Interesting Article

[cfred]

My son was suspected to be ADHD at 2 yrs during a visit with a pediatrician who specialized in the disorder. So many parents dig their heels in at the notion of labeling a child with any disorder. I was not one of them. I knew right from birth that something was 'different' about him. As an ECE with quite a lot of experience with different children, as well as having a child already, I felt quite confident that she was correct. I did not put him on any meds at that time. He was too young, so I decided to forgo the official diagnosis at that time and did the research on my own. We went to homeopaths (to the tune of $100 a pop), put him on a very strict diet of no wheat, dairy, salt, preservatives, colours, salycilates (sp?), sugar....the list goes on. I had him allergy tested and maintained a diet that was extremely regimented and restrictive. It was nearly impossible. Of course this was 14 yrs ago when health food stores were few and far between. I had a weekly grocery run to 3 towns and 5 stores to maintain the staples I required for him. In addition to the $400+ in extra grocery bills each month, there were the fees for various homeopathic remedies which were impossible to line up.

It just didn't work. There was some improvement, yes, but if something was consumed too much, he would develop an 'allergy' to that, so it would be struck from the list. Gawd, I even went to many houses on our street the day before Hallowe'en every year to pass around goodie bags to neighbours, explaining the situation and request they give him the baggie instead. Though my son thought he was a rock star because everyone knew him, it was a massive endeavour every year. At 4 yrs of age, his behaviours were becoming too much to manage and dangerous to his baby brother. I'd put him to bed and have to lay on the floor beside his bed or he'd be up and running around. I'm strict and he was always put back to bed firmly and he had consequences for his actions. He would ALWAYS outlast me, then be up before the crack of dawn. I resorted to putting him in a highchair that tilted back with his blanky and teddy till he fell asleep, then move him to his bed. He continued wake in the night multiple times till he was 3.5 yrs. In short, for years, he and I were both surviving on a few hours of broken sleep. I was completely exhausted. I gave up on the notion of no meds one night after I found him crying in bed because he couldn't make friends at school. Nobody liked him, and I could see why. He was very loud, couldn't sit still for 30 seconds, was too physical, etc, etc, etc.

He started his medication regimen 2 weeks later. I saw a beautiful boy who I knew was always in there emerge. He could play with children, he slept through the night, he could focus, he could get along with us all and life became manageable for the first time since he was born. Unfortunately, the damage with his peers had already been done and he remained unpopular and severely bullied by multiple kids up until grade 6. After many discussions with the principal, social skills classes, tinkering with meds, behaviour research and modifications at home, social workers, etc, I finally had to pull him out and put him in private school where he would have a fresh start. Plus the tutoring to bring him up to his grade level. He was 1.5 years behind. There's another $40, 000 shot. For a single mother (by this point) that packs a pretty hefty punch.

Ritalin made an enormous change for the better in my son. No one can ever accuse me of not doing my very best to avoid meds. I get very, very frustrated with people who judge parents who use the meds and always have a 'better solution' for us. My very favourites are those very special self proclaimed experts who read a few articles, studies and tell me how wrong I am and that I'm damaging my child. I find very often that these folks don't have kids or work with them. Gotta love 'em! Sometimes dietary changes, allergy testing and behaviour modifications just aren't enough. The fact is that part of his brain works more slowly than others. The ritalin speeds that function up so he can behave appropriately, safely and in a socially acceptable manner. I wouldn't change a single thing other than the fact that I might have put him on it before he started school to save him from years of constant torment.

He is now 16 yrs old and has gained the tools to manage his behaviours free of medication, has friends and a 79% average. To expect a small child to do that is completely unreasonable.

Sorry....this is a very touchy subject for me and I feel very strongly about it. Yes, some children are misdiagnosed, but not all.