No difference!

Rachel - posted on 01/20/2010 ( 3 moms have responded )

Hi, My name is Rachel. I have 5 beautiful children. My oldest Isaiah is 11. He was diagnosed with ADHD and PDD. He has been this way from a very young age. I hate that he has been labeled. I used to see him as just an overactive toddler and a challenge. It got to be a huge deal when he started school. I had to really push the teachers to listen to me when I told them he was Dyslexic. It wasn't until he was around age 7 I think, that they finally listened to me. He was diagnosed then by an excellent doctor who told me to stand up for my son, don't give up and keep fighting. He was right. I make sure I go to every IEP at school and make them hear me out. I know what is best for my child. He started on Concerta, and he had weight loss due to no appetite, he had trouble sleeping, and he became so depressed it scared us. He changed over to Strattera. and although it helped at school, it didn't seem to last very long. Once he came down from the high it gave him so to say, he was ten times worse.(Either moody or hyper) Once I even tried giving him doses of just vitamins I read about . They had no effect on him.Then there was counseling. Try getting an 11 yr. old boy to talk about his feelings. He wouldn't , and he refused to go. That wasn't working. So, here we are. No meds. This came to me after all of the other methods we had put him through. He hated the meds, and as he got older was able to tell us how he felt about taking them. He said they made him feel weird and he didn't like it. That was enough for me. Plus, once the school found out he had once been on medication, they use it as an excuse for everything!!!!! They constantly asked me if he was on his meds. Was he taking them, when would he start again, he was better when he was on them, blah , blah, blah. The truth is, he had no more of a better day on them then off them. (Once I even took him off with the go ahead from his doctor and never told his teachers. 2 weeks later I asked about how he was at school. He'd been fine. They never knew the difference!)
Currently he is not taking anything. We sat down with his doctor and agreed that he doesn't need anything if he can help control himself at school now that he is getting older. I just tell his teachers he is in treatment, and leave it at that. And since he is older now, he knows he is more accountable for his actions. Nothing is perfect, but we are getting closer. We have come a long way, and I am proud of him for having been drug through all this. Finding teachers and doctors that truly understand these children is a major plus. They learn differently , and feel differently. Isaiah is a very emotional child on top of it all. My son may not do well in school, but he is a genius at other things. He can draw and build and is a natural athlete!! School is just not easy for him. So we are at the stage where we try to help him control the things he can(like being an 11 yr. old boy) and managing the things he can't always help.( emotions, anger, frustration, impulse) Everyday is different. I never know if he is gonna be in a good mood or a bad one, but we just deal with it as it comes. My son is a wonderful, loving, boy. I am happy to have a place and share all this! Thanks for letting me ramble! I feel like it's been a long road, but we are finally at a place we thought we'd never get to. I hope this helps anyone with younger children feel like there is some light at the end of the tunnel.