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It's 2:00 AM, Sept. 3, 2008. Spawn's 1st day went much more smoothly than last year. Still a few bumps in the road, but nothing that isn't managable with a few phone calls to the school and some help from Spawn's new teacher to ease the transition. We won't have a full day's work for at least another week or so. PALCS eases all students gently into the workload to help new families transition to the cyber school system. His first speech therapy session is tomorrow and he's so looking forward to seeing his speech therapist!
We've been packing lunch for Spawn all summer to take to summer recreation - mostly lunch-boxy snacks and quick stuff. Not the greatest choices. So we made the switch to Japanese-style bento lunches. Check out http://lunchinabox.net/ for more info about packing healthy, speedy bentos. Spawn is going through a big growth spurt right now, so the night before his first day, he gobbled up most of the pretty, colorful foods I'd set aside for his lunch. No cucumber slices, no multi-grain crackers, no Yo Kids yogurt to make a pretty bento the first day. :( What he did get instead (which isn't the prettiest bento ever, but we're still learning) is 8 tortellini with 2 T. of marinara for dipping, 2 T. of pistachios, 2 slices of American cheese, and a small pear, cubed, with a cup of whole milk.
We took the traditional first day of school photos in the afternoon and did the annual first day of school survey questions.
Then we played outside for a bit and Spawn took a spin on his bike. He's still learning and backing up and steering are concepts he just hasn't grasped yet. :D
I want to address something that's been coming up a lot lately. We've gotten comments from family, friends, and here on our blog about the side effects of Spawn's meds - from people who judge who are not qualified to treat or diagnose neurological disorders or conditions. Such comments are uninformed and unwarranted. I approved a comment just today that was made anonymously over the summer (I'm sorry, I haven't figured out what blog entry the comment was posted to yet) about concerns over the side effects of Spawn's medication. It is the last anonymous comment that I will read or moderate/approve on this subject. If you want to comment on it, you'll need to participate in the conversation with myself and Spawn's father rather than judge anonymously from a safe distance and run.
Spawn is thriving on his ADHD medication. It has changed his life and the dynamics of our family for the better. ADHD is a real condition - an imbalance of neuro-transmitters in the brain. I am not a doctor, but I do believe that it is wrong to withhold medication that could improve the quality of someone's life by correcting a chemical imbalance that every other person on earth takes for granted. My job as his mom is to give him every opportunity to excel to the best of his abilities - not to worry about what others will think of me "medicating" my son. His pediatrician is the one medicating him and he's fully qualified to do so. We maintain a journal of his symptoms, successes, and obstacles and review it with his pediatrician every few months.
The only side effect of his medication that requires constant scrutiny is his weight. Like many children with ADHD who require stimulant-type medication, Spawn doesn't have much of an appetite during the day. We mitigate the effect of the medication by starting off his day with a BIG breakfast of fruit, dairy, protein, and grains, small, but nutrient-and-calorie-packed snacks throughout the day, and a late, BIG dinner when Spawn's appetite comes back in the evening. He'll probably always be quite slim because he's very active and not prone to eating junk or overeating in any measure. We limit him to mostly organic foods and foods without red and yellow food dyes and artificial flavors.
Now, to address the message that I approved today that was posted back in July. The anonymous comment implied that his multiple "severe" side effects outweighed the benefits of his medication. Also, that gifted children are often misdiagnosed as having ADHD. What so many people are unaware of is that ADHD causes some children (and adults) to become hyperfocused or especially gifted in certain disciplines. (Michael Phelps is an outstanding example of this hyperfocus gift!) Many children with ADHD are gifted. Their brains work differently than ours. And for some of them - the disorder or condition is a gift itself! Medication and therapy for ADHD children helps them learn coping skills to combat their inattention and imulsivity in a world where children must fit into a prescribed role and adhere to society's rules - rules and norms that they cannot relate to without treatment and therapy.
