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Wednesday, June 5, 2019

ADHD-Succeeding is a Big Deal


My son got awarded at an honor awards ceremony, yesterday. It was very special and emotional for me.

You may be thinking, "So what? Big deal! Kids make honors all the time." You'd be right, kids do make it all the time, but for us, this was a BIG DEAL!

This is the first time that he has been honored for his school work. Last year, he was so far behind in school, but because he had behavior issues, probably because he couldn't read or write well and he was frustrated, we didn't know he was so far behind.



After hitting my limit of how many times my child should be sent home for acting out in class, I asked if it was possible that he had ADHD and from there, we had started the process of screening him and finding out that he did have it.

Related- Why Our Son's ADHD Diagnosis Didn't Surprise Us

We started him on medication as soon as we could and within a year, he learned how to read and write and basically two grades worth of learning crammed into one.

He was behind, but he caught up so quickly!



So it's a big deal!


I was surprised when I saw this flyer in my son's book bag. We had actually been having issues with him getting uninvited from a field trip because he had written a very poor paper.

With ADHD, forgetting is normal, procrastination is normal, crappy handwriting is normal, and did I say that procrastination is normal?

My son only takes his medication during the school hours, so when he gets home, it has mostly worn off and he just wants to be a boy who plays and watches television when we let him. He doesn't have a problem with doing his normal homework packet and he loves to read at bed time, but when something out of the ordinary happens, like writing a paper after a field trip, he'll forget about it.

That's what happened. He remembered two hours after his bedtime that he had to write this paper.

My poor husband had to stop what he was doing and had to keep reminding my son to keep working on his homework. He wasn't even sure what needed to be done and by the end of the day, my son couldn't remember much either.

So it's a big deal!


My son's teacher is pretty strict, as she should be. She's effective and she challenges my son. However, with the corrections that my son has had to do for papers and homework and then getting uninvited from the field trip, I wasn't quite sure how he stood with his school work.


So it's a big deal!


I went to the ceremony yesterday. It was done inside the classroom because the class was on a field trip when the one for the school was held. 

These honors were based on school work and the state tests that were just done.

Out of 17 kids in the classroom, only 7 of them met or exceeded their expectations. 

So it's a big deal!


There were two certificates being handed out that day. One for ELA (English Language Assessment?) and one for Math. Only a few of those students got one for one category, but my SON got one for both of them. 

So it's a big deal!


I don't mean to brag about this because when I think about it, only SEVEN kids MET the standards. Only seven in a classroom of seventeen students. That breaks my heart for those other kids.

The vice principal was there and he made a HUGE statement, that I was impressed by. He said, "Just because these students got awards and you didn't, it doesn't mean that they are smarter than you. You are all smart. If you worked hard for this, you could be up here, too. These students worked hard to get these and you can too."

I thought those were powerful words.

I wasn't a straight A student. I was more of a straight C student.  I didn't work hard for my grades. I tested very well, but I never really did my homework. I forgot that I had homework and I scrambled to finish it in class the next morning, always turning in a partial sheet. I remember my teachers telling my parents that I could do so much better if I just practiced, if I just worked harder, if I just did the work.



So it's a big deal!


My son has ADHD and it once hindered him. It stopped him from learning to read and write. It stopped him from being able to pay attention and focus in class. It even made working on homework at home a battle. 

But it doesn't anymore. I know that there are people who frown upon medicating their child, but if you only knew how it has helped us, perhaps you wouldn't be so skeptical. 

My son can read and he can write. He can do his homework without arguing- as long as he does it when he gets home and doesn't wait. 

He still gets the chance to be a normal kid. He plays and has imagination. He creates his own stories and illustrates them. He's never been boring a day in his life and he doesn't bounce of the walls. He's the same kid that he's always been: kind, loving, smart, imaginative, an encyclopedia. The only difference now, is that he can sit still for a while and work on what he needs to do. 

So it's a VERY BIG DEAL.


(P.S.- As a blogger, I realize that sharing and promotion is EVERYTHING in order to build up traffic to your blog. I'm use Tailwind to help promote my blog posts. In order to Niche Down, I also created a Tailwind tribe for moms who have children with ADHD. If you're interested in joining the tribe community, our tribe would love to have you! Click to Join ADHD Mom .)

