Just a Few of My Favorite Things

Well, it's here. The month of October. It's my favorite month, full of my favorite things. Halloween: my favorite holiday. Fall: my favorite season. Football: my favorite sport.

I just learned an ADHD Awareness Month exists and it happens in October! What a coincidence! My favorite boy has ADHD.

This kid is awesome. 

This blog was started so I could share our adventures, but also so I could be a voice for myself and my kids in a world that is not designed for those who learn and live in different ways.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a real, neuro-biological medical disorder. In fact, doctors may begin diagnosing ADHD by using brain scans. Scientists have discovered how the ADHD brain works in comparison to non-ADHD brains. Pretty cool, huh?

(I geek out about science, sorry.)

You know, I want to take this ADHD Awareness Month on and really voice it because I feel we are still fighting for the recognition that ADHD is a real medical condition.

Things I have heard since we got the diagnosis:

• "Don't let anyone tell you there is something wrong with your kid when there is not. They just want to medicate him."
• "All ADHD is is kids being kids and lazy parents just don't want to deal with them."
• "What that kid needs is a spanking." Or better discipline. Or boundaries. Or, or, or...
• "ADHD is made up by the pharmaceutical companies to sell more pills."
• And the one that hurt the most: "You just want there to be something wrong with your kid."

Does any of that sound familiar?

So, here's the deal about ADHD:

• According to an article in ADDitude, "Given a wealth of evidence, the National Institute of Mental Health has concluded that ADD is a real medical condition. So has the American Psychological Association, which includes ADD in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible of mental-health professionals. And the U.S. Department of Education requires educational institutions to provide special accommodations to kids with ADD - it's the law."
• Receiving a diagnosis is not as easy as people think it is. In our case, it took years to receive a diagnosis. Our pediatrician did not diagnose our son, he referred us to a specialist. Once we got in to see the specialist, it took over a year for the final diagnosis. 
• We chose not to medicate at this point and try to control symptoms through diet and behavior support. However, many parents choose to medicate and that is their choice. I even recognize there may be a need to medicate my son when he is older as school becomes harder and more demanding. 
• As for discipline, well, what I say to that is: "No amount of spanking will make my son's brain work different." 
• And no, I do not want something to be "wrong" with my son. I don't think there is anything wrong with him. He's bright, charming, funny, caring and loving. His diagnosis doesn't change that. What it does is helps me to help him in the ways he needs it.  

I am still learning each day about ADHD, about my son, myself, and my family as we navigate this whole thing. In the next few weeks, I hope to share so much more about ADHD, facts and personal things as well.

So, let's get our Awareness on.