Depression & anxiety becoming overriding issues in H.S.

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After only one week in 11th grade, my son is in a bad place. This is a new school for him, though there are many familiar faces from a school he went to three years ago. He is only taking Algebra II, Art & English this semester (block scheduling), and his other period during the day is Curriculum Assistance. I feel very good about the support staff at the school, but I don't think they are really equipped to handle new problems he's exhibiting. My son has always been a straight 'A' student, in regular or advanced classes. He works extremely hard, and his perfectionistic tendencies can be both a blessing and a curse. A various times throughout middle school and high school, he has had periods where keeping up with homework and projects has been very difficult and stressful for us all. My son has been in CBT with a great counselor for a couple of years, and is doing a lot better in many areas, but anxiety has continued to be a MAJOR issue. And now he is experiencing depression to a degree that I've never seen before. It has rendered him almost non-functional. He can't absorb information, organize his work, even know how to begin his work, and he just stares at his papers for hours trying to get things done. He is irritable, and sleeps an awful lot. This past Thursday, he did homework for seven hours, and was too zonked to even go to school and take all the tests he'd been preparing for. Thankfully, he already had a scheduled appointment with his psychiatrist that afternoon, and his Zoloft and Adderall have both been bumped up.

I am really concerned about my son going back to school without major changes being made. But I'm not sure what to ask for from his IEP team. The depression is the main problem. The other problem is that his social anxiety in regard to just moving throughout the school, being in contact with others, and trying his best to appear neurotypical all day long just saps all of his energy. He has nothing left for learning. So he collapes every day after school, and sleeps for hours, then gets up and tries to figure out on his own what the teachers were trying to get across to him during the day as he tries to complete homework and unfinished assignments. Finally, there is just a matter of pace that no amount of medication or classroom modifications can resolve. My son's work is always excellent when he gets done, but he works very, very slowly and methodically.

I believe the answer is more individualized instruction, and minimizing my son's movement from one area to another dduring the day. He works well alone once he understands what to do, and he would be much more willing to ask questions and make sure he understands things if he didn't have to do it with a lot of other students around. How much do I have a right to demand for my son from a public school system? In the past, solutions offered up have been unacceptable (such as putting him in a self-contained classroom with kids having behavioral problems). How have other parents been able to get their teens' therapeutic needs met while still getting them into the level of coursework that they are capable of doing?

coukd the adderal be causing the depression.. my son is on this also and I have found that it does not cause so much as make the depression worse.. does he need to take it? i know mine can not function without it. and also Zoloft in teenages has been known to worsen depression. i have found that standard meds that are to help my son make his issues worse. he is supposed to take meds to sleep. well it makes him walk the floors at night and he can not sleep.. i know its standard to give teens zoloft when they take Add meds but its something I want to avoid.. I am sorry I can not be much help other than to bring to light that the meds could be making the issues worse.. i feel your pain... its hard to raise children in this day and age.. let alone a child with AS.. also the sleep thing could be a growth spurt.. they say with teens they tend to sleep an awful lot...

Actually there really isn't any "limit" per se on what accomodations can be made - hence the "individual" part of the IEP. That being said though, it is easier said than done to convince the school that they do not have pre-packaged accomodations. If your son is experiencing increasing social anxiety because of too many transitions than the IEP team (of which you are an EQUAL member) is supposed to get together and try and decide what is best for HIM and not the easiest accomodations for the school. It could be something like putting in classes where he already has good social contacts so he may feel more relaxed. Also - if homework is becoming too much - than the amount could be reduced. Some of this may just be sensory overload though with too long of a school day. So, a shortened school day and/or having teaching in his home are other things to consider. Some kids are considered school phobic and therefore (especially if you claim the meds are not working) having him taught part time in his own home would not be an unreasonable accomodation. The school most likely will not agree so you need to do your research to show them how the IEP is supposed to work. I think Wrightslaw is a good place to get information - also look into getting an advocate. Remeber that this social anxiety and depression is effecting his ability to learn so they need to address this.

have you consulted with his therapist about the changes you have seen in your son ? does the therapist or dr have any suggestions ( these could be brought to an IEP meeting) ?

I think your son may have a learning disability, I experienced very much the same as you describe in you son.

Take him to a registered psychologist and have him/her run the latest WAIS intelligence and memory tests, it sounds like he has slow processing speed and may possible have memory issues. It'd be good to find out now then later. Personally I think he's depressed because the work is agitating him just as much as everything else.

one of the things i had to let go of when my son became quite depressed was the notion of " the level of coursework they ae capable of doing"..............he was SO depressed he could barely get up to go to school ~ he's 100x better now, thank good ness ! his performance in his courses is much more what it should be like.
depression is a powerful disease. it takes hold of your mind and renders you quite helpless and hopeless. i urge you to talk to his drs about this decline you are seeing