Is there a boot camp for 7 year old girls near Charlottesville, Va? I have a 7 year old granddaughter whom I have custody of and is out of control. She's been in counseling for 3 years and it doesn't seem to be helping. She hits back adults, talk back, does what she want no matter what you say. At school, she's smart academically. But her behavior is not helping her academically. She's taking Zoloft and melatonin. My only other option I feel I have is boot camp.

What does her Physician or Social Worker recommend?

That's a very young age for "boot camp."

There's no social worker involved. Her psychiatrist recommend outpatient treatment. She's had in home and in school treatment. She'll be okay for a week and then all hell break loose. Her behavior cause me to seek counseling for myself. I'm going to get other suggestions from her psychiatrist.

Doctors need to be extremely careful about prescribing drugs to children that young. For one thing, there is just not enough data on the effects. For another, effects can be quite different from adults. From the Zoloft website:
"ZOLOFT is not approved for use in pediatric patients except for patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder."
And one of the side effects of the drug in children is aggressive behavior. Not common, but still something her doctor needs to consider.

Speaking as an adult who has tried Zoloft and other anti-depressants, I have found many drugs do not have the intended results, and often have paradoxical results. Children, it is being shown, have even more unpredictable results, and you need to be very positive that drugs are necessary as a last resort. I cannot sit here and say what she does need. I just hope that tremendous warm love mixed with discipline and consistency are number one therapy for a child who lost her mother and a young age.

I am at the end of a study on Juvenile treatment, although boot camps have been used for decades and there are still many . ( but only about 1/2 as many as there was 10 year ago)

They do not work, in fact, studies show, that on average, the child is worst within a year of the boot camp, than those who do not go

I used to fully believe in them, and part of me still does, but I have studied them for several months now, and all studies are against them.

Also, it will take the social worker, or family services to get them in.

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Originally Posted by joypulv

Doctors need to be extremely careful about prescribing drugs to children that young. .

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There is such a high per cent of kids from 5 years old up that are on psychotropic drugs. The teachers do not want to deal with them squirming in their seat so the next thing you know. Unfortunately most psychs aren't getting the fact that many of these kids are out of control because they never bonded right with anybody. So they mask the problem instead of figuring out how to fix the problem.

Clearly by boot camp, you are considering the last option. Extreme measures, likely from you being at your wit's end.

Keep in mind that not all Psychiatrists graduated at the top of their class. If it is possible for you to arrange a second, thourough analysis by a different Psychiatrist, that is the route I would recommend.

Testing and observation- again- in a controlled setting, by fresh eyes will more likely than not point you in a different direction as far as treatment goes. I would push hard for more options, and a change.

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Originally Posted by N0help4u

many of these kids are out of control because they never bonded right with anybody. So they mask the problem instead of figuring out how to fix the problem.

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I had to watch it happen with my bil's daughters. The parenting was terrible, so the parents consulted a psychiatrist who drugged the girls to get them to "behave" and "do better in school." (It didn't work.)

Its not always terrible parenting but a lack of understanding/communication and being overwhelmed. I had kids and my ex was bi polar on drugs and out of our lives. I had no idea of the problems that a bi polar parent could pass on to his kids, let alone deal with it. Back then nobody even ever had heard of bi polar. They had my 2 sons on ADHD meds by the time they were 4 and 6. That was back when they first started putting all these kids on drugs to mask the problems.

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Originally Posted by N0help4u

Its not always terrible parenting but a lack of understanding/communication and being overwhelmed.

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Educators have always known boys and some girls do not like to sit still (like many girls do) and are finally figuring out ways to keep them interested with activities that allow them to move around.

I agree. Don't mask the problem(s) with drugs.

They need to figure something out cause this epidemic with putting kindergartener kids on drugs is way out of hand. Back in the 80's when my sons were around the first I said I see it coming. When I said I had a problem with them and they started seeing counselors and psych's they said 'if it was September and they were starting school we would put them on drugs, but you are the mother you handle it', September came and they instantly put them on drugs. Never did like the idea, never will.