Posted by Chris A. on September 18, 2000, at 0:47:57
Any suggestions? He is nineteen and fifteen times zones away from home. When he was home this summer I was tempted to slip some Ritalin in his mashed potatoes. He has gotten into trouble on the job several times since being overseas. His descriptions of his experiences echo of impulsivity. He communicates with us often and is quite frank. I'm not sure that he wants to hear what his mother has to say, though. He has been in denial of his ADHD since the age of thirteen, much to his own detriment. If he were to acknowledge it now and seek treatment (which in my estimation makes him much more productive, attentive and pleasant to be around), he would lose his job. He had a top notch work-up when he was diagnosed at 4 1/2 years of age and was followed up through the age of thirteen. IQ wise he's at the top, but he hasn't accepted the ADHD and is unwilling to work with it so he suffers and others around him get some fallout. I hate to see him unneccessarily go through this, but don't know how to intervene. Perhaps I just have to let him learn the hard way.
That's hard because I come from a strong prevention mindset - catch it early and treat it vigorously to prevent deterioration and heartache. To him to admit it would be a sign of weakness - not something a marine readily does. He's my little boy. Is there anything I can do?Chris A.
poster:Chris A.
thread:24
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/child/20000813/msgs/24.html