So my darling daughter was 7.5 years old had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia… Now the adventure really began.
And Natasha wasn’t actually diagnosed with dyslexia. She was too young according to the federal government’s rules to have a learning disability. She was officially developmentally delayed.
Two weeks after my daughter’s evaluation, I attended my daughter’s IEP meeting. (This meeting must be held 30 days after parents are informed their child qualifies for special education.) Since I am single I took my mother with me as a witness.
The meeting included my daughter’s regular teacher and reading teacher. It was only 30 minutes long and I found it useful.
Here is a nice link on IEP.. what to expect and how to use an IEP.
I feel very lucky. Natasha’s teachers and I agree on her IEP goals. And the school has implemented her IEP. MY DARLING DAUGHTER CAN READ NOW! She is behind still and will likely remain in special education for a couple more years. But she is doing so great.
About the ADHD….
It took about 9 months to find the right dose for my daughter. It took input from my daughter, her doctor, her teachers and I. We started on MetaDate and moved to Concerta.
I felt lucky that my daughter never experienced the hyper focus (staring into space) or suppression of personality. And my daughter told me when the medication worked her brain felt cleaner and it was easier to think.
My daughter’s doctor tells me her that her current medication is homeopathic. Typically homeopathic remedies are micro-doses. And when you think about it, using a stimulate to solve over stimulation is a classic definition of homeopathy.
I had asked her doctor to start with the lowest dose that had the potential to impact her. And then I listened closely to my daughter and her teachers.
My daughter is 60 pounds and on 18MB of Concerta. She also takes a 5mg generic Ritalin in the morning with her Concerta. The 5mg pill gives her a boost in the morning that she needs to focus.
My daughter was incredible happy with her medicine when she stopped getting in trouble at school for “lack of focus”. Once we hit this level, we stopped changing the medication/doseage.
Medication, ADHD and Dyslexia
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Lessons Learned