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Replies to '10/06 IQ Answer'
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October 4, 2006, 10:05 am PDT
 Quote From: wickedteensmom I have been struggling with my sons sleep habits for about 6 years. He would miss 56-60 days a year of school which led to failing classes,he missed friends and social activities, he was generally just missing LIFE. He was once a productive student and an active member of society when he was in elementary school. Last year, his school work and attendance became so bad that the school district became involved. With much help from the assistant principal, we got him into the sleep disorder clinic in our area and discovered he is a hyposomniac, and has borderline sleep apnea.They prescribed him allergy medication to take via nasal cavities every night and now I can say my son is an A-B student,has a steady relationship with a wonderful yound lady and is a member of the schools football team with hopes of joining the basketball team when football season is over. There is hope for this girl Dr. Phil. I NEVER thought my son was capable of such a tremendous turn around but it can be done with parental perserverence and caring individuals who listen to the symptoms and offer productive solutions. I am a huge advocate of having sleep studies done for ANY long-term behavoir problems...kids or adults. After learning that my husband has obstructive sleep apnea AND restless leg syndrome, AND that I have Narcolepsy, the sleep specialist recommended sleep studies for all three of our boys, all diagnosed with ADHD...incorrectly...on meds for years with bad side effects.
It turns out that my oldest son, age 17, has Narcolepsy, and getting on the right meds has allowed his grades to go from Cs, Ds and Fs to being on the A honor roll. Too bad we didn't know to have the sleep studies done years ago.
Our youngest 2 boys both have Restless Leg Syndrome and were waking up over 250 times a night...no wonder they were fussy and uncooperative...ages 13 and 8. Requip, a restless leg medication, has made a huge difference in their behavior and attitudes. A high number of kids with behavior problems actually have a sleep disorder.
Through thourough vision testing, we have also learned that they both have a vision disorder that causes problems with the eyes being able to work together. Kids with vision disorders are typically uncooperative about doing their homework...no wonder, they are straining their eyes just to try to do it. They are now both doing vision therapy...we were tipped off my my neice's husband, who is a school counselor, specializing in kids with learning disabilities...many kids with learning disabilities actually have vision problems. If anybody is interested in having their kids checked for vision disorders, just ask your eye doctor for a specialist in vision therapy.
Being put on ADHD meds without doing thorough testing for underlying causes of the symptoms and behaviors is just an irresponsible act on the doctor's part!
Obviously, if a child is acting out, it is also a good idea to get involved at school to see if there are problems with other children picking on the child, or some other situation that parents may not be aware of. Kids are often ashamed of being picked on and bullied, so they don't speak up. Or maybe, the school personel just consider the child to be a tattletale. Our school has a policy of having the kids try to work it out between themselves before telling an adult...a good thing most of the time, but it does discourage kids from bringing the issue out in the open.
Well, I've said my piece. Again, you're a great mom to be so vigilant and involved...glad things are going better for your son. |
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