Let me start with introducing myself. My name is Alexis and I am a mom to three boys. My oldest, Steven, is 8 years old and has been diagnosed with ADHD and SPD. That would be Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (he has combined type) and Sensory Processing Disorder (also known as SID). My middle son is Ross and he is 7 and my youngest is Kyle and he is 5. I would not be surprised if we found out that Kyle also has ADHD, he struggles with hyperactivity at home and is very impulsive.
This blog will mainly be a diary of my struggles and triumphs of having a son with ADHD. What I have learned and need to learn will all be put out there for you to read. This will also help me remember things that my over loaded brain will have trouble remembering. I would appreciate any and all advice, but please be nice. I am learning as I go.
Let me tell you about Steven and our journey. I fell in love with Steven the moment I saw him. He came 3 weeks early, tiny little thing of 6.8 lbs. Feeding him was difficult, breastfeeding ended when he was 2 weeks old and then it took another few months to realize that he needed soy formula. Steven hated his car seat. As soon as I set him in it he would scream. He did not stop screaming until he was out of his car seat. Made traveling difficult, I even have a video of him screaming in his car seat somewhere. About 3 years old we noticed that Steven seemed to be hard of hearing, we would say his name over and over again and he would not respond. He had a hard time with eye contact as well. He was an active child, always moving. Difficult sleeper, difficult eater - would gag on new foods introduced. Finding friends was difficult, people liked him but he never seemed to really play with his friends and his friends never really stuck. When Steven got to Kindergarten he was singled out by his teacher as having some fine motor issues and it was suggested to us that we should do some more testing on him for ADHD and Autism. At the end of Kindergarten it came about that he needed PT and OT, he had ADHD, SPD, but not Autism. First grade went extremely well for Steven. He got the help he needed and seemed to be growing. He graduated out of PT, but still needed OT. Second grade we were finally able to secure him a spot at the school we are supposed to be in. Looking back I should not have moved him, but we wanted him to be at school with his brother and I could not take three kids to three different places and get to work on time. We saw Steven regress, had a lot of issues with his teachers and had to go back for more testing for Aspergers. All of his tests came back that he has the markers for it, but he can hold a recipricol conversation, so he does not have aspergers. This contradicts the report back from summer camp where it was noted that he does not have good recipricol conversation skills unless prompted.
Steven today: He only likes foods that are in the same color group; grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, gold fish, french fries, granola bars, vanilla, pancakes, french toast sticks, ritz crackers..... He drinks water, chocolate milk, and vanilla pediasure. He does not like wearing clothes and will come home and take everything but his underwear off. It took us a long time to teach him that he needs to wear underwear. He likes to chew on things, when he has clothes on he will chew and suck on his shirt collar and sleeves. He does not like much touching, hugs, or kisses. It is rare to get a kiss from him and when he does kiss he does not pucker up but rather puts his lips to your cheek with no movement of the face. He rolls and flips, and sits on his "head" a lot. He struggles with personal space. Hates having his hair brushed, teeth brushed, and struggles with tying his shoes. He is an amazing reader, can read at a 6th grade level but struggles with math. He is underweight and I am sure malnourished since I can not get many foods in him.
I love this boy more than anything and I struggle with how to "parent" him on a daily basis. More than anything I want what is best for him, no matter what diagnoses is given.
