judifilksign (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
judifilksign) wrote2010-07-13 10:36 am
judifilksign) wrote2010-07-13 10:36 am
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Sparkle checkup
Continuing sleep aids, upping dose. Clonadine from one to one and a half, may up melatonin from four to as high as seven if needed, but that four was a good dose if it actually was getting her to sleep. The clonadine is supposed to keep her asleep better.
Putting AC in room at much lower temperature, high fan to increase white noise and encourage deeper sleep. Removing clock, because many autistic kids find a fascination with watching the time pass on a digital clock. When I expressed doubt that this was an issue, Sparkle actually piped in with the comment "I like the red numbers," which rather proved the pediatrician's point, I guess!
Confirmed that the Risperadol was not the best meds for Sparkle, not only due to the weight gain, but because it was a bit of overkill for her behavioral needs. A bit of spunk is expected. If Sparkle should start to have more behavioral issues than can be addressed by getting her better sleep, then we have a note in her file to look at Abilify. (Must look that up, although I know students of mine at work have been on it with great success.)
He wants to see us taking her to the pool on a near daily basis to help tire her out, get her back fit from the Risperadol weight gain. He agreed with me when I said that Sparkle had enough trouble socially because she was odd, and that she didn't need to add being a target for being fat to her issues.
He was pleased that Sparkle has been doing a bit of reading and writing (Yay! Benchmark!) Sparkle spun on the exam chair, and spent a lot of our conversation time holding my hand, and the doctor's hand, and pulling the chair she was sitting on back and forth between us.
Getting Sparkle back to class, there was a team of teachers taking training in autism to maintain their certification, including Sparkle's special teacher from the end of last year, and her new teacher for this year. They were pleased that Sparkle had arrived, because they will be doing observations, and the old teacher is giving the new one tips on how Sparkle operates. Yay! I asked Sparkle's teacher from last year to write me a quick note as to whether Sparkle has changed a lot in the classroom since we've discontinued the Risperadol, so we'll have that as good feedback, too when we start considering whether Abilify is needed or not for the school year.
Putting AC in room at much lower temperature, high fan to increase white noise and encourage deeper sleep. Removing clock, because many autistic kids find a fascination with watching the time pass on a digital clock. When I expressed doubt that this was an issue, Sparkle actually piped in with the comment "I like the red numbers," which rather proved the pediatrician's point, I guess!
Confirmed that the Risperadol was not the best meds for Sparkle, not only due to the weight gain, but because it was a bit of overkill for her behavioral needs. A bit of spunk is expected. If Sparkle should start to have more behavioral issues than can be addressed by getting her better sleep, then we have a note in her file to look at Abilify. (Must look that up, although I know students of mine at work have been on it with great success.)
He wants to see us taking her to the pool on a near daily basis to help tire her out, get her back fit from the Risperadol weight gain. He agreed with me when I said that Sparkle had enough trouble socially because she was odd, and that she didn't need to add being a target for being fat to her issues.
He was pleased that Sparkle has been doing a bit of reading and writing (Yay! Benchmark!) Sparkle spun on the exam chair, and spent a lot of our conversation time holding my hand, and the doctor's hand, and pulling the chair she was sitting on back and forth between us.
Getting Sparkle back to class, there was a team of teachers taking training in autism to maintain their certification, including Sparkle's special teacher from the end of last year, and her new teacher for this year. They were pleased that Sparkle had arrived, because they will be doing observations, and the old teacher is giving the new one tips on how Sparkle operates. Yay! I asked Sparkle's teacher from last year to write me a quick note as to whether Sparkle has changed a lot in the classroom since we've discontinued the Risperadol, so we'll have that as good feedback, too when we start considering whether Abilify is needed or not for the school year.
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It makes me happy to know the path is not totally strewn with sharp glass.
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Without it, Sparkle will physically stimulate herself into exhaustion to attempt to stay awake ramming around (even when NOTHING else is going on and everyone is desperate to be asleep themselves.)
A larger dose than that, Sparkle's dreams get too vivid, and she wakes up. (Furnace the Dragon comes to mind.) Less than that, and Sparkle simply does not go to sleep.
Our doctor says that the dosing is pretty individual, but that yes, a little bit usually goes a very long way.
Where do you get that small a dose? Prescription? The bottles we see available OTC *start* at 1mg. (Which is where we started when Sparkle weighed much less.)
We supplement now with the Clonidine, because even with Melatonin, Sparkle simply won't stay asleep the full night without it. Sleeping for 4-5 hours, then being awake for the next twenty hours is simply unacceptable for the functioning of the family, and Sparkle's own ability to rationally function in the world. We couldn't manage *that* schedule even tag-teaming, and Sparkle's temper and ability to interact was severely adversely affected.
Sparkle's pediatrician has said that a full, good night's sleep is going to be key to her behaviors, because without that foundation, we cannot get beyond the sleep deprived to address the autistic issues. For actual medical sleep disturbance issues, the dosages tend to be higher.
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