The Splintered Chat #6
Welcome to another Splintered Chat, an open forum for any topic that fringes upon the subjects of AD/HD, Depression, and halitosis. Depressed about Romney pulling out of the 2008 Presidential race? Depressed that Hillary Clinton is staying in? Depressed that Ron Paul only appeals to the tin foil hat crowd and your crazy uncle who believes that we never landed on the moon? C'mon in! This is the final haven for the hollow earth crowd.
No, I'm teasing again. I don't really care about that stuff. Unless you want to throw Bigfoot into the mix, THEN we might have something. A hollow earth theory that involves invisible, paradimensional Bigfoots with psychic powers could be quite a heady conversation indeed. Meds, anyone?
Actually, I sorta want to believe in Bigfoot, but that might be admitting too much.
Anyway, it's an open chat and you are welcome to meet and greet with other readers of this blog. I know you like to lurk and keep your opinions to yourself, but I promise not to bite.
(In reality, I bet all my subscribers are probably wildly successful people in life with no time for idle chat who like to keep me in their feeds to remind themselves of what they have to lose if they should ever become like me. ;)
Since I don't want to let them down, let's jump into the fray...)
Comments will close on Sunday night
Update 2/11/08 2:24:09 PM: Comments closed
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No, I'm teasing again. I don't really care about that stuff. Unless you want to throw Bigfoot into the mix, THEN we might have something. A hollow earth theory that involves invisible, paradimensional Bigfoots with psychic powers could be quite a heady conversation indeed. Meds, anyone?
Actually, I sorta want to believe in Bigfoot, but that might be admitting too much.
Anyway, it's an open chat and you are welcome to meet and greet with other readers of this blog. I know you like to lurk and keep your opinions to yourself, but I promise not to bite.
(In reality, I bet all my subscribers are probably wildly successful people in life with no time for idle chat who like to keep me in their feeds to remind themselves of what they have to lose if they should ever become like me. ;)
Since I don't want to let them down, let's jump into the fray...)
Comments will close on Sunday night
Update 2/11/08 2:24:09 PM: Comments closed
Like reading The Splintered Mind? Share articles with your friends, link from your blog, or subscribe!
Comments
No such luck. If it was solely DSI related, all the accommodations his new school put in place would have taken care of it without meds. If it was environmental, the big move to a new school, new house, and the greatest teachers in the world (which he has) would have taken care of it. Despite the greatest, most accommodating teachers on the planet, he was still impulsive, inattentive, and way outside the norm behavior-wise. He isn't afraid or worried about school anymore, he doesn't come home seeking sensory experiences every day, but he isn't able to pay attention long enough to get his stuff together at the end of the day by himself, or get to lunch on time. So, Ritalin here we come.
Even more of a bummer (said tongue firmly planted in cheek) is that the meds worked! I didn't have time to tell his teacher before the first day he went to school medicated. I sent her an e-mail after school, because she sent me a positive praise report about how he had done SUCH a great job keeping track of his things all day, getting where he needed to be on time, and keeping focused. Aargh. All the skills we've been trying to teach and model and practice are in there. It just took meds to bring them out.
Ah, well. I gave in to the meds, and they worked, at least for now.
Blessings to you, Douglas. Thanks for the forum!
Here's what I recommend. Watch for side-effects. Be familiar with what they are and be on the look out for them. Ritalin is an amphetamine and cranks up the system. The theory as I understand it is that it speeds up the mind, enabling the impulse center to finally catch up with the rest of the brain, thus enabling better focus and concentration.
And since pills don't teach skills, and he won't be on Ritalin all the time, don't make the mistake of other parents and forget to take advantage of his focus to help train him for adult life. If, as in my case, Ritalin loses its efficacy down the line and other meds don't work, or worse, damage him as they did me, he will be back to square one. I spent years reinventing the wheel and learning coping strategies for my fragmented mind. Do him a favor and train him now while you can.
And never forget. You're a good mom.
~Douglas
However, I did find a site dedicated to children that listed irritability and moodiness as a side-effect. (http://www.childrensmedgroup.com/library/kidsbits/wheezy.htm) Perhaps this is a side-effect limited to age. Each person is different and any change in behavior should be noted. I'd keep a journal with dates and times to share with your physician.
One alternative explanation, however, could be that the focus he is suddenly experiencing is bringing attention to things that he didn't notice before, but you probably know already that I suspect the Ritalin.
As for a coping skills, that is a great idea for a future article. I'll get to work on it.
~Douglas
I'm happy now. Perhaps I'll get some sleep.
~Douglas