Hi Lillyth, welcome.
I can't add much, except I can sympathize with-your not wanting to medicate. My husband is a chiro and was very much against medications until my son was totally out of control. I cannot tell you how many times I told my husband he could shove his philosophy up his nose. The philosophical diff really impacted our marriage. I'm not pro-medication either--believe me, there are too many people out there who drug their kids and think, Oh, good, now that's over with, I can go on with-my life.
That's NOT what we're talking about here.
They can be a tool. They do not have to be a crutch.
Don't be too hard on yourself.
2 yrs ago, our school principal, difficult child's teacher, computer teacher and after school teacher called a mtng and suggested difficult child be tutored outside of school AND held back a yr. They said he's totally disruptive, can't pay attention, can't grasp basic issues like sequencing, etc. We were already seeing a child psychologist so the psychologist wrote a ltr to our pediatrician requesting medications.
The stimulant we chose was a huge help for our son. It helped him focus and actually carry on conversations instead of just yell one or two words across the room. It was like I realized there was a human being inside there and not just a loud animal.
I believe my son is "Aspie-lite" (to steal a phrase from a mom here
) and we're still going through testing.
It is a huge emotional loss to think that your child is different and may be on medications forever, but it's a bigger emotional loss to think that your child could be lost forever if he doesn't get the right intervention. medications can be one of many interventions.
