My son Timothy has ds and alopecia. He lost his hair at the age 2 and got it back at 5 1/2 now at 6 he has lost about 35-40% of his hair again. He dosent really talk, he isnt potty trained and he is very aggressive. He is strong, he hits me, he would hurt any living creature, including his brother and sister of whom he has hurt before. I feel like the docters wont help me. They act like i am too young to deal with him. I admit I feel like i am going crazy. I am exhausted. I have been told that children with ds are so sweet and mild mannered. This is not true of my son. Does anyone have any suggestions? Help!

My daughter has Down's Syndrome and Diabetes. She is 10 years old. She was 8 before I got her out of pull-ups and fully potty trained. She still has a few accidents. She is very loving but there are times when she can be really mean. Especially when her blood sugar is off. I was 18 when I got pregnant with her. So I know how it feels to have everyone think you are too young to handle your child. People would ask if Marissa was my sister.
There are times when I dont know what to do about her behavior. But all I can do is correct her and tried to teach her the right way to do things. It is very hard and frustrating. I also have an 8 year old son who is ADHD and on ritalin. So my nerves can be pretty short at times. Try to put yourself in your childs position and think how he must think or feel. I cant give you the answer to something I dont know. All I can tell you is that you are not the only one who has to deal with lifes frustrations and there are people who care and can relate to you.

I know that this is the part when Iam suppost to give ya some real good advive Iam only 15 so I really cant give ya a good advice. Just be their for him try talking to him and doing things with him. Maybe he does this cuz he wants attention. I hope everything workds out love always
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I don't know where you're from, Mother of 3, but in Southern California, where I am. they have Regional Centers that help children and people with disablities and help the parents of these children. When I have problems with Amy, they will offer suggestions, and if it's too bad, they'll send out a behaviorist. Do you have a facility that helps show you how to work with a Down Syndrome child? I know I've had to make adjustments with Amy.

Hi, my son is 9 and was also diagnosed with ADHD, along with Down's and defiant behavior. We have him on several med's that are supposed to calm him down but I also heard that there are physical conditions that can cause irritability, so far, Sean also has sleep apnea and may need his tonsils/adenoids out and checked positive for celiac disease, which is wheat intolerance and must go on special gluten free diet.

You may want to make sure his thyroid is normal as this can cause problems too. Sometimes, I feel at the end of my rope too and I am not as young as you Moms are.....I am 48 and one of my sons is already grown. Sean is also no where near being pottied trained and this frustrates me as a parent because he is very smart and I know he can do this, but is too busy and preoccupied to want to sit still on the potty.

God bless us all. I hope I answered your questions.

Amy IS toilet trained, but I have to admit, she often just tries to hold it forever which leads to accidents. I often have to insist that it's time to use the bathroom for her to use it. Sometimes, like with her meds and stuff, I used candy as an incentive. I am also an older mother, I'm 55 and Amy, my 6th of 8 children, is 13..so I understand tired. Anything that gets Amy to do what I need her to do without a fight, I'll use. I'm very partial to Muskateers bars because they're pretty good size. I can cut one into 6-8 chunks, to use as a bargaining tool with Amy. And it works for us.
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Sounds like you could use a behavior plan. I'm a special ed teacher and used to work with special needs pre-k and kindergarten. I'm also a new mom of a 7week old boy with downs. Unfortunatley, my little guy is still in the NICU.

Try setting up a reward system. Get a timer and set it at regular intervals, for a 6yr old, 10 to 15 min at first. If Timothy goes the whole time without hitting, he gets a sticker or a stamp, or a small edible treat like one m&m or raisin. Give him a lot of praise for not hitting. If he does hit, don't make a big deal out of it. Give him a short time out, and keep your voice and face neutral. Don't let him think he's getting a rise out of you, that's part of the fun. Gradually lengthen the amount of time he has to wait for his reward. I guarantee this works if you stick with it. I've used it for 13 years on kids with mild behavior problems to ones who were threatening to kill me. Hope this helps. Kerri

Originally posted by kerris:
Sounds like you could use a behavior plan.

Try setting up a reward system. Get a timer and set it at regular intervals, for a 6yr old, 10 to 15 min at first.

Great advice, Kerri. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this and it does work. I just get overwhelmed often and forget the plan. Thanks for the reminder.