I'm unaware of what other side effects the anonymous comment was referring to. Spawn has behavioral issues unrelated to his condition or his medication that were problematic long before he ever began taking his medication - namely how he relates to other children. He is an only child who lives in a neighborhood without any other children his age to play with.
I can only assume that his social abilities were the supposed "side effects" you were referring to. Rest assured, Spawn has friends and has been making great strides thanks to his behavior modification therapy and medication that have helped him to develop coping skills for dealing with his shyness and inability to relate to his peers. We learned over the last 6 months about the importance of a strict routine for schoolwork/bedtime/meals/activites and how lapses in routine can inhibit his coping mechanisms and his ability to relate to children his own age. We are proactive with his care and his diet. We don't rely solely on medication to treat him. The medication is merely a tool in our arsenal. ;)
The effect of his medication is strictly monitored by his doctors, teachers, and his father and I. We look forward to another challenging school year and will continue to challenge him to come out of his shell and find new opportunities for him to make new friends and learn new skills!
Chrissi, Cyber School Mom
Whew! Spring break was very enlightening for us! Spawn was bored three days into vacation and I realized summer vacation this year is going to be very, very long. Eeps!
We're working on finding some activities for the summer. So far, we've settled on season passes for the pool and possibly an environmental ed day camp at one of the local state parks. He needs to be doing. Relaxing is not his style. ;)
Spawn has a lot of trouble relating to his peers now that he's so focused and understands his needs. He gets upset with kids who are loud or scream because it's so distracting and - in his opinion - unnecessary. He finds regular loud, impulsive children of his own age distracting and difficult to understand. While he's probably less mature than them, he seems more mature because he prefers quiet and calm to the usual boisterous behavior of his peers.
The question is - do I force him into a playgroup where he views his peers as immature "babies" that he can't relate to or continue to let him gravitate to older kids that he doesn't talk down to and views as intellectual peers because they're less impulsive, calmer, and easier to relate to?
I have no illusions about my little boy. He's incredibly bright, but due to his condition, even he realizes he can't relate to his peers. He prefers the company of older kids because they're quieter and more thoughtful and he can't focus his thoughts and quiet his mind around children his own age who kind of do everything out loud. :/ Who can fault that reasoning? He has a habit of hugging kids his own age and younger because he thinks they're loud because they need attention. So he hugs them! LOL! :D That little habit makes it even harder for him to relate to kids his age. ;)
I so wish there was a support group in the area for parents of kids with ADHD. I never know if what I'm doing is right for him. Just kind of bumbling my way through it and doing what feels right for him. :/
Chrissi, Cyber School Mom
Today is the start of Spawn's first spring break. I don't think I've ever looked forward so much to spring break even when I was in school. :D I've been sick with this nasty coughing crud the last 5 days and now Spawn is getting it. We really need a few days to recuperate. I love the way Spawn's school worked out spring break. We're off from today through Easter instead of 2 days on either side of Easter weekend. 9 whole days!
Spawn's been learning a lot of great new stuff - pennies, nickels, and dimes, morning, afternoon, and evening, and he's going to start learning how to tell time to the hour after the break. :D
The elementary ed staff implemented a new program called Imagination Station a few weeks ago. It's a Language Arts computer game program that adapts to the student's needs and adjusts its programming to work on the concepts where they need more help. Spawn loves it. It's a great addition to the curriculumn! We'll probably play some iStation games even during the break to keep Spawn in the game. ;) I'll try to get another pic of the week up during the break. Otherwise, see y'all on the flip side of break!
Chrissi, Cyber School Mom
I have a half-finished blog to wrap-up the week and the pic of the week that I failed to post this week, but...ugh...just this once, I gotta say - I'm tired. Down to the bone tired. We have an insane week coming up. I go to great lengths to keep our schedule as light as possible because Spawn has swimming, speech therapy, and karate every week during the school year. That's 3 out of every 5 school days that we do only the basic subjects and use the other 2 days to make-up work. This week is completely over-booked and I'm kicking myself for doing this, but I had no choice. All are necessary evils. Gotta just pull up my big girl panties and get through the week.
