When ADHD Hits Home

Could we find hope in the midst of our son's behavior problems?

by Laurie Westlake

Average Rating: Not rated

[0 Comment]

There are no previous pages

1 of 3

Ross was born by emergency C–section. He came into the world grabbing our attention, and that's how he's conducted his life thus far. Even as a baby, Ross was extremely active and never seemed to need sleep. He's our firstborn, so we didn't realize his rambunctious personality was unusual—and a sign of things to come.

As Ross became a toddler, I became aware of his stubborn nature and his inability to focus on a task or to follow simple instructions. Since he could watch an entire episode of Barney or Sesame Street, I ruled out attention problems. We concluded he was simply a strong–willed child in need of discipline.

In kindergarten, Ross's teacher commented that he had a large vocabulary and seemed unusually bright. We were thrilled, but by the end of the year, the same teacher suggested Ross repeat kindergarten because of his immaturity and inability to complete work. We respected this teacher's opinion, but after prayer and discussion, my husband and I moved Ross on to first grade.

Our son, Ross, came into the world grabbing our attention, and that's how he's conducted his life thus far.

In first grade, things got worse. Ross was in the principal's office every week for disrupting the class by wandering around the classroom and aggravating fellow students. The school counselor suggested he might have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a neurobiological disorder that slightly impairs regions of the brain.

"How can this be?" I asked. "He's making straight As!" In light of his grades, she changed her mind.

"The problem must be at home," the counselor said, and with that she and the first–grade teacher dismissed my son and me. I started praying for a better second–grade experience.

Second grade was better. With Ross's improved–conduct grades, I grew confident our troubled years were behind us. At the end of the school year his teacher wanted to test his IQ because she thought he might be bored in the classroom. The test results revealed he qualified for a special program called GT (gifted and talented), with specialized classrooms and teachers. Feeling as though this might be the answer to our prayers, we enrolled Ross in the third–grade GT program, believing boredom might have been the problem all along.

We were wrong.

Ross continued to disrupt the classroom, and school became a place of torture for him. Once, a teacher announced to the entire classroom that Ross needed medication. We called a conference with this teacher, the school counselor, and the principal, and even though the teacher apologized for the remark, her frustration with Ross dominated our meeting. I walked away without the support I'd sought. Ross was so embarrassed by the incident, I was sure he experienced irrevocable damage to his self–esteem. During fits of frustration, he began to harm himself with head banging. After school, Ross really let go and would scream for up to 30 minutes. We were overwhelmed by his mood swings and aggression.

next page... |

There are no previous pages

1 of 3

Originally published in: Christian Parenting Today, Page 14

More from by Laurie Westlake:
Kyria.com | Books

Join the Kyria.com Community!

Become a member to have access to the following:

Full access to the bimonthly Kyria digizine, each issue focusing on a spiritual discipline or theme
50 percent discount on all of the downloadable resources in the Kyria Store
Hundreds of members-only articles for thoughtful, influential women