Well this really should go in my blog but will get to it sooner or later! Anyway, so…I think I posted about trying metadate which had really bad side effects and then strattera which turned him nto a zombie.
My friend asked her pediatric neurologist if she would see my son. I tried getting in to see this doc a number of times but they rarely accept new patients because she is so overloaded already. I got in to see her and wow!!! What a wonderful experience!
She said that Oopie is a high functioning autistic boy, the diagnosis is PDD-NOS. His inability to attend and pay attention is limited to activities that are difficult for him to do. So, characteristic of autism, he fidgets, hums to himself, squirms, rocks, chews his shirt etc.
No need for any type of medication. What we need to do is find fidgety types of things for him to do that do not interfere with the task he is trying to accomplish. Like if he needs to sit and write a sentence (writing is difficult for him)…then we need to guide him to use his feet or legs for the fidgeting so that his hands are free to write. If he needs to sit and listen to instructions, give him a “finger fidget”, a toy for him to fiddle with as he listens. At mealtime, let him rock back and forth or stomp his feet on the floor, dont stop him from doing this because he needs to do it to help him accomplish the task.
Her explanations and guidance made SO much more sense than the old doc who never really explained anything at all.
And I’m SOOOO happy to be done with medications and to have positive direction on how to help the little guy!!!
That is excellent news… i’m so happy for you and little Oopie as i know what those specific meds can do to children… it’s such a shame that if a Dr is presented with a “fidgety” child their first response is automatically ADHD… further investigation at the initial stages could have saved you and your family from a lot of stress…but Alhamdulillah everything is fine now… i’m genuinely happy for you!
You know, in defense of his teachers, therapists and the old neuro doc....he DID actually fit the diagnostic criteria for ADD. And all of saw that he CAN learn but his fidgety inability to attend interferes with his learning. So at the end of the day, trying the meds was not so far off base. And it is actualy helpful that we can tell all of the people who work with him that we tried the meds and they didnt work. That we need to approach his education a bit differently, let him fidget - just in ways that do not interfere with the things he needs to do or that disturb the other kids.
In the end, the right doc explained him and how he is and how he needs to function so very perfectly and we can now move forward.
Thank you all so very much for your supportive and kind words!
