oppositional/meds

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	Our son is extremely oppositional. We've tried ABA for years and it has helped, but we were wondering if anyone has used any kind of medication successfully to deal with this sort of behavior. It really gets in the way of everything. Thanks Stimulants ... we tried Vyvanse and had raging success, with DS. DD ... no such luck.  Want to try Ritalin someday as I have heard it works better in ASD kids ... Good luck! foxl39912.367037037   I don't have experience with medication, but I was wondering what kind of opposition you are facing.  Pathological Demand Avoidance?  Aggression?   Behavior plans teach appropriate behavior.  However, sometimes meds are necessary to ENABLE  a child to comply.  Got to a child psychiatrist who is an expert in autism and ask about Risperdal. Stimulants aren't really used for oppositional behavior. They are used for ADHD type behaviors. Impulsiveness, inattention, concentration, etc. The only med that is approved for ASD kids and is used for aggressive/oppositional behavior is Risperdal. Risperdal works great for us. My son has been on it for 4 years now and still working! Actually, oppositional-defiant disorder or ODD is considered to "go with" ADHD, and indeed, in our case it did, and was dramatically resolved by using stimulant medication.  It has been the closest thing to a miracle that I can imagine, in fact. Our DS does not have an ASD dx, but he did have SPD and many, many symptomatic behaviors of an ASD.  ODD was probably the most distinctive feature of his ADHD, aside from being hyper, though.  He is very bright and did not appear to have any attention deficit.  He did however, become violent and trash his beloved school counselor's office, aobut two hours before he went to the ped for screening for a prescription (he had already seen the clin psych and was dx'd). I'm glad it worked for you. We can't take stimulants. Both my ASD son and BP dd had them and my son's anxiety goes up and my dd goes manic. Unfortunately my dd can't take anything for her ADD. But Strattera (non-stimulant ADHD med) was a miracle drug for him with his Risperdal. Unfortunately he really needs something more for his ADHD. School was even wondering if I stopped meds or something. NO---they would not have a doubt if I stopped meds.  He gets severe anxiety, horrible frustration level, and starts in with raging again. This is exactly why choosing a doctor who is very experienced in medicating ASD kids is important. Stimulants can work great for kids for whom the ADHD aspects of ASD are prominent and who also react well and don't develop tics. For some kids (my own son included), stimulants are contraindicated.  It is true that Risperdal is recommended for the behavioral problems that often come with ASD (Abilify, its first cousin, is often used as well) but some behavioral problems are caused by the ADHD impulsivity, lack of foresight, etc.  Risperdal can also be used to control other issues like tics and fears, etc.  Sometimes it's necessary to couple several meds in order to get the desired effect. I often say that medicaing a child is 10% science and 90% art.
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