the whole family can enjoy.

Yay Speech Therapy

Brad has been receiving in-person speech therapy since April. The school decided to finally give me what I asked for in September for April. I just happened to check the house voicemail and saw the message. For some reason, Brad's home school never calls my cell first, which is the primary number. Brad did good at first, but lately...he can do a good 20 minutes, 25 minutes some days, and other days, he acts a fool and does 10 to 15 minutes of therapy.

Jose is a good therapist. He brings the ipad and puzzles. He works with Brad, but Brad does not always work with him. The best part is Jose is a strong male. This man will chase Brad down and help with meltdowns and temper tantrums. Because of this, I can not just clean the front room anymore. I have to clean the living room, front room, kitchen, wash room, and sweep the steps, because Brad will run everywhere, including upstairs and out the back door.

I have no idea how to get Brad to stay in the front room and work consistently for 20 or more minutes. He has the same issues with his online speech therapist. Some days good, some days bad. I am about to find that website on making homemade weighted jackets or vests for Brad.

Yesterday, I forgot Jose comes on Mondays (used to be Tuesdays and Thursdays), now it's Mondays and Tuesdays. He texted and said he will change the time to 12, but I assumed it was Tuesday. Jose showed up. I got Brad dressed quick. Sent him downstairs. I got myself dressed and the baby dressed, while listening and peeking in the front room from the top and side of the steps. Brad did excellent the 10 minutes I wasn't directly in the room with him. Then, BOOOMM, I heard footsteps and Brad ran into the bedroom. His snack for excellent participation went to Kalen and Riah (my great niece).

How would you get a 12 year old, Autistic, ADHD, child to sit still during therapy? Any suggestions will be taken. Brad is very strong and solid as well, and I can not pick him up and lift him anymore. Too much work on my back.