ADHD and Learning Disabilities - My Personal Experience
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities in some cases go hand-in hand.
I am the parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD at 4 years of age.
I have since learned that he has learning disabilities as well.
As a baby, my son was never really content.
He did not sleep for very long at one time and was extremely fussy.
I had another son who was 8 years old and while I knew there were no two children alike, I was fearful that the problems with my baby were more serious than just the normal fussiness babies expressed.
Things got more difficult in my son's toddler years.
Once he began walking, things around the house would start missing or be broken and pretty much destroyed.
I learned very quickly that I could not take my eyes off him for even a second.
If you are a parent then you know how hard it can be to watch their every move and be able to maintain everything else in your home life as well.
People were always trying to give me advice on how to treat my son's ADHD.
Some said to medicate him, and others were completely against it.
I did a lot of research and decided not to medicate him at the time.
My theory was, if one day I didn't really have a choice in giving him medication for the good of his future, I was going to wait as long as I could without it because the longer he had to take it meant the more negative effects it could have on his body.
Another thought, was that if I could deal with it, then the public could to.
Now my son is 6 years old and he is repeating Kindergarten this year.
I first noticed some potential learning problems when he first started school.
My son would bring home little homework sheets where he had to write his letters, numbers, name, and so on.
When he would start writing, he started every letter and number from the bottom up and wrote then all backwards.
There again it was so much different from any experiences I had with my older son.
My son and I would work on homework for long periods of time for things as simple as writing his name.
I am in no way a qualified teacher and I just do not have the knowledge as to how to help him.
After finding out that he had to repeat Kindergarten, I turned to his doctor.
His pediatrician has been a godsend to us.
He had referred us to the psychologist that had diagnosed him with ADHD, he thoroughly explored all options for treatment, and was supportive in anything I decided.
The doctor had given me many tasks to complete in order to help my son with his learning disabilities.
A few of which are: asking my child's school if they have a Psycho Educational Program for learning disabilities, calling a college nearby that has a Dyslexia Testing Center to get on their long waiting list, and contacting his insurance company for any referrals as a last resort.
Once these tasks are complete, his pediatrician will go over all results and advise as to the best route to take from there.
ADHD and learning disabilities are extremely difficult issues to overcome and in some cases are never cured but hopefully managed.
If you have or know someone who has a child with ADHD and learning disabilities, do your research, talk to your pediatrician, and choose the methods you think may be right for you and your child.
Above all be patient, and remember their futures depend on you and the decisions you make.
I am the parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD at 4 years of age.
I have since learned that he has learning disabilities as well.
As a baby, my son was never really content.
He did not sleep for very long at one time and was extremely fussy.
I had another son who was 8 years old and while I knew there were no two children alike, I was fearful that the problems with my baby were more serious than just the normal fussiness babies expressed.
Things got more difficult in my son's toddler years.
Once he began walking, things around the house would start missing or be broken and pretty much destroyed.
I learned very quickly that I could not take my eyes off him for even a second.
If you are a parent then you know how hard it can be to watch their every move and be able to maintain everything else in your home life as well.
People were always trying to give me advice on how to treat my son's ADHD.
Some said to medicate him, and others were completely against it.
I did a lot of research and decided not to medicate him at the time.
My theory was, if one day I didn't really have a choice in giving him medication for the good of his future, I was going to wait as long as I could without it because the longer he had to take it meant the more negative effects it could have on his body.
Another thought, was that if I could deal with it, then the public could to.
Now my son is 6 years old and he is repeating Kindergarten this year.
I first noticed some potential learning problems when he first started school.
My son would bring home little homework sheets where he had to write his letters, numbers, name, and so on.
When he would start writing, he started every letter and number from the bottom up and wrote then all backwards.
There again it was so much different from any experiences I had with my older son.
My son and I would work on homework for long periods of time for things as simple as writing his name.
I am in no way a qualified teacher and I just do not have the knowledge as to how to help him.
After finding out that he had to repeat Kindergarten, I turned to his doctor.
His pediatrician has been a godsend to us.
He had referred us to the psychologist that had diagnosed him with ADHD, he thoroughly explored all options for treatment, and was supportive in anything I decided.
The doctor had given me many tasks to complete in order to help my son with his learning disabilities.
A few of which are: asking my child's school if they have a Psycho Educational Program for learning disabilities, calling a college nearby that has a Dyslexia Testing Center to get on their long waiting list, and contacting his insurance company for any referrals as a last resort.
Once these tasks are complete, his pediatrician will go over all results and advise as to the best route to take from there.
ADHD and learning disabilities are extremely difficult issues to overcome and in some cases are never cured but hopefully managed.
If you have or know someone who has a child with ADHD and learning disabilities, do your research, talk to your pediatrician, and choose the methods you think may be right for you and your child.
Above all be patient, and remember their futures depend on you and the decisions you make.
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