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Parents Must Make Hard
Decisions To Help Their Son
by Ryan Shelley, Zwire, December 31, 2002
For more articles on disabilities and special ed visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
Like most parents, Dennis and Cindy Collins of Loris were
excited about their son Zach's first day of kindergarten last
year. To their surprise, however, only two days into the
school year, the Collins received notification from Daisy
Elementary that he had been suspended for disorderly conduct.
That's the first time the Collins realized their son had a
problem.
"My son Zach is a very loving and intelligent, yet very
hyperactive young man," said his father Dennis. "When he went
to daycare, they told us that he needed to be tested for ADHD
but we thought he was just being a regular energetic
three-year-old kid."
Unlike most conditions, attention deficit and hyperactivity
disorder isn't easily definable.
Reportedly, ADHD is the most common behavioral disorder
diagnosed in children and teens, almost 8 million in the U.S.
alone. ADHD refers to a group of symptoms that begin in early
childhood and can continue into adulthood, causing
difficulties at home, at school, at work, and within the
community if not recognized and treated. Inattention is the
most common symptom of the syndrome. In addition to having
difficulty paying attention, people with this ADHD symptom
often are unable to consistently focus, remember, and
organize. They may be careless and have a hard time starting
and completing tasks that are boring, repetitive, or
challenging. People with ADHD are also impulsive and
hyperactive. An ADHD child may squirm, fidget, and climb or
run when it is not appropriate. These children often have
difficulty playing with others. They may talk a great deal and
not be able to sit still for even a short time. Symptoms vary
by individual and range from mild to severe.
"ADHD kids don't perceive time like we do," Collins said. "A
few seconds can seem like 20 minutes to Zach. The worst thing
I could do to him is put him in a chair for 15 minutes. To
him, it would feel like an hour."
After a meeting with Daisy's school psychologist, she
concluded that Zach probably had ADHD and that the Collins
should seek the advice of their pediatrician. After much
deliberation with their doctor, the Collins decided it would
be in Zach's best interest to start him on medication.
"We gradually eased him into medication," Collins said. "He
takes something called Concerta. We were told by the doctor
not to tell the school we had started him on something to see
if they could tell a difference in his behavior."
After increasing dosage to the maxium amount, the school did
begin to see a positive difference. Zach began to stay more
focused on his work and was not as distracted by things going
on around him.
"It was at that time that my wife and I finally accepted the
fact that he had ADHD," he said. "It was a difficult choice
for us to make but we decided that the most important thing
for him was to be able to get his education. In the past few
months, we've had discussions about whether putting him on
medication is the right thing to do but do I have the right to
deny him an education? I just can't do that."
According to Collins, the reason for his concern about the
medication stems from what other effects it could have on his
son. Collins said there are many in the nation who have railed
against such ADHD medications for fear that it could have
adverse affects on the developing body of a child. Some belive
it could affect the kidneys, liver or the lungs.
"I hope the good of his education outweighs the possible evil
of the medication," he said.
According to Collins, the effects of the medication aren't all
positive.
The medication suppresses his appetite to the point that he
rarely gets hungry.
"Most of the time, he doesn't even eat at school," he said.
Because of the effects on his appetite, Collins said he
doesn't give the drug to his son on the weekends or when he's
otherwise out of school.
"So on the weekend, we he starts wanting this and that-- I
don't care if it's a potato chip or what, I let him have it,"
he said. "I don't care what it is. As long as he has something
going into his belly, it doesn't matter to me. That's the only
way we can maintain his weight."
Collins also said that he and his wife Cindy often wonder if
they have the right to give their son something that changes
his personality so dramatically.
"To us, he's just a regular child," he said. "He's always been
like this and we love him. But when your child goes from
running around and being energetic to looking like he's
paralyzed from the neck down in a little more than an hour, it
works on you. My wife's cried about it."
Collins said Zach doesn't enjoy the medication either. It is
up to his father to administer the 12-hour time-release
capsule to his son every morning before school.
"I get to be the bad guy," Collins said. "He doesn't like it
at all, so we go through a process every morning. Most of the
time, he's hides his face under the covers or something but I
just I just tell him 'Zach, we've got to do this.' This is my
morning and it's the hardest part of my day."
Collins said the medication has also had some high points. Up
until this year, Collins said his son has never cared anything
about celebrating any holidays, including Christmas and even
his own birthday.
"He wanted to trick or treat for the first time this year,"
said Cindy. "I'm glad the medication has allowed him to
clebrate holidays like most kids do."
In an effort to find another way for his son to live with ADHD
without medication, Dennis and Cindy recently attended a
seminar at Coastal Carolina University that explored Dr. David
Stein's alternative means of treatment. According to Collins,
he heard some interesting things at the seminar but, with all
the misinformation surrounding ADHD, he's not sure what to
believe.
"Some doctors say they can test for ADHD, others don't even
believe there's a test to diagnose it or that there are even
set symptoms of the disease," he said.
In his quest to allow his child to lead a normal life without
medication, Collins said that he and his wife have also looked
into moving to Cayce, South Carolina where they have a private
school that teaches ADD and ADHD kids without medication.
"We moved here from Socastee so Zach could go to school at
Daisy Elementary," he said. "I think it is one of the best
schools in the county and I don't want to leave it."
According to Collins, he doesn't know what the future holds
for his son but he said he is committed to doing everything he
can to make sure his son is given a fair chance.
"I don't have but one agenda," he said. "I just want him to
get a good education, whether it be high school or college. I
want him to have the chance to make a living with his mind and
not his back."
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