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Choose Your Battles Wisely

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Submitted By helen1401
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Choose your Battles Wisely
My son Brandon loves to laugh, talk to people, and more than anything he loves to help others. For many people in Brandon's life, these great attributes were difficult to identify when
Brandon was in pre-school through about the 6th grade. Typical children can follow simple orders, communicate with children their own age and demonstrate self-control. In Brandon's case, he had trouble figuring out how to communicate with his peers and it was difficult for him to express his thoughts verbally and in writing. Brandon also struggled with self-control. When he was expected to sit still in class, he would fidget, touch things, speak out of turn and have emotional outbursts. I realized early on that "sorry" was the most common word spoken by
Brandon as he was constantly apologizing for not following simple directions.
I didn’t fully understand how severe his behavior was until he was in the second grade.
At the time, he was enrolled at Ridge Lawn School and I was asked to attend a meeting with a social worker, Brandon’s teacher, principal, and the school nurse. At the meeting, I was informed by this group they believed Brandon was suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD) and needed medication. Initially, I was upset and baffled. My heart sank at the thought of my son’s actions being controlled by pills.
They asked me to complete a questionnaire about Brandon’s behavior at home and after they had assessed Brandon’s behavior in school. After completing this form, I was asked to take
Brandon to his pediatrician who they insisted would confirm their ADHD diagnosis and agree

prescription medication was the proper course of action. I knew something was wrong with my son, but I never thought such extreme treatment would be suggested. Not convinced that I should go along with their recommendation, I decided to conduct my own research to determine how best to help my child. A simple Google search on the matter provided me with enough information to prove I was right in deciding not to put my son on prescription medication.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Parents report that approximately 9.5% of children 4-17 years of age (5.4 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2007” (Data & Statistics). There have been 14,158 Adverse Drug Reactions in connection with ADHD drugs or stimulants reported to the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System
(MedWatch) between 2004 and 2011” (Citizens Commission).
When I became aware of these statistics, I immediately took action: I scheduled an appointment with Brandon's pediatrician, Dr. Arora and I continued researching all available treatments for ADHD. My goal was to be as well informed as possible before our doctor’s appointment. I was caught off guard when I met with the staff at Brandon's school so this time I wanted to be better prepared. Unfortunately, Dr. Arora confirmed and officially diagnosed
Brandon with ADHD. I explained to Dr. Arora that Brandon has a very charismatic personality and there was definitely a side of him that was joyful and witty. I raised Brandon for eight years at that point and yes, Brandon could be annoying at times just like any other kid, but in my opinion it was never so unmanageable that I thought he needed to be controlled with medication.
Based on my research, I informed Dr. Arora I was opting out of the ADHD medication and wanted to try Behavior Therapy. Dr. Arora gave me his full support and agreed prescription medications definitely have serious side effects and he completely understood why I chose not to have them prescribed.

behaviors by setting limits and consequences. Behavioral therapy has been shown to be a very successful treatment for children with ADD / ADHD” (Block and Smith). Jennifer Hernandez, a social worker of Sward Elementary School, stated: “Considering children are in school a great chunk of the day it is important that the school embraces behavioral therapy with you so it can be effective.” (Hernandez).
Determined to find a school that would support my decision, I discovered Sward
Elementary and immediately enrolled Brandon for the upcoming school year. Sward Elementary not only accepted Behavioral therapy but they were even willing to go beyond standard guidelines to help Brandon. At the beginning of the school year, Brandon and I met with Sward personal to discuss his condition and treatment. We reviewed the behavioral intervention requirements, what to consider, and expectations from Brandon both at Sward and at home.
We worked with Section 504 federal civil rights law guidelines that allowed for extra bathroom breaks, a tension ball on his desk for fidget control, stretching in between subjects, oneon-one coaching of eye contact, and taps on a desk to bring a student back to focus verses verbal call outs from the teacher.
A route book was created and personalized to accompany Brandon which would correlate to what Sward staff and I expected of Brandon at that time within limits that Brandon could handle. The route book is a great tool for children; it keeps them informed on their behavior and their actions hourly. If Brandon met his goal that day, he was rewarded with positive words of encouragement from school staff . If Brandon did not meet requirements set for him, he would have to face the consequences and serve in-school detention for inappropriate actions. When
Brandon would conquer one behavioral issue, we would then agree on another behavioral habit to work on so he would learn to recognize and control his actions.

From my experience, Behavioral therapy takes time, consistency, and patience. It consists of restructuring behavioral habits a child has and helps that child modify and learn new ways to exhibit improved behavior in an acceptable manner. In order for ADHD children to learn, it is important they have a routine, timers, schedule, organization, sleep, nutritious diet, exercise, consequences, and praise (Block and Smith).
As stated by Jerome Schultz, Ph.D., “ADHD medication, for young children especially, should be viewed as a last resort, not the first course of treatment to try” (Schultz). Brandon is going to be sixteen next month, entering eleventh grade with a 2.94 GPA, no disciplinary actions, and has never once been on prescription medication for ADHD. School-based behavioral therapy was initiated in the third grade and completed by the end of fifth grade. The staff at
Sward was committed to helping Brandon and exhibited the upmost level of professionalism and care. This home-based therapy continues today.
“I was relieved I didn’t have to take medication - I liked being on the route book, it helped me a lot,” said my son, Brandon. “Sward made me feel comfortable and taught me how to act on a more normal level. It was a good feeling to know I no longer needed the route book - it was a great feeling of success.” (Hernandez).
I have poured every ounce of my soul into helping Brandon and feel strongly that I fulfilled every requirement of the therapy. As a parent, I was worried about making the right decision and I can confidently say with the evidence of my son's success, behavioral therapy was the best treatment I could have offered him.
Works Cited
"Atomoxetine: Medline Plus Drug Information." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 05 June 2013.

Block, Jocelyn, M.A., and Melinda Smith, M.A. "ADD / ADHD Treatment in
Children.": Finding Treatments That Work. May 2013. Web. 07 June 2013.
"Citizens Commission on Human Rights International | Mental Health Watchdog." CCHR
International RSS. Web. 07 Jun
"ADHD Data & Statistics." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 13 May 2013. Web. 05 June 2013.
Hernandez, Jennifer. Personal Interview. 04 June 2013.
Hernandez, Brandon. Personal Interview. 05 June 2013.
"Key Findings from the Manuscript, Entitled: “State-Based and Demographic Variation in
Parent-Reported Medication Rates for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, 20072008”." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 13 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 June 2013.

Schultz, Jerome, Ph.D. ADHD. "ADD / ADHD Medications." ADD/ADHD
Medications: Are ADHD Drugs Right for You or Your Child?. ay 2013. Web.
07 June 2013.
"Stimulant Drugs to Treat ADHD: Types, Side Effects, and More." WebMD. WebMD, Web. 05
June 2013.

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