Anthony's First Appointment

On March 2, 2011, Anthony met with the Pediatric Behavior Specialist.  I was very impressed that she took so much time to meet with me and spent so much time with Anthony.  She went through all of the paperwork that we and his teacher filled out, line item by line item, comparing our answers with hers. We were very similar in all of the categories.  The doctor spent over an hour with Anthony, observing him, without him really knowing he was being observed (he thought he was just playing at a doctor's office and was really happy that he didn't have to get shots!).

By the day of the appointment, Rick and I were pretty set on holding Anthony back and having him repeat first grade.  The doctor and I talked about it and she really opened up my eyes.  She said that if there is a need to hold a child back, it is best to do it either in kindergarten or first grade.  She mentioned that she had never heard a parent of one of her patients say that they regretted holding their child back.  Then she switched gears and said that Anthony was very smart and while he may not complete his work, he knew all of the material, understood the math and was an exceptional reader.  She then said "So, now if you hold him back, you not only have a child who can't focus, but who is also bored.  That is even worse." She did say that nothing had to be decided today, that we could think all this over and do what ever we wanted.

Have I mentioned that we were completely against medicating Anthony? Absolutely not, that is a last resort, I don't want him to be a zombie, etc. 

So, after spending all this time with the doctor, it was clear that he probably had ADD.  It was not ADHD, as the reason he can't sit still isn't because he is hyper, it is because he can't focus.  So, she mentioned medication. At that point, I thought I would run screaming from the office, but I didn't.  I listened to what she had to say.  She discussed the different types of medication and we reviewed what was covered by his insurance. She explained that he wouldn't be a zombie, that he would be the same cool kid, just a little more focused.  I agreed to try it for 30 days.

As I left I was thinking, am I a bad mom because I walked out of there with a prescription in my hand?  What will people think?  You know what? I didn't really care. I was willing to try this to help my son. I talked it over with Rick and we both agreed that, for us, this was the right thing to do.