It seemed that all areas of my daughter's development was greatly impacted by
her delayed physical development and language development. So that, she went
through separation anxiety and the terrible twos later than would be expected
for most kids. The kind of crying and waking at night you describe could be a
form of separation anxiety, and therefore something she will go through
(doesn't explain why the motrin worked, though.)
Also, maybe you could ask an OT about sensory integration dysfunction and the
brushing that is one part of the therapy for this. I didn't do this with my
daughter, but it has been quite calming for other kids who needed it. Sensory
Integration dysfunction isn't a new medical diagnosis, but rather a
collection of symptoms and traits which properly trained OT use specific
treatments for. (hope that's clear as mud.)
If you want to give the pediatrician another try, keep a journal or record of
her night wakings (times, what got her back to sleep) And keep a record of
the events of the day that are unusual (went to a new place, skipped therapy,
ate poorly, left with babysitter,etc.) Nothing like a bunch of data to
impress a physician and convince him he should be able to find a solution to
the problem.
Then, finally, motrin relative to other drugs that kids take with
disabilities is fairly mild and children with arthritis do take large doses
of it daily, and live to tell the tale. But of course, I say if you want to
give it to your child more than three times a week as a routine, check with
her physician first.
Loree in Mo