No, I have not been sad, depressed, or upset for the last week-just busy. But I promised my next blog would be about the above title so here it goes:
This was the title of the 1st research paper I ever wrote back in 5 or 6th grade. ADD was a HUGE topic back then and there was tons of controversy about Ritalin, teachers and doctors over medicating and over prescribing, being quick to diagnose, and so forth. So, I did TONS of research and actually ended up writing 2 more papers on the same subject throughout junior high and high school. Why the topic? It intrigued me. I found that it was mostly boys that were being diagnosed b/c those little guys just wouldn't sit still for 8 hours a day in their tiny desks.
GO FIGURE!!! Since I had brothers, I was very concerned over this fact and quite frustrated too. There were many other tidbits that I found through my research but my main point was that ADD was over diagnosed and that behavior modification instead of medication is the best and safest route and should ALWAYS be the 1st plan of action.
Time table:
6th grade: write research paper on ADD/ADHD
9th grade: another paper on same subject
9-11th grade: my Dad is diagnosed with ADD
11th grade: Chris, my older brother, is diagnosed as ADHD -put on med (?-I can't remember)
Freshman yr of college: Joe, my youngest brother, is diagnosed with ADD-goes to school on scholarship b/c of his learning disorder
Present: Zechariah, my oldest son, has been put on a medical trial for ADHD.
Let me back up: most of you who know me or have known me for any length of time know how strong willed and 'difficult' Zechariah can be. You also know that he can be the most amazing little boy on the planet! Over the years I have fixed sleep problems, changed diet, read numerous books on parenting, prayed, bought a parenting program, talked to pediatricians, talked to a counselor, pulled him out of public school, home schooled, spanked, screamed, cried, showed love, patience, and consistency and yet his behavior got increasingly unacceptable, Things were especially bad outside the home. Upon moving to Maryland, I sought out help. I wanted him to be assessed. Did he have a learning disability? It runs in the family... Did he have a mental illness? It runs in the family... Did he have a behavior disorder? It runs...??? But when the psychiatrist said ADHD Impulsivity subtype I about laughed in his face.
WHAT?!?! He can sit still for hours building Legos, he listens to books on tape, he sits and reads, he can draw pictures for hours on end, etc, etc. I was like, "Are you kidding me?" They explained other factors that described Zech to a 'T'. (What a dumb saying!) Anyways, we went to see the psychologist first since I was against medicating my 6 yr old. What a load of rubbish! I will not go into details but let me just say it was after the 3rd session with her that I realized I was doing everything I could. She had nothing to offer me in behavior modification that I was not doing. I was validated as a mother and realized (after much prayer and discussion with Gary) that medicine was a good idea. We started him on Concerta one month ago.
The results have astounded me! I can not begin to express what a difference it has made in his life. I used to describe Zechariah as Jekyll and Hyde. You never knew which one would reveal its head. It used to be Mr. Hyde most of the time, now it is Dr. Jekyll. He is my sweet, loving, amazing little boy that I knew he was and wanted so desperately to be! He is happier and functioning better. He calls it his control himself medicine. Whatever works! And it does! I am happy to say that in my son's case ADHD is a FACT and not fiction. To learn more go
here
My sweet boy!
