Re: boy who dresses as a girl
Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:08 pm
It's possible, but it's been going on several times a week for over a year, and he doesn't pretend to be anything else....
There is a problem, though, and this is one aspect of it. As I said, the core issue is he can't ever decide on anything, and it causes him great anguish (as well as to everyone else around him, because he ends up screaming and collapsing onto the floor kicking his feet -- alternating with being a totally sweet, helpful child when no decision has been required.)
He walks around all the time holding his penis (he's 4), and is a very worried child -- for instance, when he scratched his finger, he put on a bandaid, and emptied the whole box of bandaids into his pocket ("in case I get another scratch"), and always wants company -- hates doing anything that involves going into another part of the house without bringing someone along. He stammers quite a lot -- he's in too much of a hurry to say what he wants and clearly his thoughts aren't in synch with his speech processing. He has a very loud voice most of the time. He also frequently loses his thought right in the middle of a sentence and stops talking, seemingly unaware that he hasn't finished. His intelligence is fine. If he were evaluated, I'm quite sure he'd be diagnosed with ADHD, and possibly with some slight amount of Asperger's syndrome -- an inability to process incoming stimuli that aggravates when there are more stimuli is a central part of the problem.
Physically, the only issue he's had that's required medical attention is a bleeding vascular growth that arose on his cheek and had to be removed. (nevus-red -on the face). He has an enormous appetite and apprently likes eating everything, but especially chocolate. He is incredibly physically active constantly (most likely overly so), speedy, and well-coordinated physically -- but not a daredevil. His teething was remarkably slow, although normal and not terribly troublesome. His teeth are of uneven size -- some much larger than others.
Not at all obese -- rather delicate build and facial features. He does know he's a boy, but he can't quite make up his mind to just be one (doesn't want to miss out on anything???). He went to a photo shoot as a model, and insisted on picking out an outrageously fluffy, flouncing dress with a matching purse as his outfit for the photograph. It was a beautifully color coordinated set of items -- bright pink! He loved it. (I saw the picture!) The more I describe, the more he really does sound like Med, doesn't he? -- the strong behavioral contrasts, and the outrageousness with an overlay of gender role experimentation .... He's just as likely any day to choose a skirt and a purse as to wear a boy's outfit. He picked out two skirts for himself when shopping with his mother (she got them to avoid an hourlong tantrum in the store), and those are his favorite garments.
His mother is going out of her mind because of the20 indecisiveness and the fact that it leads constantly to shrieking tantrums wherever he is -- often in public but not always -- over outrageously trivial issues (is the cookie facing the right way when you give it to him, for instance.)
The cross-dressing she could take in stride if that was all that was going on. But he's clearly a troubled child at this point -- not happy and not functioning well a lot of the time. We're seeing a development of constitutional issues that he's shown since infancy -- a propensity to overreact easily and become overly excited from the tiniest stimulus -- although he became more anxious and therefore more likely to find himself unable to deal with situations, since his brother was born a year ago. The brother, of course, even though relatively quiet, is a further stimulus that adds to the total that he can't control or process calmly.
This child has no maliciousness at all, and there are never any violent actions against himself or others. He's normally sweet with his baby brother (not always mindful, of course, but who is?)
I still don't know what rubrics to use... which is probably immaterial to the case, but I'm curious.
Rosemary
There is a problem, though, and this is one aspect of it. As I said, the core issue is he can't ever decide on anything, and it causes him great anguish (as well as to everyone else around him, because he ends up screaming and collapsing onto the floor kicking his feet -- alternating with being a totally sweet, helpful child when no decision has been required.)
He walks around all the time holding his penis (he's 4), and is a very worried child -- for instance, when he scratched his finger, he put on a bandaid, and emptied the whole box of bandaids into his pocket ("in case I get another scratch"), and always wants company -- hates doing anything that involves going into another part of the house without bringing someone along. He stammers quite a lot -- he's in too much of a hurry to say what he wants and clearly his thoughts aren't in synch with his speech processing. He has a very loud voice most of the time. He also frequently loses his thought right in the middle of a sentence and stops talking, seemingly unaware that he hasn't finished. His intelligence is fine. If he were evaluated, I'm quite sure he'd be diagnosed with ADHD, and possibly with some slight amount of Asperger's syndrome -- an inability to process incoming stimuli that aggravates when there are more stimuli is a central part of the problem.
Physically, the only issue he's had that's required medical attention is a bleeding vascular growth that arose on his cheek and had to be removed. (nevus-red -on the face). He has an enormous appetite and apprently likes eating everything, but especially chocolate. He is incredibly physically active constantly (most likely overly so), speedy, and well-coordinated physically -- but not a daredevil. His teething was remarkably slow, although normal and not terribly troublesome. His teeth are of uneven size -- some much larger than others.
Not at all obese -- rather delicate build and facial features. He does know he's a boy, but he can't quite make up his mind to just be one (doesn't want to miss out on anything???). He went to a photo shoot as a model, and insisted on picking out an outrageously fluffy, flouncing dress with a matching purse as his outfit for the photograph. It was a beautifully color coordinated set of items -- bright pink! He loved it. (I saw the picture!) The more I describe, the more he really does sound like Med, doesn't he? -- the strong behavioral contrasts, and the outrageousness with an overlay of gender role experimentation .... He's just as likely any day to choose a skirt and a purse as to wear a boy's outfit. He picked out two skirts for himself when shopping with his mother (she got them to avoid an hourlong tantrum in the store), and those are his favorite garments.
His mother is going out of her mind because of the20 indecisiveness and the fact that it leads constantly to shrieking tantrums wherever he is -- often in public but not always -- over outrageously trivial issues (is the cookie facing the right way when you give it to him, for instance.)
The cross-dressing she could take in stride if that was all that was going on. But he's clearly a troubled child at this point -- not happy and not functioning well a lot of the time. We're seeing a development of constitutional issues that he's shown since infancy -- a propensity to overreact easily and become overly excited from the tiniest stimulus -- although he became more anxious and therefore more likely to find himself unable to deal with situations, since his brother was born a year ago. The brother, of course, even though relatively quiet, is a further stimulus that adds to the total that he can't control or process calmly.
This child has no maliciousness at all, and there are never any violent actions against himself or others. He's normally sweet with his baby brother (not always mindful, of course, but who is?)
I still don't know what rubrics to use... which is probably immaterial to the case, but I'm curious.
Rosemary
