@Marc:

Thanks for your encouragement and faithfully reading this blog during my spotty attention defecits!

You’re right, understanding and properly addressing AJ’s behavioral issues is quite perplexing at times. It would be so much easier if we could just say he’s being rebellious and apply the “Rod of Correction” but it’s simply not that easy, as you well know in dealing with ODD. To the uninitiated and naïve these are simply behavioral issues that need to be trained out of a child, but the reality is that these things arise out of complicated and not clearly understood neural, hormonal, and psychological impairments. Spanking, in fact, makes it worse. (As one clinician I read stated it, for the sufferers of some of these maladies, trying harder can actually make the condition worse.

Not having medical insurance hasn’t helped us make much progress in this area, either, since the doctors and procedures for diagnosis are quite expensive. However, now that I have a great job with great benefits, and now that AJ is in a very supportive school system I expect to see more development on this front in the next several months.

For now, we are getting closer to an accurate diagnosis and possibly some medical help that will make a difference.

Thanks, again.

Regards,

I think back to a few generations ago when there wasn’t much treatment for “active” kids, other than the Vice Principal’s rod of correction. I’m guessing you and your wife are like us in that we were both compliant/quiet youngsters, so it makes it even more difficult to understand and help the rowdy kids God has blessed us with. By His strength we’ll make it through.

If you haven’t heard any of Mark Lowry’s recorded stuff, then you should pick some up as he puts a pretty funny spin on growing up ADD. May Jehovah Shalom inhabit AJ and the Holy Spirit lead him to the control he needs in his life.

Your son reminds me of a character I read about in one of Maria Doria Russell’s books, Children of God, I think it’s called. It’s a sci-fi sequel about a Jesuit mission to another planet. (weird I know, lol) Throughout the story she shows how God can use anybody to further His plans and that most often, it’s through the people we least expected.

The reason I thought of that book is that it showed me that God can take any circumstance and any person and turn it into something powerful and great. God makes us who we are in order to do the things he’s set out for us to do. It’ll be very exciting to see how God uses your circumstances in this case. I hope I’ve made sense, I’m a little rusty at this.

What a beautiful family you have, my God bless them!

Carissa

AJ’s back to his normal self today after sleeping another 13 hours. He’s a little drowsy, but yesterday is a complete wash to him. Last night, the last thing he could remember was getting on the scales at the doctor’s office. Today, the last thing he remembers is going to McDondal’s with me. He kept asking Jennifer, “Mom, when are we going to the hospital? I’m not supposed to eat anything, remember?”

That chloral hydrate’s powerful stuff.

I hope the results of this are helpful. I’ve never heard of a case like this sounds.