Samuel, Vol. 3

I don't remember where I was during the last Samuel discussion and I'm too lazy to go search for it. We have completed an AD/HD assessment and the doctor compiled all the questionnaires from Samuel's teachers, Jennifer and me (the ex-husband and new wife were involved too, but they're way off base and I don't have enough time or energy to hash that out here). Per the pediatrician, the results are consistent with ADD. He recommended a medication and I immediately felt my blood pressure jump 20 points.

I looked up behavior modification and cognitive therapy. Reading through the material, I was slightly insulted, even though I shouldn't have been. I found that most of the suggestions and guidelines are things that I've always done with Samuel, and my other two children, for that matter. Reading that consistent discipline is key was kind of like a slap in the face. What good parent doesn't understand this? It was kind of like being told "Yes, your child is diagnosed with this condition but if you are consistent, he'll get over it." Yeah, I'm a little sensitive right now and I'm inferring a lot here, but still. I was miffed.

I am taking a couple of other suggestions (simple reward charts and routine lists) to heart and giving them another chance. His teacher has tried these in varied forms with occasional success at school but it can't hurt to try them at home again.

With much anxiety on my part, I put Samuel on the prescribed medication. I didn't need to wait long to see its effects. I gave it to him at 8:00 on a Saturday morning. Two hours later we did some of his homework and I could not believe how efficient he was! I usually spend 25 minutes hounding him to write his name or add 2 numbers together and it stresses both of us way more than it should. But with the medication, we were done in 15 minutes, no pain, no stress.

I was worried that his appetite would drop or that he'd be overly emotional or unable to sleep or any one of a myriad of other side effects that can happen with these kinds of medications. There have been some blips but for the most part, he's adjusting well to the medicine and we -- his teachers and I -- are seeing wonderful results.

As part of a comprehensive approach, we are going to see a counselor in a couple of weeks. We'll evaluate all the information from the pediatrician, the results of the medication and the results from my behavior modification at home and make sure that things are going well. I want to be sure we're not missing anything.

I have no idea if Samuel will spend the rest of his life on medication. The doctor seems to think that he might need medicine for a couple of years until he matures; it's obvious he's not as emotionally mature as his peers. I don't need all the answers right now. I'm just glad that he's able to keep up with his work at school and that we have resources to help with all of this.