Taylor
and Marcus have decided to seek out counseling for their marriage. They have
been going to counseling once a week for the past two months, and they have
both seen a difference in their marriage. They are now communicating much
better than before and they are both a little less stressed out. Marcus feels
that he is definitely receiving more attention than he was before, and Taylor
feels that it is easier to talk about things with Marcus now, and she makes
sure she puts more time and effort into their relationship than before. Thomas
will always be their first priority, but it is nice that they both feel that
they are on the same page with him.
Thomas
is now ten years old. He has been on his medication for quite some time now and
he has been doing well in his behavioral therapy sessions. Thomas’s teachers at
school have said that they have definitely seen an improvement in Thomas’s work
ethic. This medicine has helped to improve Thomas’s attention, focus,
goal-directed behavior as well as his organizational skills. Ritalin works to
stimulate certain areas of the brain so that a child can better pay attention
and focus on their activities. Since taking this medication, Thomas has had
less trouble finishing class work and homework, less distractive behaviors and
increased self-esteem. Ritalin is a very fast working drug, so Thomas’s family
and teachers were able to see a change in him very quickly.
One very positive
effect this medicine has had on Thomas is that he has been able to branch out
and make new friends. Not only is James still one of his best friends, but he
plays with other children as well. In fact, he also gets invited to a lot of
other children’s birthday parties as well as frequent play dates with them. The
only negative side effect that Thomas has dealt with because of this medicine
is that he has difficulty falling asleep at night. The doctor explained to
Taylor and Marcus that that could happen and that the medicine tends to wear
off at night so Thomas may become more active at night. For now, his parents
don’t seem to find this issue very serious, so they have not decided to change
anything.
Thomas
and his parents have been going to Church every Sunday since Thomas has been taking
his medicine. His parents feel that it is good for their family to do together.
Thomas is able to sit during the service without being so fidgety and squirming
around and he seems to focus on what the priest is saying. Also, his bible
study teachers say that they have seen a huge improvement in him as well. He is
not only paying attention, but he seems to have more confidence and speaks up
in discussions. Thomas’s parents are very pleased to hear this.
Thomas’s
piano recitals have been going extremely well. He has continued to write his
own pieces as well as perform them. Recently Taylor and Marcus were contacted
by a professional music center asking for Thomas to come and join their school.
This school is located in Southern Jersey and Thomas would be traveling for his
recitals all over the country. The school is called Conservatory of Musical
Arts, and it is a very prestigious piano school. Thomas’s parents know that
this could really help out Thomas’s piano career, but they are nervous about
making him switch schools and move hours away when he has just started doing so
well in school and with making friends. The school has had scouts come out and
see Thomas play, so they know how good he is. They have been very persistent on
trying to get Thomas to come down there. They have even explained to Taylor and
Marcus that him being at this school can open up many doors for him. They have
informed the Hooks that most everyone who comes to their school ends up getting
some type of scholarship to college. The Hooks know that this is a long ways
away, but it is still something very important to consider.
The
Hooks have also decided that they want to get a dog. Since Thomas is an only
child, they want him to have a companion. They feel that this will not only be something
fun for Thomas, but also something that could help him. They have not looked
into the benefits too much yet, but they do know that dogs can be used to teach
behavioral modification techniques to children. After searching for a few
months, they decided to get Thomas a chocolate lab for his eleventh birthday.
Thomas named the dog Milo and the two are inseparable! Taylor and Marcus are
very pleased with their decision.
With Thomas transitioning to middle school,
his parents are hoping that this school year goes as well as the last one did.
Typically developing eleven year old children begin to use formal operational
thinking, meaning that they are able to reason with more adult-like logic
without concrete examples. Thomas’s parents are hoping that with his learning
disability, this will not be an issue for Thomas. For how well he has been
doing in therapy and on medication, they are hoping that he will develop like the
other children in his class from here on out.
Questions
1.
How can pets benefit children with ADHD?
2.
How do children with ADHD cope with change? (For example, changing schools.) Is
there a difference compared to typically developing children?
3.
How long should a child with ADHD take medication for? Should they eventually
expect to be off of it? Will they build a tolerance to it and have to change
their dosage?
Decision
Point: Do Thomas’s parents decide to move to allow Thomas to go to this new
school that could really benefit his piano interests?
1. How can pets benefit children with ADHD?
ReplyDeletePets can be very beneficial to children with ADHD. They help to bring focus and attention to the responsibility of caring for the pet rather than the easy distractiveness and impulsivity of the child. It might not have been best to start Thomas out with a dog though unless the parents plan on taking a lot of the responsibility. Children should start with an easy pet such as a goldfish, hamster, or mouse (something much smaller) to care for on a daily basis and building their way up.
“Studies show that pets can protect you from depression, stress, and even medical problems.” (Smith)
2. How do children with ADHD cope with change? (For example, changing schools.) Is there a difference compared to typically developing children?
“For some kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADD/ADHD), though, dealing with unexpected change is a problem. Many can’t deal with open-ended tasks -- ones for which there are no single right answers, no well-defined starting points, and no obvious end. They can’t determine what’s important and what isn’t, making it hard for them to take notes or to study for tests.”
Examples to help cope:
“Keep daily routines. Children who have trouble dealing with change are comforted by routines and feel less stressed when they are followed.”
“Give them coping strategies for changes that cause them the most upset. This could be as simple as counting to 10, walking away from the situation, or asking a specific person to intervene.”
So even if this is all true for children with ADHD, atypically developing children may still go through the same issues when it comes to dealing with change. It is dependent upon their dependences and personalities. Similar coping strategies would probably work as well for them.
3. How long should a child with ADHD take medication for? Should they eventually expect to be off of it? Will they build a tolerance to it and have to change their dosage?
ReplyDeleteFrom Ritalinsideeffects.com, “It is possible to build up a tolerance to methylphenidate, which means the person using the drug needs to take larger doses to achieve the same effect. Over time, the body might come to depend on methylphenidate drugs just to function normally. The person craves the drug and their psychological dependence makes them panic if access is denied, even temporarily.
Withdrawal symptoms can include tiredness, panic attacks, crankiness, extreme hunger, depression and nightmares. Some people experience a pattern of "binge crash"characterized by using continuously for several days without sleep, followed by a period of heavy sleeping.”
From an article by Dr. Lawrence Diller, “From a strictly physical standpoint, it appears Ritalin can be taken safely every day. On the other hand, one can cease taking it for a day, a month, or a year, and it should work pretty much the same as the last time it was taken. Some argue that Ritalin should be taken on a fixed dosage schedule, 7 days a week, 365 days a year--the frequently used analogy is to insulin for the diabetic.”
Based on this I would say that a child with Ritalin shouldn’t have any issues taking it for the remainder of their life to help manage attention and behavior. There is the risk of building a tolerance or an addiction but depending upon the the individual if it seems to be leading this way, they should consult their physician about what to do.
Decision Point: Do Thomas’s parents decide to move to allow Thomas to go to this new school that could really benefit his piano interests?
Thomas’s parents do decide to move to allow Thomas the chance to excel in his piano performances. They are the taking the initiative to set him up with a musical education just in case his skill only is not enough for the future.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/a-doctors-personal-take-on-adhd/how-pets-can-help-kids-with-adhd/
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_parenting_strategies.htm
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/8959.html
http://ritalinsideeffects.net/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/drugs/diller.html