Can't keep up with mood swings!

[justwondering72]

My 7yr old DS has always been a total drama llama. No middle ground, he's either up high, down in the depths or zooming btw the two. Just doing something like homework or eating a meal out, he can be in tears one minute, then laughing the next. It's exhausting trying to keep up! I can handle it, with a lot of patience, but DH sometimes gets tired of the drama and snaps at him - which I don't blame him for, but it doesn't help at all as DS just gets more upset and emotional.

Can anyone recommend any books / techniques that I can try? What I want is for DS to learn to control his moods himself, to be on a more even keel, to recognise that his moods affect other people etc. I don't know how to, or even if I can, teach him this by anything other than example.

Hi,

My son is also 7 and also suffers from huge mood swings... but he has a diagnosis of autism, so every thing I write here might not be immediately of use to your child!

One of the first things I would introduce is a visual timetable... so he knows what's expected of him. This works very well for my son.

I find the high to low goes when his anxiety spikes.

He finds eating out (apart from Pizza express!) quite difficult and often needs to 'look' at his food for a good 5-10 minutes before he's ready to eat it (and im not talking 'strange' foods... I'm talking spag bol or chips!!!) Not pressing him to eat as soon as everyone else eats really helps. As does not expecting him to eat at all if the food is not what he would find 'acceptable' (he has lots of food issues... just sensory not medical)

I wonder, for your son, if it's something similar happens with homework... that he feels overwhelmed with 'getting on with it'... Im afraid only patience can work in this case, you are going to have to sit with him and make sure he knows what he's being asked to do.

We have some great apps on IPAD for emotions and how your feelings affect othes and vice versa (DS won't look at a book unless it's about minecraft or dinosaurs... but we find the IPAD works)

Happy to list those if apps are something you might consider? (I know giving IPADS to kids is an emotive issue, but I never travel without one as it's a godsend for DS)

Again, I will say, my son has a diagnosis of HFA (Aspergers) and I am not of course saying your child does... so feel free to disregard anything that isn't relevant.