My professional background is school counseling. Over the years, I have had many conversations with parents about the benefits of medication. “It will give your child a level playing field”, I would say, sometimes comparing it to eyeglasses.
But when it came to my kid, I found my own advice was a tough pill to swallow. I was well informed on the research, but I had similar concerns. Do we really know the long-term effects? Have we really exhausted every other option (therapies, behavioral approaches, environmental changes…)? Am I just a lazy parent looking for a quick fix?
Life had to get really bad before we succumbed to pharmaceuticals. Our family life had been turned upside-down and we had experienced some pretty serious mental health crisis. What brought us to crushing pills into ketchup? His behavior at school became so disruptive that day treatment was being advised.
I still don’t like giving my kid pills. But it helps. My kid is happier, and family life is more balanced. Unfortunately, medication did not produce the same results at school. This discrepancy would cause us to look at his school environment with a more critical eye.
The relaxed summer life has always produced a more emotionally stable child. School starts in a few weeks, and I’m anxious to see how our venture into home learning will impact-positively or negatively- his current state of (mostly) calm.
IEP MOMMY 