ADHD?

ADHD is something that has been on the for front of my thoughts for months. My eldest son, Nathan, was diagnosed with it last summer. It was a great surprise to me as he has shown signs of it since he was in preschool. Now, educators don't like to label kids that early because much of that squirmy behavior can be lack of maturity, but in Nathan's case I could see it was more than that.

Nathan is a super bright boy, but as he has said many times "it's like I have a movie playing in my head". This movie pulls Nathan away from the work he is supposed to be doing- he is constantly being told to "stay on task" or to focus. He tries really hard, but can't control the urge to allow his mind to wander. Nathan doesn't have the Hyper part of the disorder as much as the attention part. He does fidget and become anxious about things, but on a small scale (no bouncing off the wall for this kid).

We started the school year off with alerting Nathan's teacher of our concerns. She has been so great and caring. She has done everything she can do to help Nathan complete his tasks. The good thing is, is that he is progressing. He understands the material and is moving forward, but he does need extra time to complete the tasks on hand. And although he is doing okay, he gets frustrated that he can't keep up with his peers.

So now the question was- To medicate or to not? Dan and I were on opposite sides here. Dan's concerns are valid as were mine, but we had to compromise. So almost 2 weeks ago we started Nathan on a low dosage of Metadate CD. There are side effects that can occure, but we didn't see any change the first week (good or bad) so we have increased the dosage to 20mg (per the doctor's instructions). This greater dosage seems to be making a difference. Nathan feels good taking it and can see how it is helping him do the work. I am seeing a difference at home as we get homework done without so much resistance. The teacher also sees a difference in the classroom.

This is a journey and one that isn't going to simply be taken care of with a magic pill, but it is a step in the right direction. We will continue to help him learn methods to help him get through his day. So much prayer and consideration was taken to reach even this step and my prayers are that we will keep making the best choices for Nathan where he's at. He brings me such joy and I only want the best for my sweet boy!