Remember this post a couple years back when I was at the end of my rope with one of my sweet children? Well, to say things got better anytime soon after that post would be a fib. In fact, since that post, things honestly got worse. I took advice from many people and tried everything--a reward chart, reasoning, different forms of discipline and everything in between. Unfortunately, none of it seemed to be working and his behavior was definitely not getting any better. I was seriously biding my time until preschool started thinking perhaps his teachers would have some miraculous advice for me to help get him to calm down a little. Long story short, after a few months all they could offer me was their sympathy, because they had issues with getting him to be active! His teacher even told me that half the time they wanted to light a fire under his butt; where I, on the other hand, wanted to tape him to the wall half the time! Don't get me wrong, Austin is not a terrible kid by any means. He is a sweet, kind hearted, fun loving little boy who just has a difficult time listening and focusing. He also has more energy than the Energizer Bunny! He literally bounces out of bed around 5:30am every morning and is on the go until bedtime at 7:00pm. He fights me big time with going to bed, and sometimes doesn't fall asleep until 9pm. It seems like his little body is constantly moving, and his mind is on overload with thoughts! As we entered into kindergarten, I was worried with how he would handle an entire day in a structured school setting. The first few months of the year went well, and there didn't seem to be any major issues (aside from fighting him everyday about going to school). However, right before Christmas break, issues started to arise. He received 3 write-ups within a 2 weeks span for misbehaving. I immediately called his teacher and spoke with her about his trouble staying on task. Upon hanging up with her, I called our pediatrician and asked for an appointment to have Austin tested for ADD/ADHD.
After reviewing papers filled out by his teacher and myself, a thorough exam with Austin, and a lengthy conversation with me, his doctor concluded that Austin does suffer from ADD and putting him on a daily medication would be beneficial. He started Austin off on the lowest dose to make sure he doesn't have any serious side effects. He takes it once in the morning and it stays in his system for roughly 8 hours. I'm not looking for it to change his personality or turn him into a zombie. It's merely being given to help him stay focused during the school day so he can get his work done and stay on task.
*** Update ***
Although the first week of Austin taking the medication was a little rough (by the time he got off the bus, the medicine was wearing off and he was having meltdowns), 2 months later it is working wonders with him. He's doing much better with sitting still in school during the appropriate times and got rave reviews on his report card! But most importantly, even with taking the medication, he's still the creative little boy that loves to use his imagination and can talk your ear off telling an epic story he's made up :)
