The next step...

Today is the start of a new chapter for Jake.  I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, to confirm that Jake does indeed suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).  I have taken the very controversial step to put my child on medication to help him cope with the challenges he faces daily at school.  Believe me, it's not a decision I have taken lightly, I have explored all alternative options and I feel that we have tried everything else before settling on this option.

Ritalin is a mediation that is especially successful in helping kids suffering from ADD.  My understanding of it, is that Ritalin does not increase brain power, it simply helps to slow the thought process down a bit.  It helps to quietens the brain enough so that it can focus on what's at hand, rather than the pencil dropping on the floor next to you, or the music that's playing gently in the background, the birds chirping in the tree outside, or children reading on the mat, etc.  In a classroom of 32 kids, there's always something happening in the background and it must be easy to be distracted at the best of times.  Ritalin helps kids suffering with ADD and ADHD to switch off that extra background "noise".

It's a controversial medication, because it is a stimulant and many people believe that it is addictive.  It has some frightening side effects (in a teeny tiny minority) that one has to be aware of too.  That said, it's been proven that it's not addictive and that it can be taken Monday to Friday and not on the weekends.  I personally believe that it works, but it has been used too frequently in our classrooms.  Again, that said, in children who don't need it, the effects will be minuscule and changes to the child's behaviour almost unnoticeable.  In children who really need it, the changes are huge.  Moms of kids who've used the medication all vouch for its success in their children's lives (and their own).  It has also been proven that children who suffer from ADD/ADHD, but who don't receive this medication when they are young (and they very often grow out of the need for medication when they reach adolescence), are far more likely to turn to drug abuse later in life, than those that are given proper treatment.  Still, it's a big decision to make on behalf of your child.

Yesterday was a particularly tough day.  Actually this whole week has been tough.  Jake had a fall out with a friend at school on Monday and was very upset about how it had been handled.  On Wednesday, his rugby coach commented that she's been really worried about him and that even she can see he's not a happy boy right now.  My heart was broken into 10 million pieces by that simple statement.  I hate knowing that Jake's perceived as an unhappy little boy, it kills me.  Also, yesterday was the doctor's appointment and I was shown the questionnaire that needed to be completed by the school.  I was devastated to see just how poor my child's self-control within the classroom really is.  His accuracy is poor, his attention to detail poor, he seems not to listen when spoken to directly (he does this at home too), he doesn't carry out instructions wrt school work, he finds it difficult to organise tasks, he ignores/dislikes/is unwilling to get involved with certain tasks, he looses essential task items, he is easily distracted and stimulated by surroundings, he fidgets, he leaves his seat to do other things when he's supposed to be sitting still, he interrupts, he finds it hard to wait his turn, he shouts out answers - there just seems to be so many things that he can't focus on, it's beyond overwhelming for me as his mom.

So, I have decided to take drastic steps to help my child to make the most of and to enjoy school.  He has taken 5mg of Ritalin this morning and will do so for the next 2 weeks.  The doctor wants me to give it to him on the weekends, just for the trial, so that I can see it's effects on Jake.  After 2 weeks, we go up to the full 10mg and then the teacher, doctor and I do another evaluation of how things are going.  There are alternative options and Ritalin also comes in a 20mg tablet, but I'm sure this will be too much for Jake.  The 10mg only comes in a 4 hour action pill, but the 20mg also comes in a long acting pill that lasts for 8 hours.  There is a long acting 10mg tablet coming out soon, but I'm not sure when.  I would obviously like him to be able to have the medication in his system for longer, to see him through his extra murals, but that doesn't seem to be an option for us right now.  There are another 2 products available on our local markets, but they are 12 hour and 16 hour acting and this will be too much for Jake, so not an option right now.

Ultimately, all I want is for him to be happy.  I love him so much and his hurts, no matter how tiny, break my heart in ways I cannot describe.

Thanks for being a shoulder to cry on (I have done plenty!).

Sue X