We have recently learned that my son has been diagnosed with ADHD, the inattentive form. In this video I discuss ADHD and share with the viewer our journey on discovering ADHD, ADHD therapy, mainstream medication as well as more holistic approaches to learning issues.

I invite the viewer to join me on this journey as me and my family learns about this neurological disorder.

 
I have something new to share – my son has recently been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD while arguably an overused term in today’s society is an actual neurological condition where certain parts of the brain are impaired. There are two forms of ADHD – hyperactive and inattentive. The classic symptoms of ADHD include impulsivity, distractibility and hyperactivity although the condition itself is very complex. My son has the inattentive form of ADHD.

I am actually reading a great book on the subject, “Drive to Distraction” by Dr. Edward Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey. I am a little less than halfway through the book but the case studies and explanations in the book have been very helpful and illuminating to me. An interesting facet of the book is that Dr. Hallowell himself has ADHD.

I have suspected for a while that my son has ADHD especially from the full year of comments from his teachers regarding his focus, attention and distractibility. I have to tell you that I am very proud of my son and know that he is working extremely hard. Receiving the diagnosis was a bit of a punch in the gut even if I suspected it. You always want the best for your child. Knowing that he has the obstacles that he has is what is upsetting. So many children with undiagnosed ADHD have no self esteem and don’t know “what is wrong with them”. “Driven to Distraction” has many case studies in it both of adolescents and adults and many of them have been beaten down by the mainstream because, quite frankly, those with ADHD need to do things differently than the mainstream.

I want my son to be proud of who he is and I want him to be confident in himself. In order to do that we need to really figure out his core areas of strength and support his areas of weakness. Dr. Hallowell claims that “there is a powerfully positive aspect to ADD, and learning disorders in general, a positive aspect that is as yet ill defined. You might describe many with ADD as having a “special something” a hard-to-pin-down yet undeniable potential. If that potential can be tapped, the results can be spectacular. Albert Einstein, Edgar Allan Poe, George Bernard Shaw, and Salvador Dali were all expelled from school and Thomas Edison was at the bottom of his class. Abraham Lincoln and Henry Ford were pronounced by their teachers to show no promise. The novelist John Irving nearly flunked out of high school because of an undiagnosed learning disability. There is a long, long list of people who achieved greatness in adult life after performing abysmally in school due to undiagnosed learning disabilities. Unfortunately, there is a longer list of those people whose spirits were broken in school, who therefore never get the chance to realize their potential.”

So I invite you to join me on this journey of discovery of ADHD. Right now we are looking for therapists who specialize in ADHD. It is important to establish a framework for success both at school and at home and to teach my son the approaches that will help him experience success. We will also be looking into mainstream medication – the potential and the pitfalls. We will also be exploring more natural or holistic approaches to address his ADHD. As a family, we have gone more organic with our foods and I have added a entire section on organic foods to the Lipstick Wisdom website. Thinking about all of the pesticides that are consumed with conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables (especially those with thin skins such as apples, strawberries and lettuce) is, well, gross and some believe have a impart on learning issues.

So step one is finding an ADHD therapist who can help the entire family understand ADHD and how to work together to help our son. I have called friends and friends of friends as well as my son’s former speech therapist to get referrals. I hope to be meeting with one within the next two weeks. I will let you know more as we learn more.

Thanks for watching and Enjoy!!