Tuesday, August 11, 2009

ADHD

Usually I post on things going on around our Babcock world and they tend to have a bit of humor in them. Today, however, I am asking for your prayers as we begin a journey that many have traveled, but it is new to us. Several years ago we started Occupational Therapy with Cooper and a wonderful friend Mrs. Robbie Dunn. She has done wonders with Cooper and with us regarding some of the special needs that Cooper has. In the beginning I was learning about Cooper and why he was so driven in everything he did. If it was something he liked he strove for perfection. If it was something he disliked, he disliked it with enormous amounts of passion. When he was forced to do something he disliked, or when he made a mistake on something while striving for perfection, he would meltdown. I don't mean just throw a fit- we are talking 30-45 min of wailing, screaming, crying, stomping, running, hiding, destructive behavior that was hard to deal with much less understand. Since seeing Mrs. Robbie, most of the time he is able to tell us what he needs in order to not meltdown and stay in balance. He is a textbook case for Sensory Integration Disorder. After learning more and more about it, I have learned that the apple doesn't fall far from this tree. (me) We recently had him tested by an educational psychologist to see what the realms of his issues were. Those results showed that he also suffers from ADHD. As a teacher, I had many students who struggled with adhd but having one of my own was not what I was prepared for. Now we come to the question of what to do. We are not opposed to medication. If he had a problem with his heart and medication were the best route -he would get it. If he had kidney problems the same thing. As Dr. Chappell explained to us those who suffer from adhd do not have the same amount of neurotransmitters that non adhd children have in order to stay focused. So the medication helps with that. Still we know that things in the house will have to change as well. A steady routine is crucial. Sleep is crucial. I guess what we need is the support of our friends and family as we help Cooper learn to cope with his diagnosis. We want him to be comfortable and well informed enough to be able to talk about it and at the same time we don't want him to use it as a crutch. We want him to feel loved and wanted as he always has been. We covet your prayers and ask that you pray for strength and wisdom for all who are involved. We know that God chose us to be parents to Cooper and I wouldn't trade that for anything in this world. We are thankful that he is our Cooper!

6 comments:

Jaime said...

I will be praying...good luck with all the decisions you will be making.

Tamra said...

On it! Love y'all.

Jill said...

you are a good mommy. i will be praying for you :)

Shannon West said...

I was diagnosed with adult ADD about 10 years ago. It was something I had been dealing with my whole life, and I thought it was normal. I had many revelations after my diagnosis. One of them was that I was a textbook case in the girl category. I also went through a period of time where I was very angry with my parents for not recognizing the fact that I needed help. Then I realized, back in the 70's, ADD was new, and it was mostly tagged on boys. THE FACT THAT YOU ARE DOING WHAT YOU CAN TO HELP HIM NOW WILL HELP HIM TREMENDOUSLY ON HIS JOURNEY. This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I will most definitely pray, but I will also be happy to listen anytime you need to talk about it! ♥

Jcbaron99 said...

I will be praying for your family!
Noah has Sensory Integration Disorder and I know that it alone can be a very frustrating and tiring thing to deal with. I can only imagine how much this will add to yours and his daily life. We'll be praying!!

Ang said...

We also go to Dr. Chappell with Jacob. He was diagnosed with sensory integration and ADHD very young. I understand going through different medications, therapy sessions, etc...but cannot know exactly how you feel. Know how much love is coming my way and for all those Babcock kids.
Angie