For the Love of a Child

When Joseph came to live with me he was 3 ½ years old, weighed less than 35 pounds and was covered in bruises including the tips of his ears and around his neck. He had experienced severe abuse at the hands of his biological father and his mother's boyfriend. Joseph slept with a butcher knife under his pillow and had nightmares nightly. He would scream for hours, cut himself and say it made his heart feel better, hoard food, urinate and defecate on the floor and others, hit, bite and...
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When Joseph came to live with me he was 3 ½ years old, weighed less than 35 pounds and was covered in bruises including the tips of his ears and around his neck. He had experienced severe abuse at the hands of his biological father and his mother's boyfriend. Joseph slept with a butcher knife under his pillow and had nightmares nightly. He would scream for hours, cut himself and say it made his heart feel better, hoard food, urinate and defecate on the floor and others, hit, bite and spit on me and my 5 year old autistic son, Matthew, and curse like a sailor. Joseph has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Impulse Control Disorder, Opposition Defiance Disorder and Bipolar Disorder-Mixed with Psychosis.Over the course of the years, with counseling, medication and a lot of love, patience, positive reinforcement, and a token economy system Joseph improved dramatically but he still had significant psychosocial issues. The most dramatic improvement occurred in the first year Joseph lived with us. This book is the diary of that first year. I hope sharing our story will help others facing challenges and shed light on the needs of abused and mentally ill children.