32 comments:

  1. My son has ADHD. It was tricky to figure out how to help my son but we finally found a medication that calmed him, but he was still himself.

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    1. It can be a huge trial, especially when you wonder if you're doing the right thing. It was when we were assured that he'd still be himself, that we decided to try it. Best decision EVER!

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  2. It was when the doctor explained that to my son a child quietly walking down the hallway while his teacher was at the board teaching was the same to him as me having the phone and door bell ringing at the same time I was vacuuming and listening to music. It was so distracting that he couldn't figure out which one was most important to pay attention to. That I understood how he felt.

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    1. I think it was easier for me to accept and understand it because I had many of the same problems that my son had, however, I was more passive at school- always staring out the window or playing with my pencils. At home, though, I had behavioral problems because I couldn't switch from task to task. After it clicking that that could be why my son was having such a difficult time, it made so much more sense.

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  3. I didn't know this disorder because I don't know anyone who has it, thanks for talking about it!

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    1. It's more prevalent here where the food is more processed. We try to make the kids fresh food every day, but it's also genetic.

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  4. I actually worked with a veterinarian with ADHD and got to see firsthand how it can be a struggle to overcome, even in the adult world. Thank you for sharing this.

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    1. Our kid's doctor has ADHD, too and it's certainly a different experience, especially with three people with ADHD are in the room.

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  5. I am so happy for your son. I have no idea what I would have done if I were in your shoes. I must say though that my son (as adult) now believes that he has ADHD but he does not want to see a specialist.

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    1. I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD as a kid so I learned to overcome a lot of things and work with it. It can be managed, but there are times where I don't even realize how distracted I am.

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  6. My nephew has ADHD. We went through a battle trying to figure our why his behavior was so wild. They finally got to the bottom of it and the medication has calmed him, and he is fine now.

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    1. That's amazing! I hope that he still has what makes him him, but just calmer.

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  7. It is a very big deal. My children have never been diagnosed with ADHD, but they have fiends who have. I understand there is even a controversy to medicate. My opinion, whatever works best for your child. You are doing great!

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  8. It is crazy how many kids this effects. I have a friend who has it and it can be a problem for her.

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    1. It's interesting because it doesn't affect everyone the same way. My son, for instance, had behavioral problems and acted out. My daughter on the other hand has passive ADHD which doesn't present itself with hyper activity or behavior problems. It focuses more on her attention and focus. She'll appear to be listening or reading, but if you look at her, she won't even be looking at what she needs to be doing, she's just memorized a lot of things.

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  9. ADHD is definitely a huge deal and should be give lots of attention for sure. It is great that you're talking about it. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks! I feel that people still don't understand it which is why it can be difficult to diagnose and there's still a negative connotation about it, which it can be managed effectively as long as you have a plan.

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  10. Neither of my kids have ADHD, but I will definitely be sharing this with parents whos kids do. Thanks for the post!

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  11. Oh wow, congrats to your son. It's a great accomplishment and a really big deal for someone with ADHD (my granddaughter has it as well).

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    1. Thank you! It's such a sweet moment and it came at a great time! I hope that your granddaughter does well. :)

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  12. I know a number of kids that has it as well. It can be challenging for the kids but I think it's more on parents. Your son is very bright.

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    1. Thank you! The fight is real! We had to come up with a behavior plan for him when he was in Kindergarten and then have had to advocate for him when different things occur. I don't want to be a helicopter mom or one who undermines the teacher because I believe that there are consequences to our actions, but when I see things from his point of view or remember how hard it was for me and it was because I wasn't understood or even I didn't completely understand, then it becomes easier.

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  13. This is awesome!! My friends son has Adhd. Celebrating this moment and make it a big deal! :)

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    1. Thank you! I hope that your friend's son is doing well!

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  14. That is a massive deal! You should be so proud of not only your son, but yourself as well. Clearly you've fought hard to find reasonable adjustments to make sure he is succeeding.

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    1. Thank you! It isn't always easy, but this big wins make it less frustrating when something goes amiss.

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  15. This is a big deal. Congrats to you son making progress on combatting his ADHD

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  16. Congrats to your son and you!! This is great!

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