Youngest's Biological Tornado...

(Image from here)

My journey with Youngest has thus far been a crazy one, much like the tornado pictured above.  It's been fraught with many tears, much chocolate, and several mini nervous breakdowns on both of our behalves. He is quite simply, not a cookie cutter child.  He doesn't conform to the norm, doesn't just grow out of things, and is wise beyond his years.  He is creative genius in a 51 inch shell, a 67 pound human calculator, and somewhere within his noggin resides the cure for cancer, I'm sure of it.

He internalizes everything, every action and consequence requires much deep thought. Unless of course it is an impulse, then there is no thought involved.  He just does it, 0 to 60 in half a heartbeat. And it is these irrational impulsive actions that have caused him the most trouble, and me the most heartache.

This year has been exceptional.  I credit his teacher and the school system greatly in this transition.  We have instituted a small classroom size for him, a teacher who has a special education background, and flexible scheduling that really aids in his success.  Even the loss of his father seemed to not create a speed bump on his new found path way.

Until this week.

He has had two incidents at school, both of which ended in him briefly leaving the building.  While this has happened in years past, the incidents were markedly different and were evidenced my little or no precursor what so ever. In one case, he wasn't even in trouble and had done nothing wrong. In discussing this with his doctor, she's convinced he's experiencing trauma induced adrenaline, which in turn is creating panic attacks.  These are most common after some traumatic event, and often show up 6 weeks after, often without warning.  Given his age, she insists he may not even know that these panic attacks are from the stress of losing his father.  In fact, he may not even have an issue with the death of his father, but biologically he is reacting.  This would also be consistent with the extreme fatigue that has hit him (and me) like a freight train.

Fan-freakin'-tastic.

So, we've decided to increase his medication to see if it helps him through this time.  While his current medication is not typically for anxiety, it has helped him with his impulsiveness in the past.  I'm not thrilled with increasing his medications, I just don't see a way through this otherwise, since he isn't even consciously aware he is having an issue, and therefore can't vocalize it. And, an adjustment of his existing medication would be a logical pathway for treatment if it is in fact a biological reaction, or the added adrenaline causing him to burn through his normal dose faster.

Tomorrow, I get to unfurl all of this to the school.  It is most important, according to the doctor, is to not punish him for his panic attacks.

Which will be really hard to get them on board with, since he's already been suspended out of school last week, and in-school suspended today and tomorrow.

Seems the storm that had past, has come back around.