How To Handle Raising A Panda Child?

Parenting a child with PANDAS or PANS can be challenging, but it is essential to have a supportive system that includes other families dealing with the same condition. To manage behavior symptoms, parents should have realistic expectations, empathy for their child, validate their feelings, avoid setting demands and limits that the child cannot meet, and allow them to sleep close to you. Protecting other children is also crucial.

Many children with PANDAS find themselves cut off from their school and social networks, and dealing with this disease can be an isolating experience for parents and other family members. It is essential to have a widespread support system, especially one that includes other families dealing with the disease. Flexibility is key, and educating family members, your child’s school, neighbors, and healthcare providers through reliable sources is crucial.

Finding support via a PANDAS parent Facebook group can provide a platform for parents to share stories and offer support. Focus on the long-term objective of building a child’s ability to cope rather than short-term compliance. Creative and adaptable approaches require creativity and adaptability.

If you think your child may have PANDAS or PANS, contact your child’s doctor right away and start therapy as soon as possible. Cognitive and behavioral interventions are helpful options for some types of therapeutic intervention, but with children with complex neuro-behavioral issues, particularly in PANS and PANDAS, cognitive and behavioral interventions are more effective.

To support parents of PANS/PANDAS children, acknowledge their mental health struggles, seek help for PANDAS PTSD, find a therapist who works for your family, build your support system, prioritize self-care, create 1-on-1 time for every member of the family, and be kind, extend grace, and look for ways to be curious and kind.

In conclusion, managing behavior symptoms of PANDAS requires realistic expectations, empathy, validation of feelings, and a supportive environment. Working with a therapist and adopting a naturopathic approach to PANDAS can help support the body’s return to homeostasis and help the child grow their cerebral cortex.

Can a 14 year old get PANDAS?

Parents of children with mental illnesses, particularly those with PANDAS/PANS, frequently recount a harrowing account of how and when the illness manifested, often delineating the child’s struggle between the ages of 3 and 14.

What is depleted mother syndrome?

Mom burnout, also known as depleted mother syndrome, is a feeling of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of fulfillment resulting from intense child care demands. It is more common among women due to the disproportionate burden of parenting responsibilities on mothers, even when they work full-time outside the home. Symptoms of mom burnout include extreme feelings of exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of fulfillment.

What can trigger PANDAS?

PANDAS is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, and motor or vocal tics, often accompanied by other neuropsychiatric symptoms like separation anxiety, moodiness/irritability, and anxiety attacks. It is not spread from person to person and typically appears in children within 24-48 hours after exposure to Group A Strep infection. The symptoms can be accompanied by other neuropsychiatric symptoms such as separation anxiety, moodiness/irritability, and anxiety attacks.

What is cold mother syndrome?

Cold mother syndrome is a parenting style characterized by emotional distance, dismissiveness, and rejection, often accompanied by neglect of a child’s emotional needs. This can lead to severe psychological effects, including low self-esteem, self-doubt, paranoid tendencies, impaired decision-making abilities, and a tendency to be a people pleaser. Growing up with an emotionally distant mother can have long-term consequences on mental health and interpersonal relationships, such as challenges in forming deep connections and a tendency to engage with emotionally unavailable partners or unhealthy relationships.

Can a child have PANDAS for years?

PANS or PANDAS is an “episodic illness” that affects 1 in 200 children, with an average age of onset between 4 and 10 years. Symptoms can go away after an infection is treated but can come back in flare-ups or relapses, often due to exposure to another virus, strep throat, or environmental substances. Symptoms may increase in severity with each episode or last longer than the previous one. Some children may experience symptoms for months or even years, progressively worsening over time.

While it can be distressing for parents to witness their child suffer, it doesn’t mean they will be impacted forever. Most patients eventually subside, and some studies suggest that about 95 of kids will outgrow PANS or PANDAS by adolescence or young adulthood when their immune systems fully mature.

To ease your child’s suffering, consider speaking to a licensed therapist through BetterHelp, an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists for depression, anxiety, and relationships. The service is user-supported and earns a commission if you sign up for BetterHelp’s services after clicking through from the site.

Is pans a form of autism?

In rare cases, children may experience the sudden onset of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or eating disorders, a pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome known as PANS. PANS/PANDAS is a subtype of PANS with a specific known cause, exposure to a strep infection. PANS/PANDAS occurs mostly in children who do not also have Autism Spectrum Disorder, but in rare cases, a child may have both conditions. Recognizing and diagnosing PANS/PANDAS in a child with ASD can be challenging due to many symptoms overlapping.

Between 1 and 3 of youths have OCD, and up to 5 may meet the criteria for PANS/PANDAS. While 17 of children with autism also have OCD, it is very rare that their OCD is linked to PANDAS. PANS is a group of symptoms without an undetermined cause, but PANDAS has a clear trigger, typically exposure to Group A Streptococci, commonly known as strep throat or a strep infection. Exposure to these microbes can cause a misdirected immune response, leading to brain inflammation, which can manifest as PANDAS.

What to do if you can no longer cope with your child?

To cope with difficult child behavior, seek support from your health visitor, visit Family Lives for parenting advice, or call their helpline at 0808 800 2222. Download the NSPCC’s guide to positive parenting. A video on the topic explains how much a child understands about being naughty (6 to 30 months) and is due for review in August 2026. Don’t feel alone in coping with difficult child behaviour.

What to do if your child has PANDAS?

Children with PANDAS should be treated with antibiotics to treat the strep infection causing symptoms. A throat culture should be performed to document the presence of strep bacteria in the throat. If positive, a single course of antibiotics should be given to eliminate the strep infection and alleviate PANDAS symptoms. If a throat culture is negative, the clinician should check for hidden strep infections, such as sinus infections or strep bacteria infecting the anus, vagina, or urethral opening of the penis. These infections can trigger PANDAS symptoms and can be difficult to eradicate, so the antibiotic treatment may need to be longer than for strep throat.

Do children outgrow PANDAS syndrome?

Parents can be distressed by their child’s suffering from PANS or PANDAS, but it doesn’t mean they will be impacted forever. A flare-up does not last forever, and symptoms eventually subside. Studies suggest that about 95 of kids will outgrow PANS or PANDAS by adolescence or young adulthood when their immune systems mature. To ease your child’s suffering, consider speaking to a licensed therapist through BetterHelp, an online therapy service that matches users with licensed, accredited therapists for depression, anxiety, and relationships. The service is user-supported and earns a commission if you sign up for BetterHelp’s services.

How to parent a child with PANDAS?

Children with PANS or PANDAS often disobey, but it’s not for disobedience. Instead, they need help to calm them in their terror. Parents should view PANS/PANDAS as a physical illness, treating it like an amputation. This approach is expected from parents, especially when their child is sick. Parenting a child with PANS/PANDAS can appear permissive to others who don’t have such disorders. When your child melts down, be calm and leave if in a public place. Rules should be in place, and physical violence should never be tolerated. The secret is to heal your family and your child without worrying about others’ opinions.

How long does PANDAS last in children?

It is frequently observed that children with PANDAS present with strep infections either prior to or concurrent with the emergence of OCD symptoms. With appropriate intervention, these symptoms typically abate within a period of four to six weeks.