Sometime last year I stopped letting my Daughter talk to her Dad for the simple fact that the conversations he had with her were completely inappropriate for a 9 year old girl to hear. She was already struggling in school and having a hard time coping with everything. When I had to explain to her what an illegitimate child was and prove to her that her little Brother was not one as her Dad told her on their last phone call, I knew this had to stop!
Nicole continued to struggle in school with grades as well as have behavior issues. Her grades dropped from A's and B's to B's and C's. She continued to get in trouble at school for talking, not following directions, and not listening to the teachers. She even had N's in conduct on the end of year report card. For those who haven't seen a report card in a while, that's non-satisfactory! Nicole also had a very hard time concentrating, doing homework and even reading books (which she used to love doing).
It had been apparent for some time that she was more distracted than usual and upset quite often. She would get angry at the drop of a hat and have a very hard time calming down. When asked why she was mad she usually said it was because of her Dad. She felt very hurt that her Dad was not there for her and a part of her life. It was obvious that something was missing from her life and she was really struggling with this for the first time. She just couldn't seem to stop obsessing about it to the point of making herself cry!
In November I decided to take Nicole to see the pediatrician. She literally cried when the Doctor asked her how she was feeling. He highly recommended that I take her to see a psychologist/therapist as well as have her evaluated for ADHD. With her grades slipping and her constant bad reports for behavior, I needed to explore every option to help her. My family and I had always suspected that she might have ADHD, but we were never really sure. She displayed many symptoms, but we always seemed to manage.
After having her evaluated by the Doctor, Psychologist, her Teachers, and my Husband and I, the Doctor confirmed that she did in fact have ADHD. Her Doctor required an EKG and blood work to review her overall health, and then discussed the options with us. I had never been a big advocate of medicine, so I was forced to do an extreme amount of research on ADHD once this was determined.
On her 1st day back at school from Christmas break, Nicole started taking the medication for ADHD. I am over joyed to say that it has helped her tremendously. She has been able to focus in school and has not gotten ONE MARK for BAD BEHAVIOR SINCE! I met to discuss her progress with her teachers and the school counselor and they all gave her glowing reviews! They said she is paying attention in class, staying focused, and her grades are already improving. She is following directions and listening to the teachers.
I am also proud to say that her latest report card had all E's in conduct for the first time in her life!! That's EXCELLENT, by the way! I feel like we have done the right thing and my Daughter is SO PROUD of her own progress. She realizes that she is improving, which makes her try even harder. She actually wants to go to school now and is reading books on her own! This is truly a step in the right direction for her education and overall life.
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