...and he did it.

For anyone who has a child with ADHD, you can feel me on this one if they are now stable on medication(s). We didn't give Gage his meds over the weekend because he had the opportunity to spend the night w/my sister and niece (oh they fixed the toy tractor by the way as you can see) and besides he asked if he could be off of them just so he could eat more. He says he still feels hungry when on the meds but once he starts eating, it's just blah!

We could tell a big difference in behavior over the weekend (teacher workday on Mon. as well), very impulsive! He picked on his sister the whole time, very rebellious and overly active but first thing this morning he went right back on the meds. As I walked past his room I said, "Put your shoes on" and when I returned moments later to repeat the instructions (as usual) three or four more times, they were on his feet already. That's just crazy talk for around here, never happens! Later I told him to go brush his teeth, and he did it.

For those who have kids with hearing loss all this becomes even more troubling (deciding if they have ADD/ADHD). We usually assume most things are hearing related, do they need mapping? When your child doesn't do what is told, is he defiant or did he hear you...or is there more? This is what we've been dealing with for the last few years, and I've known for over a year that it was more than hearing loss. He could repeat what I wanted him to do verbally so I know he heard me, but he couldn't get where he was going in a timely manner because of distractions. If you are unsure your child is actually getting (hearing) the info, get them to repeat what they heard, or ask other related questions. "Where are your shoes?" When they answer you, follow up with "Put them on your feet." This way you know they've heard the command, and need to follow through. This will help you and your doctor rule out the hearing being an issue. It's even harder to help figure out if the issues are hearing related or more when they are in the classroom. Your child's teacher may let you observe a few minutes of class time to help you get a better understanding of whether it's hearing or more. Also you can get the TOD (Teacher of the Deaf) involved, with her background he/she should know if it's processing issues, hearing issues, or more. There may be some cases where the child just needs to visit the audiologist!