behaviour problems in type 1

[emma08]

Hi can anyone help me please before my son was diagnosed he was the best behaved child I have ever know now 6 years old and nearly 2 year after being diagnosed his behaviour is out of control he dont listing to a thing I ask him to do he brakes things draws on all my walls he has the worse temper I have known for a 6 year old I put him to bed at 7pm and come midnight he's still acting up shouting and screaming and this goes on all day every day he's teachers have also noticed the charge in him since being diagnosed it's almost as if the insulin is making him hyper active I love him with all my heart I just wish I knew why he act's this way is behaviour problems common in type 1 diabetes or is it something I am doing wrong please help I have asked my dsn for help but I don't seem to get anywhere please help

 

[Julie1471]

Hi, I can't give you a reason why. Do you see anyone else on son's diabetes team, other than the DSN or make an appointment to see your GP and see if they can help. Another thing is their any local run diabetes groups near to you. I was lucky their was close to me and within 2 weeks of being diagnosed I was away in Amsterdam for the weekend with 30 other diabetic kids.

 

[michaeldavid]

Your son sounds like me at his age. Only I wasn't diabetic then.

What diverts and hold me me now - and would have diverted and held me then - is a driving interest.

Strange to tell, the management of my condition is itself now one of my driving interests - albeit a relatively minor one.

But if I had only been recently diagnosed (instead of 30 years ago), I would find it all very much more confusing and difficult.

So part and parcel of my present driving interest in diabetes is my concern to communicate my conviction that its management is made very much more complicated and difficult than it need be. And that's especially bad for children.

The bagfuls of unnecessary, clunky equipment make me weep. Because I know that most people, and practically all children, do not understand that it is mostly superfluous and positively unhelpful.

Whether it would help your son in respect of his present behaviour, I don't know. But it would certainly help him, and you too, if you could develop the best possible understanding of his condition and its management.

For one can become somewhat obsessed - let's say, quasi-obsessed - about the condition in a wholly POSITIVE way. A bit of obsessiveness helps with diabetes. And interest and understanding is a great diverter for some. (Perhaps especially for the more masculine amongst us.)

Moreover, I for one know that you should not take for granted anything anyone says in relation to diabetes and its management - including experts.

I'm not suggesting that you should not trust medical professionals. But don't take it for granted that they always know best. For one thing, most diabetics' control of their condition - judging from the things one sees written on this forum - is pretty awful.

As for the direct relation of diabetes to behaviour, low blood sugar can stimulate aggression. But I doubt very much if that's your son's main problem.

 

[emma08]

Thanks very much for your help I am considering making a appointment with the Gp as I dont think it is to do with his blood sugars. a few people that know my son have says he is showing signs of adhd I have searched the internet and there doesn't seem to be any diabetes groups where I live I am going to have a word with his dsn about this as I think going to a group will benefit me and my son thanks very much for your help and hopefully his Gp will be able to help me x

 

[Julie1471]

If friends, think he might be adhd, then you could also speak to the Senco at your son's school. You should have spoken to them already, to put a care plan in place, for when your son is I'll at school, due to his diabetes. But also go and see your GP, to get a referral for a diagnosis of adhd ( their, is a huge spectrum of ADHD and autism, when my son was diagnosed autistic, I read loads and would go, that's him,that's not,that's him, that's not) I know some may have a go, but have you tried the carrot and stick option or the bribery and corruption method. Reward the good behaviour and not the bad and maybe you could do the same with his diabetes. Like blood tests before meals, for one week a reward that weekend.

 

[emma08]

I have tried rewarding good behaviour but got me know where also tryed taken his favorite this away for bad behaviour but he just didn't care also tried the naughty step but that didn't seem to bother him he just finds another way to do things he should I even try things like both us painting together that didnt go well at all ended up me covered head to toe in pain and needing a new living room carpet.

 

[Julie1471]

Right, does your diabetes team, have a councillor, that maybe your son could talk to and for you to talk to as well, as it's got to be taking it's toll on you.

