Curse or gift? (My Experience of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder)

Member Name: wishywalshy

Product:	My Experience of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder
Date:	11/03/01 (341 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not afraid to take a chance, good at problem solving etc

Disadvantages: Causes holy hell in the family, and can be humiliationg for both family and child

ADHD
Impulsive, and destructive, hyperactive and unruly behaviour exhibited by many of the children in this and other societies.
Shunned by adults and other children, an affected person and their carers can be driven to despair.

My experience of ADHD is based on life with our 9-year-old sufferer.
Diagnosed over 2 years ago after a battle with the authorities and her school it was and is an uphill struggle.

Sometimes called an equivalent of yuppie flu, it has recently been proved by American scientists by the use of more intricate CAT scans that it is a real and bon a fide condition not merely a figment of someone’s imagination, nor an alternative name for a naughty child.

What is ADHD?
A neurological disorder, which appears to affect around 3-5% of the school age population.
It is believed to be a chemical imbalance in the brain, which is decided at birth.

What does ADHD stand for?
Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder.

Can a person catch it?
No , it is seen to be hereditary, my hubby is exactly the same character.
It knows no social bounds or constraints either, it doesn’t matter whether you live in a mansion or a council house, you have the same chance of having it as the next person.


What are the symptoms of this condition?
It can vary slightly from child to child, but generally consists of some or all of the following behaviours;-
· Excessively fidgets or squirms
· Difficulty remaining seated
· Easily distracted
· Difficulty awaiting turn in games
· Blurts out answers to questions
· Difficulty following instructions
· Difficulty sustaining attention
· Shifts from one activity to another
· Difficulty playing quietly
· Often talks excessively
· Often interrupts
· Often doesn't listen to what is said
· Often loses things
· Often engages in dangerous activities

There are al
so other conditions which can be combined with ADHD such as Oppositional Defiance Disorder, and conduct disorders.
It is believed that some ADHD sufferers also are frequently dyslexic.(We are lucky there!!)

Why did you think that your child was affected with ADHD?
Initially we didn’t, we attributed her” bad” behaviour to how she was dealing with the death of her baby brother. As time progressed and nothing improved, we began to realise that there was more to it than grief.

What age did you notice these changes?
To be honest she was always on the go, and always wanted to do what she couldn’t engaging in downright dangerous activities was a favourite. She was convinced for many months that she could fly, so we had to lock every window in the house.
Her school lost patience and even employed their own educational psychologist, who stated that he felt that something wasn’t quite right, Willow darted all around the classroom, wouldn’t listen to instructions and would never shut up even when spoken to by adult, would constantly interrupt and basically couldn’t control her actions.


How long did the system take to form their diagnoses of your child?
Are you ready for this……..
2 years, and what a bad 2 years that was.
During this period of time we had modified her diet many times, under the illusion that it could be attributed to an allergic reaction to un natural additives, that didn’t work.
Spent a fortune at the homeopath, didn’t work either.
Challenged the whole behavioural support team in our area, Willow outsmarted them there.
Aromatherapy, no success
Physical punishment, useless idea, she doesn’t remember what she did 10 minutes ago, let alone being physically punished after the event.
Withholding privileges, again same story as physical punishment
Rewards and star charts, great for the first couple of days, then b
ack to the same old problems.

Does her education suffer?

To a degree yes, she is very fortunate to be highly gifted and has a photographic memory as well as a tremendous flair for the English vocabulary, but she cannot and often will not relay these thoughts onto paper. However if she were asked to verbally answer the questions in front of her she would excel.
She also has an amazing natural musical ability and a beautiful singing voice
Unfortunately the other kids in her class suffer as well, Willow interrupts the class and causes chaos in her wake
Her reading ability is quite amazing, and has a reading age of 14, her love is books.

What about medication?

There are several options on the market, but most ADHD children and adults take Ritalin(Methyphenidate) several times a day, it is not a magic pill that controls behaviour by any means, but in Willows case it seems to work, and to give the ability to slow down ant to focus on what is being asked of her.
Ritalin is a controlled substance and a prescription must be obtained.
Alternative chemical prescriptions include Adderal, Equeaseam(sp), and slow release Ritalin.

Unfortunately many children have to be prescribed other drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants and and on the odd occasion sleeping tablets and medication to prevent bed wetting.
We currently do not allow Willow to take anything other than One 10mg tablet of Ritalin twice a day. But there are cases of children being prescribed up to six a day.

How long does one dose of the Ritalin last for?

Not long enough<sigh>, usually for around 2-3 hours, when she starts to speed up again.

How often does she take the medication?

Currently twice a day with food, but that dose is regularly revised.

Are there any side effects?

Unfortunately yes there are, they include lack of appetite, insomnia, weight loss, failure to thrive, bed wetting, anxie
ty, depression etc to name a few.

We have experienced the bedwetting anxiety, insomnia, and the suppression of appetite.
I tend not to make a big thing out of wet beds, but I do ensure that she does eat something, usually obscure things none the less, but she tends to eat what she likes, and likes what she eats, even if it is in minute portions.

Our home life was in turmoil and she seemed to take every opportunity to cause a problem, she really didn’t know that she was doing it, we felt that we had no other option apart from the drugs available us.

