Monday, April 8, 2013

ADHD or something else?!?

When my oldest son was in kindergarten (he's in 3rd grade know) I wasn't very happy with his teacher. He never had worksheets or any kind of homework that he brought home. They never did much in class either the majority of the time was spent watching movies while his teacher planned her wedding and was on the computer. Any way at the end of the year I had a meeting at the school. They were a little concerned that he was a little behind in reading. So after a lot of conversations with the school they thought it would be best to put him in a class that was for kindergarten/first/second graders that works with each child more on what ever issues there behind in or having trouble with. After meeting with the teacher of that class I decided to go ahead and have him placed in it for that coming up school year. He ended up being in the for first and second grade. During first grade they had an IEP put in place for him. I was happy that he was getting extra help that he need to hopefully catch up. I really liked his teacher and she kept him working and busy at school and always had homework for him and me to work on everyday. That's the year I really started to get concerned. There would be nights we would be at the kitchen table from the time he got home at 3:30 till 7:30-8:00 sometimes even later then that. He would get really upset either frustrated, angry, breakdown and cry because of his homework. He felt overwhelmed/frustrated/tired like his brain was on overload. There were times I would loose my cool and yell (which never solved anything and just made the situation worse) and I would feel like a piece of s#@! Like the worst mom in the world....this is my son I'm supposed to always be there for him, protect him, stand up for him and there I was yelling at him getting aggravated for something he couldn't help. So at the end of first grade we went over his IEP again and decided to keep him in the same class he was still going on to second grade though. They ended up moving his teacher and the class to a different school so he ended up having to switch schools. At the time I was a little upset about that his brother was just starting kindergarten and know they wouldn't be at the same school and he would be leaving all his friends. That year they brought up to me that they thought he might have ADHD and suggest they and my self fill out questionnaires and I could take them to his doctor to discuss it. So that's what we did I was really annoyed with how the anointment went. He didn't even really look at the papers only asked me a couple questions and then said ever so casually we can start him on meds today if you want you'll probably have to go threw a few till you find the right one and dosage that works. He told me about the side effects that would probably happen. I of course didn't put him on any meds even though the school seems to be pushing it as well. He's in third grade know and back at his old school.  What they ended up doing this year is they put him a regular 3rd grade class as his homeroom and most of his day is spent in a class next door. That is a smaller class of about 13 kids and they get extra help and work st the level thete at. Again I've had conferences with the teachers/councilor's ext and they keep trying to get me to put him on meds. Before anyone gets offended and thinks I'm putting down those that do take medication which I'm not. I know for some it truly is does help them so much  but for my son he's not hyper, aggressive, mean, violent or anything like that. He just sometimes knows something one minute and then the next has trouble with it. Not that he forgot he can't get it out. The school set up to have a neurologist come to the school to work one on one with him and find out how he learns best. They feel that they have pretty much tried everything they could think of and yet he's still at a first grade reading level. I got to meet with neurologist and I can't even tell you how happy I am to maybe finally have some answers and be able to help him. What really broke my heart and almost made me break down and cry during our meeting was when he told me he's really shock that he's held on so long and not just completely give up. He's not convinced just yet that its adhd and he told me he doesn't think he should be put on meds. I have a ton of paper work to fill out before the meetings but I can't wait to hear his recommendations  and diagnosis in the next few weeks. I will definitely share with you what I find out.I know going threw this and just truing to get answers is exhausting/frustrating . Feel free to share your story if you like.

12 comments:

  1. Found you thru a blog hop.

    Your son sounds like me and even at his age now you may want to get to checked out. Sounds like a comprehensive problem. I've had it from day one and it was never fixed. Do you all have a sylvan learning center near you?

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    1. Hi thanks so much for commenting I really appreciate it! I will definitely bring it up at the meeting and with his doc. I'm not sure if there's a sylvan learning center around us or not I'll have to look into it. Thanks again!

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    1. On the web version on the bottom left side of the page is a subscribe to follow just click on that. Sorry I know it's hard to see I just started blogging and need to figure out how to set everything up. Thanks!

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  3. Hi Nicole,

    Thanks for stopping over! I know how it is to have boys! They're a handful :). If yo're looking for more blog hops, I just found a new one: http://www.theowlskull.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-wonderland-hop-4.html

    I look forward to reading more!

    Jessica
    The Wondering Brain

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  4. Thanks so much for the link Jessica!

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  5. I would be very frustrated with a doctor that barely read my answers or asked me anything. Just a "hey, lets give him some skittles and see what color he likes best". I realize and have witnessed true ADHD. While I know some kids and adults need help with it I also feel some institutions jump to ADHD too quickly.

    I am glad to hear you are having some luck with the neurologist. I hope he can help you and your son.

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  6. I completley agree! Thank you!

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  7. Found you through Mom Bloggers. I know the frustration you are going through. My middle daughter has ADHD/Anxiety and a learning disorder with Math. She was fortunate to have a Kindergarten teacher that knew she was having problems and let me know right away. She had no impulse control what so ever. She was put on about 4 different meds from the time she was 7 to the time she was 10. We had her Dr. who is a Nuero. take her off all meds because the side effects she was having.(Chest pains and shortness of breath) She is now 12 years old and in Middle School. She still struggles with attention and CST is working with her. My youngest has ADD and was never put on meds. CST worked with her for 3 years. It does sound as if he could have a learning disorder. Has dyslexia or anything been diagnosed? I hope his new Dr. can give him the help he needs.

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  8. Hi Brenda, I'm glade your middle daughter isnt having to deal with the side effects of the meds any more. No I did ask about dyslexia but they don't think he has it. I'm hoping that with in the next 2 weeks I can get some answers to what's really going on. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  9. My oldest, 2, is getting an evaluation next month for all of the Autism Spectrum Disorders. I know this was a hard story to share, but I appreciated that you did share. I'm not really sure what to expect because I didn't think my child was anything "Autistic", he is just a "different kind of child" as we say... Difficult, ya know. Anyways, thanks for sharing this Nicole. :)

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  10. Thanks Ila I know its hard, I completly get what you mean. I hope that you can at least get answers and not just someone who's willing to just throw around labels, you know what I mean. Good luck:)

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