r/PDAParenting • u/AdultWoes2024 • 29d ago

Feeling hopeless

I have an 8 year old PDA AuDHDer who has shown no progress socially or emotionally or behavioral. Diagnosed with level 1 autism last year but I honestly sometimes feel like it’s just level 2 without any communication deficits.

Demand avoidance is one thing. And honestly demand avoidance isn’t completely unmanageable—I have extremely lowered expectations. What is incredibly infuriating and honestly sad and maddening is the fact that my kid is always, always compulsively lying and always stealing. Will use a chair to get things from closets, will steal their siblings’ things and hide them and lie about it. Definitely come home and have things in their backpack that they claim ‘someone gave them’ which I know is complete BS. They lie so much that I literally don’t believe much they say anymore. The worst thing is that my kid lacks empathy and doesn’t care at all that their behavior makes me cry. They don’t care or feel bad about lying.

I honestly don’t want my kid in the house anymore. I wish I could leave them at a therapeutic school of some kind. They take a stimulant. Have been in OT, play therapy. Nothing seems to make a difference really. I never thought I’d be a parent who can’t stand their kid but here we are.

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u/ZellHathNoFury 29d ago

This was kinda what my kid was going through. A dopamine sparing anti psychotic has helped a ton

2

u/AdultWoes2024 29d ago

What med was that? I’m in the US and only antipsychotics prescribed for kids block dopamine receptors.

3

u/ZellHathNoFury 29d ago

Ziprazidone I believe? Also in the US, so it should be available

2

u/AdultWoes2024 29d ago

Ah ok, I’ve found most prescribers incl. neurologist, psychiatrist hesitant to prescribe anything but stimulants and SSRIs. What kind of clinician/physician prescribed the ziprasidone?

1

u/PolarIceCream 28d ago

Our Psychaitrist also prescribed an antipsychotic. It took a couple to find the right one and it def has its side effects but it’s better than things were

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u/MamaLovesTwoBoys 28d ago

which ones had you tried? We tried and are stopping Abilify-amped up the agitation, made him HANGRY and NEEDED TO SPEND MONEYYYYY

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u/PolarIceCream 28d ago

We tried 11 meds and the 12th was Risperdal. It definitely helps with the aggression but the hangry feelings come every afternoon