HYDROCEPHALUS EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOR

I HAVE A 7 YEAR OLD BOY WITH A VP SHUNT WHO HAS SOCIAL DELAYS, ACTS INAPPROPRIATE LOTS OF TIMES, CANNOT GROOM HIMSELF PROPERLY DUE TO HIS INABILITY TO FOCUS TO TASKS, (HE HAS ALSO HAS MILD CP THAT EFFECTS THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS BODY).  He is seeing a child psychiatrist who prescribes Adderal 10 mg. bid.  I have only been giving it to him in the morning and sometimes he seems very irritable when he comes home from school. He does seem to focus much better on this medicine and have been told by the teachers there is improvement.  I am just wondering how best to treat a child with hydrocephalus - sometimes he acts like a 3 year old having a tantrum over not getting his way.  Is this the social delay?  Will he ever become independent?  What can I do to help him?  The psychiatrist seems to only talk about medicine and not coping skills - who can help me with those?  Thanks,

Amy

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Amy,

It's impossible to predict what future years will hold. But, in a more immediate sense, it would help your son and you if he had a child behavioral health clinician (psychologist or psychiatric social worker) available to assist with the sorts of issues you described in your note.

It's also probable that your son can be receiving additional benefit from his medication. Speak with the psychiatris about it and let him know that you're hopeful your son can receive some help via meds for the after schhol/before bedtime part of the day. This is a perfectly realistic possibility.

[Rajeevck]

A related discussion, Any councelling effective ? was started.