 

[michaeldavid]

I'm sure your son recognises that there is a problem with his behaviour.

But punishment, I'm equally sure, wouldn't help.

Understanding would help, if only we could get there.

I'm a bit Aspergerish myself, incidentally.

You don't say what, if anything, interests your son.

Evidently, he's not so interested in figurative art!

 

[emma08]

Yes Julie dsn mentioned a few weeks back that she would arrange a appointment for us both to see the councillor but never heard anything since it is hard as I have only recently been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and I find it hard to breath when I get stressed and Michael I agree punishment don't help at all but it was worth a try and no he definitely has no interest what so ever in art haha I can laugh about it now but at the time I cried about it. There isnt anything he is interested in other then being a mischief he has things he enjoys doing but they still don't take his mind off thing enough to stop and think wait there I enjoy this enough that I will be good I know that sounds silly but its true

 

[michaeldavid]

Please can you clarify the last thing you wrote: the bit after the words "stop and think".

 

[emma08]

There's nothing he enjoys doing enough for him to basically concentrate on enough to take his mind off things that he shouldn't do

 

[Julie1471]

Ok, I think seeing your GP, to get the ADHD thing looked into and also calling your DSN, to give a gentle reminder, of what she was going to arrange for you both. Does your son show any interest in Lego or things like that??

 

[michaeldavid]

Okay, thanks.

I'm not expert, and I'm ready to be corrected. But I guess that may be ADHD in a nutshell.

 

[emma08]

He has nearly every toy a 6 year old boy wants and he has no interest in them at all most his toys from Christmas are still unopened he has 2 game consoles that I think he's played on about 3/4 times since Christmas he only seems to enjoy doing things he shouldn't do. I do know that his father had adhd when he was younger but am not sure if it is genetic. Thank you for your comments I am going to make a appointment with his GP tomorrow and also get on to dsn and am not giving up till they get to the bottom of it its not fair on my little boy he been through enough and I don't want people thinking of him as the naughty boy and me as a bad parent because thats what it feels like when hes having a tantrum in public and people look at me

 

[mpe]

He has nearly every toy a 6 year old boy wants and he has no interest in them at all most his toys from Christmas are still unopened he has 2 game consoles that I think he's played on about 3/4 times since Christmas he only seems to enjoy doing things he shouldn't do.

Maybe you should make a big fuss that he dosn't do things you are actually perfectly happy him doing

 

[emma08]

I've tried that like reverse psychology tell him not to do something when I really mean yes he seemed to fall for it the first couple of time but then it was almost as if he realised what I was doing someone even suggested ignoring bad behaviour and praising good but that didn't seem to have any affect at all infact he enjoyed being able to do naughty things without getting nagged at. Hes 6 going on 16 he's always 1 step ahead

 

[Julie1471]

Sorry, just a thought, if you have Sky TV, my son who I've said has autism, has been captured by Cosmos on Nat Geo and space on channel 4(live from the iss, international space station, the trouble I had getting my 9 year old daughter, shutting the hell up, so her older brother could watch) on space channel 4 they had an interview between the astronauts and professor Stephen Hawking. Might be something as both are visual program's ADHD and autism are very visual. Just a thought.

 

[emma08]

I will give it a try I have been watching space thats on channel 4 myself not sure if he will like it but its worth trying he dont really watch much tv only when theres football on and even then he still screaming at the tv haha but I will most definitely give space a try you never know something different might be what he needs fingers crossed x

 

[Julie1471]

Space on channel 4 was good, they showed the Isle of Thanet, I live their but it's only because Dermot O's mum in law lives their and is our local councillor Roz Binks.

 

[SadieC]

Hi Emma , my son is 9 and we have been experiencing very similar behaviour for years, and every time we've asked about it it's been put down to his sugars, but after speaking with our preadriactric diabetic team we have been giving a referral , we think he's on the autistic spectrum they do to, you have shout loud for help, what works great for my boy is his own quiet time whether that's under a duvet on the iPad or in a quiet dark spot somewhere he feels safe, so when all gets to much we give his iPad and he's off ! x