Monday: Swimming 4:00
Tuesday: Speech Therapy 4:00
(Also my dad's birthday today.)
Wednesday: Pediatrician for ADHD med follow-up: 4:00
Thursday: Karate 4:00
Friday: PALCS DEIBEL Testing (at the library in town - at least they come to us for this!) 2:45
Notice how most of the appointments are scheduled for 4:00 pm? Spawn needs that routine. Friday is really going to screw him up. :( I still have to do a full day's lessons every day this week and even double up on some so we can work ahead and take off all of spring break week. The meds Spawn takes cause mild insomnia, so he only sleeps a few hours a day and goes to bed some time between 2 and 4 am. He's not even able to pull himself together to start his school day until after noon most days. If I could make all those classes and appointments 2 hours later, my life would be so much easier. :/ Then again, his meds only last about 5 hours, so his classes would be a write-off. I just haven't figured out how to cram a day into 5 hours yet. I'm worn down to a nubbin trying to cope with less than 6 hours sleep most days. I wonder how other parents of kids like Spawn cope. ???
You know those backpacks they make for long-distance runners? The ones that hold like 2 quarts of water and just have a straw that runs up the strap to the runner's mouth? Can I get one of those filled with Jack & Coke? I'll just curl up in a fetal ball and suck down the sauce from my backpack the rest of the weekend. Gawd I'm tired. :I
Chrissi, Cyber School Mom
(who's finally admitting to having a rough day)
What a wonderful, busy week we've had! We had some personal/financial obstacles thrown in our path and we're not sure yet how that will affect Spawn's school situation. Rest assured - Spawn's education is our top priority. I can't see a scenario related to the current problem that would cause us to make an alternate schooling decision instead of more financial sacrifices. More on that at a later date.
Spawn's had a great week and he's been working AHEAD in many of his subjects! He caught up on two weeks worth of Language Arts lessons alone this week and some of the more difficult concepts are coming more easily to him. He's been having a lot of fun playing with words and rhyming games. We covered several new letters and phonics lessons this week - the letters O, H, and L, and the word ending family "-ot". Spawn has a lot of fun thinking of words that end in "-ot" and even making up pretend words.
The book of the week this week was I'm A Jolly Farmer by Julie Lacome - a fun book about a little girl's active imagination and her partner in imagination, her dog, Fred.
Spawn began working with the Hundred Chart in Math last week and by the end of this week, he was counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's using the Hundred Chart. This is stuff I didn't even do until 1st grade! I'm so proud of him!
He aced this week's Technology: Basic Graphics lessons in Science and the fridge is proudly plastered with his awards. :D
Social Studies was a review of concepts. He learned more about needs and wants and about saving to buy something he wants and what basic human needs are. I think he's beginning to realize that I meant it when I told him to save his pennies for that new Mega Rig Firetruck set! :D
Health, Safety, and Phys Ed brought a week of changes. Spawn has a new Phys Ed teacher, Mr. Devlin. We're so sorry to see Mr. Mitchell leaving PALCS, but we both look forward to learning more about and from Mr. Devlin. Mr. Devlin, apparently, is also a big Eagles fan. :D
Spawn began his new session at the YMCA this week also - continuing both swimming and karate lessons with Miss Joanne, Sensei Sue, and her assistant and son Mr. Chris. His swimming class is small - just three students. I got his report card from last session and was very pleased with the results. Spawn needs a little more focus and patience and some practice on jumping into the water unaided with just his PFD. Otherwise, it's apparent to his instructors that he's becoming much more comfortable and confident in the water and growing as a beginner swimmer.
A new student joined his karate class and the kids had a great time getting to know each other and beginning the new session's lessons. We also found out that a kids t-ball team will be forming at the end of March at the Y. Spawn can't wait to get started!
Chrissi, Cyber School Mom
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