(screaming)
I wanna kill you!
Stop!
(beep) (beep)
Stop!
(beep) (beep)
No! I hope she dies tonight.
I wanna die!
(Denise) Don't rip up that stuff, that belongs to Grandma.
I don't care!
She can go get (beep) new (beep)!
You know, I've always said
if you're going to have a battle you need
to do it while they're really small
'cause they get bigger and stronger
and it just becomes a physical war.
Now that was 10-year-old Zak.
Now his mom Denise says she had to quit her job
just to watch her son full-time 24/7.
Yet the temper tantrums just continued.
Now currently Denise and her husband Jarid are living
with Jarid's parents to get even more boots on the ground.
So why can't four grown adults control one
10-year-old child's behavior?
Well, Denise and Jarid claim it's way
more complicated than people realize.
(screaming)
(beep) you dad!
I'm going to kill you in your (beep) sleep.
My 10-year-old son Zak's anger
is severely out of control.
Every time I come home from work,
you don't know what Zak you're gonna get.
If he doesn't get what he wants,
he will start yelling at you,
he'll start calling you names.
I hate you (beep).
You guys are (beep).
He'll start pounding on the walls.
Zak, please stop hitting the wall.
No!
Zak was seven when he was diagnosed with autism.
Over the years we have tried 20 to 30 different medications.
The problem with medication is it's not working.
That belongs to Grandma.
You can't destroy her property.
She can go get (beep) new (beep)!
From the time of the diagnosis 'til today,
it's gotten progressively worse.
Zack grabbed a knife and he did go after his little brother.
One time, I'm driving down the road going 70 miles an hour
and he's trying to jump out the car.
So last week, Zak picked up this toy soldier,
he weighs about 30 pounds,
he was gonna hit his little brother with this.
When Zak's mad, he gets very strong.
I couldn't even pry it out of his hands.
Zak has bit Denise, he's punched Denise,
he's hit her in the face.
Zak has gotten so violent,
three different times I have had to call the police.
911, tell me exactly what happened?
I've got a violent nine-year-old son.
He just punched me in my nose.
He's just kind of--
What's his name?
His name is Zak.
Recently he had a little toy gun
and he put it to his head and his aunt's head.
He said he wished it was real so he could pull the trigger.
To try to manage our son,
Jarid and I and the kids have moved in
with my in-laws to have more support to try to control Zak.
Denise had to even quit her job to take care of Zak.
We have tried to discipline Zak
but it'll just make him even more angry.
We make a separate meal for Zak most nights for dinner
because he does not like what is served.
Since we live in the same house with my parents,
Zak likes to sleep with my mom because my dad works nights.
I feel like trying to make Zak happy
all the time, we have created a monster.
(beep) (beep) doing!
At this point, Dr. Phil is our only hope.
Well, it's good to meet y'all.
Good to meet you, sir.
What do y'all think is going on?
Why do you think it's gotten to this point?
I could honestly not tell you what's going
on in his brain, what's functioning with it.
I don't know if it's all the medications
they keep giving our son.
I know it's been a toll on my wife
since she's been staying home with him.
I know I feel the tension with her when I first walk
through the front door when I get home from work.
It's very upsetting.
It's wearing on you.
Yeah.
You called the police three times.
I have.
Because it's gotten to the point where you said,
"I need additional physical help."
Correct.
Now these are the medications
that he's been on, which I had to scroll it
'cause I can't get 'em all on there.
It's a lot of medication.
Correct. Yes.
And so he's been on and off.
He's not taking them all right now of course.
He's been on some, you try them.
We'll try it like on a Friday
and then by Saturday, Sunday we're having to take him off.
And then I just email his doctor who's prescribed it
and said, this is what's going on, we can't do it.
It's not working.
So we just take him off.
And his weight progression has been substantial.
Absolutely. Yes.
One of the pills they put him on,
he's gained a lot of weight.