The drugs are something I was dead against, and to a degree still am, but with the building pressure, and several years of living with "the child from hell" there was little choice.

My arguments were that if we couldn't sort her out no-one could, and basically took a defiant stance regarding the use of prescription drugs, even having full blown arguments on Talk radio with James Whale and his Professor guest regarding this topic.

I now stand corrected, they were right and I was wrong.(I don't say that often;)

A typical school day will go something like this;
7.am, wake the children for school, Willow is usually awake reading and has normally wet the bed so will need a bath and the bed stripping
7.15am, Call Willow again, tell her I’m not happy give her to the count of 10
7,8,9,10,1001,1002 etc
7.30am Willow is still in bed by now playing her Gameboy(damn thing)Other children have already eaten their breakfast and are getting dressed.
7.40am.I now threaten to smash the Gameboy she ambles downstairs, guaranteed not to have had a wash yet, tries to pick up the baby swing her around the room etc, decides what she is going to do, fights with her sisters, bullies them, reads their minds insists that she knows what they are all thinking(joke) and finally results in shouting match, shrill adult voices, finally makes her own
breakfast, not before moaning and whining that someone has more cereal/milk/sugar etc and spilling most of it onto the counter.
Picks the biggest bowl and the smallest spoon and eats a quarter of the contents
7.50am. Time for her medication, battle ensues finally takes it.
7.55am. Goes for a wash(at last)after operating her selective hearing
8.00am arguments from upstairs, can’t find her clothes(all in front of her), can’t remember if she did her homework or where she put it.
8.15am, still not dressed, almighty argument with hubby.(Usually about her)
8.30am finally washed and dressed and ready for school.
And out of the door.
8.31am.Back again she forgot the flute her lunch, her homework etc
More arguments in the car about seatbelts answering back, inappropriate behaviour etc, shouting at me, and antagonising her sisters.
Finally at school.

Each day is a stressful event and an experience, sometimes resulting in phone calls from school etc, early pick ups
There have been times that I have hidden in the stairwells to avoid confrontation from her teacher and snide looks from other parents.
Then home time dawn upon me all too quickly, there is barely enough time to rectify the damage done by her that morning before it all begins again, only this time it is worse, as the medication prevents her sleeping and we do not give it after 1.00pm(Not that it makes that much difference in her sleep patterns)

By the time she has arrived home there is bound to have been at least one argument.
The evening then goes from bad to worse, as she turns her nose up whatever is cooked for tea, and again antagonises the others.
Battle for homework to be done, tears and more arguments, banish the Gameboy, homework finally completed…badly.
Bedtime is around 9.00pm, with her now in her own room, as she insists on swinging and bouncing around the others room.
Back downstairs at least 6 times for v
arious reasons, none of which are valid.
If I am lucky she will be asleep by 11pm, but not before turning out every cupboard and drawer, emptying every bottle of shampoo etc in the bathroom, climbing on her sisters bed punching her a few times, waking the babies etc.
You see, she does not understand the consequences to her actions
Nor does she understand that she hurts people with her actions and words.
It is guaranteed to have been tears and verbal outbursts during the evening, she just does not understand that there are other members of the family who are affected by her condition, nothing is ever "fair", and everyboby seems to either like or loathe her.

1105pm, stand at her door turn the light off, give her a kiss, and think to myself that she is so angelic when she is asleep.
Phew that is a quiet day!!

How does ADHD affect the rest of the family?

I think that there is certain amount of resentment from her siblings, Willow seems to get most of the attention, I do try extremely hard to give even and equal amounts of time to them all.

The family is on a knife edge, we KNOW it isn’t her fault, but she would try the patience of a saint.
Every day is a new learning curve, and with the support that the Internet has offered us, we can see that this problem will never go away, you have to learn new ways to resolve the problems.

Are there any advantages in this illness?

There are a few advantages in having an ADHD child though believe it or not, they are exceptional problem solvers and are prepared to take a chance when “normal” kids wont, they will speak their mind and will not be
silenced or stifled by society.

Support on the Internet?

There are many groups on the net, and they are exceptionally interesting, as they give an insight into how others deal with their “unruly” children.

I belong to ADDvocate am email group whic
h can be subscribed to email address
ADDvocate@yahoogroups.com
www.adders.org is full of useful information and experieces of both parents and children with this condition

I can also thoroughly recommend ADHDUK.co.uk written by a fellow dooyooer Gail Miller who has also written a brilliant book called Wild child, essential reading for all ADHD parents.

There are many children that suffer from this disorder, so next time you see a badly behaved child in the street, before you criticise or start to think that the child needs a damn good smack, or that mother has no control over their kids, please spare a thought for the child, it is an impossible position, decided at birth.

Will your child grow out it?

Many do, but some do not, there is evidence to prove that Einstein is one of the many prolific members of society affected by this illness.

Some ADHD adults undiagnosed, unknowingly self medicate with excess amounts of caffiene, it seems to make a difference, my husband can vouch for that!!

Tragically one of Britains leading authorities on ADHD Prof Steve Baldwin was killed in the Rail crash at Selby recently, a real shame.

Thank you for your time and patience, patience is one thing that I have learned not to take for granted.


(Dedicated to the work of Proff Steve Baldwin

Rest In Peace, and thanks for the good work he has left behind in this field of medicine.)

Summary: