My 7 yr old step daughter has PDD-NOS and is acting out in violently. Need Advice.?

Recently she acts out violently when ever someone takes attention away from her. She feels the world revolves around her and that people are doing a great injustice if they take that from her. She will do what ever it takes to get the attention back on her, cry, lie, steal, and even hurt those weaker then her. She hurt her baby cousin because he was getting more attention then her. She also would say things like, "I hate him,"and "get rid of him". When she gets upset she will take it out on the pets, we have 2 cats and a dog. The cats will scratch and run away but my dog is so docile that she wont defend herself. We are giving my dog away, I have had her for 10 years and I have to give her away to keep her safe. She is mischievous as well she will go out of her way to hurt the animals so she doesn't get caught. She will wait til im in the shower, asleep or outside in the back yard to hurt the animals. She knows that it hurts them, and she uses her behavior and words to hurt me and her mom knowing that we don't like it. She shows no empathy she cares only about herself and pretends to care about others only when it will bring her attention. Is is possible that this is all just the PDD-NOS or could she be a sociopath as well? She doesn't set fires but she wouldn't know how if she wanted to, plus right now she is scared a fire would take all her things away. We are trying to get her in to a therapist but is difficult when you only have state medical. Advice from anyone that is in a similar situation, professional advice, or a suggestion for an available therapist in Salem Oregon will all be welcome. Those that just want to bad mouth are not welcome.My 7 yr old step daughter has PDD-NOS and is acting out in violently. Need Advice.?
Im not sure which plan youre on through OHP but you can either call your caseworker that handles your benefits or call the customer service # on the back of your insurance card. They will be able to give you phone numbers for all therapists in your area that accept your health insurance. Then Id just start calling all the numbers I get until someone could see her ASAP! Make sure to tell them its an emergency situation when you try to set up an appointment as they may be able to get you in sooner. You may also want to call Dorenbechers Children'sHospital up here in Portland to see if theres a specialist you can get her in to see.



Good Luck to you guys!My 7 yr old step daughter has PDD-NOS and is acting out in violently. Need Advice.?
My son is 8 years old. Diagnosed with PDD-NOS at age 5. He also has violent outbursts. He has bipolar traits and can't be trusted alone with another child. He is on Zyprexa to sleep and help with the bipolar traits, Concerta for the ADHD traits and Tegritol for helping to balance moods. The best thing you can do for yourself, your stepdaughter and other kids and animals around her is to have her re-evaluated possibly by spending 2-3 days/nights in a behavioral health program like they provide at some Childrens Hospitals or other hospitals as well. My son has not gotten to that point yet but my exboyfriends 9 year old son has. They thought his was Aspergers but quickly found out after an outburst at the hospital that it was more than that. My son still has the PDD-NOS diagnosis for now as it can include bipolar traits. With the animal abuse however you are moving more into sociopath territory so yes it is time to seek out more professional help and make sure her meds are right. Even one mistake on meds can be dangerous for her and everyone around her.My 7 yr old step daughter has PDD-NOS and is acting out in violently. Need Advice.?
Some therapists offer services on a sliding scale. This is an emergency, this girl needs to see someone who can tell you why she's doing these things as soon as possible before someone (or some animal) gets hurt. I've not known any child on the autism spectrum to do the behaviors that you've described (but if there are other factors involved, such as bi-polar as the above poster mentions, I guess it's possible). I would get a second opinion about the PDD-NOS, she does sound more like a sociopath to me.



Best wishes to you and your family.