Sunday, October 31, 2010

lovely.

Justus was kicked out of the 48hr therapy place.

Yes, he is THAT bad. So bad, not even the "professionals" can handle him.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

About this blog.

This is just a blog where I can vent, rant, and write about things that are totally irrelevant. I sometimes get these feelings bottled up inside, and I just feel like I need to get them out, and this is a safe way of doing that.
If you're looking for unicorns, butterflies and double rainbows, feel free to read my other blog about my guide dog puppies. They make my life whole. :)
I won't be devastated if no one reads this, nor will I be jumping with joy if someone does. However, if you could offer any words of advice, it would be much appreciated.

Anyway, straight to my venting:
I have 2 brothers and a sister. All of which are adopted. I am the only biological child in my immediate family. My sister is Rian who is 16. Justus is 12 and Shea (Shay) is 9.

Both of my brothers are brats 95% of the time. They both have A.D.H.D. However, 12-year-old Justus acts like a 2 year old. (And Shea also acts like a 2-year-old, but not nearly as often as Justus).
My parents are in the middle of a divorce, and Justus's behavior has been increasingly getting worse. My dad (who is absolutely the best dad ever) has been taking him to therapy once a week for the last few months. The therapist has diagnosed Justus with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (O.D.D.) This diagnoses fits Justus to a T. He does everything listed as a "symptom". My dad, sister and I have tried everything the therapist has suggested, but nothing changes. It doesn't help that my mom is never home and doesn't seem to care about anything but her EMT stuff.

For the last few years, Justus has had problems in school. He's been suspended multiple times in the couple years. Here are just a couple things he's done: He's ripped up his papers in the middle of class, then walked out. He has run away from teachers and his principal yelling "Sexual Abuse" while running (at which point, they stopped chasing him). He has refused to sit in class, and he frequently walks out of class.

Just this year, he has been suspended twice.

Back when Justus had just started therapy, my dad had filmed a small portion of one of his tantrums to show the therapist. The therapist said he had never seen a 12 year old act the way Justus does. Here is the video my dad showed him. The reason it is sideways is because my dad was holding the camera in a way to make it look like he was just casually holding it, not filming. You can also see my mom sitting at the table on the laptop, not even paying attention. Great parenting skills there.

[VIDEO TOOK TOO LONG TO LOAD. I'LL UPLOAD IT IN ANOTHER POST LATER]


My dad is at his wit's end. We don't know what to do. The therapist has suggested multiple times to get him into a residential program, but we cannot afford something like that right now.

Recently, Justus has decided that saying "the F word" is funny. So he frequently spouts out that word, and no matter how much soap, hot sauce, etc we give him, it doesn't stop.

PLUS. He seems to have a deep hate for Shea. He will occasionally pull out a knife and tell Shea that he's going to stab him. Every time he does that, I throw myself between them, grab the knife from him, and haul him up into his room (which is totally trashed--photos coming soon), which locks from the outside. (Our personal holding cell)
I'm just afraid he will end up hurting someone, myself included.

(If anyone decides to read this) Has anyone ever dealt with--or knows someone who has dealt with a kid acting like this? I would love nothing more than to get him into a residential program. But until we can afford that, we just have to deal with him.

Justus was acting out tonight, and my dad had enough. He eventually found a children's therapy place that will take kids for up to 48hrs for free, to give parents a break. And now it's looking like Justus will be there for the full 48hrs.
It's weird. I thought I would LOVE having Justus at a place like that, but I can't help but worry about him.
Though I admit, I look forward to the peace, short-lived as it may be.