Jay has a severe ADHD. As I write this, I know that there will be some people that will read this and question why I am being so open about this. But this has been our struggle for our family. I know that there are other families who will have gone through the same issues. We also speak openly about ADHD because we do not want Jay to feel as though he is an outcast or different. And I hope that if there's someone reading this that is questioning getting their child tested for ADHD, our story will give them comfort to know they are not alone.
As many of you know, Jay had a horrible experience in Kindergarten and 1st grade. We started 2nd grade knowing Jay was behind and would need a lot of work to get to his grade level. Dave and I discussed between ourselves that there was a possibility Jay had ADHD and his horrible experience the past 2 years had just magnified it. But after meeting with his teacher, Ms. Avery, and discovering Jay's classroom behavior/traits/functions we were almost certain this was the problem. Jay at the time was only reading 32 words per minute (grade average was 67) and not completing any assignments.
We went to our family dr (Dr. Katona) and got a referral to see Dr. Niinikoski at Apex Psychological Services. After giving her Jay's history and completing over 500 questions, she diagnosis Jay will Severe ADHD. We then started looking at which medication would treat him the best. Along with Dr.K. we started him on Strattera. Strattera is a non-stimulant. It basically had the same warnings as stimulants (decreased appetite, headaches, nausea, etc.) But what we really liked about the Strattera was it is not a controlled drug. And it seemed to work. After being on the Strattera for 4 weeks he had benched marked to 68 wpm, completing assignments, and staying focused in class. Had even gotten to over 100 wpm. But then the problems started. He started having issues of not staying focused after lunch, complaining of headaches daily, not sleeping well, etc. The headaches continued to get worse until Jay missed 4 days in 2 weeks because of migraines.
So back to Dr. K. we go... He refers him to a Pediatric Neurologist (Dr. Syed) for the migraines. It was the worst experience for a child to go through. He walked in and said, "You are just spoiled, you have no ADHD." (He was so rude to Jay I thought he was going to cry) "No more medication until after a portable EEG in 2 weeks. Then if you need more medication we will re-evaluate in 2 wks after EEG." We stopped the Strattera and amazingly the migraines stopped. However, the problems at school escalated greatly in 3 days of being off. Jay was now back to reading 41 wpm. And was even acting up badly enough to get detention. With phone calls from the principal and Ms. Avery, we knew we had to get him back on some type of medication.
So back to Dr. K. again... This time we decided it was best to try Jay on a stimulant. We decided to go with Adderall. And Man What A Difference. It was immediate!!!!!!! We could see a difference. Ms. Avery could see a difference. His principal could see a difference. And most importantly JAY Could See A Difference!
Since taking the Adderall, Jay is staying focused, reading 90+wpm, completing all assignments, etc. He is now at grade level! Somewhere we didn't know if he'd get to. He's always had an issue with self-esteem but now his attitude is "If they can do it, so can I". He's holding a conversation now without getting off track. It's almost like having a totally different kid! He is back to feeling normal.
I hope that if there's someone reading this that is questioning getting their child tested for ADHD, our story will give them hope! So many people try to keep ADHD silent. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's nothing to be scared of. You have to think about how much your child is suffering. More people have ADHD than people realize. Jay has been amazed at who all he knows with ADHD. And Yes, having ADHD you are different. But as in Jay's words, "I'm different because everyone is different. I have ADHD so I have to work harder to focus and that it!"
Thanks to Ms. Avery, Dr. Niinikoski, and Dr. Katona! Without their help and support, Jay would still be suffering!
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