How do you cope when in need of help with kids behavior problems? Finding out my son Codey had ADHD was tough to swallow. At the same time I was a little relieved that I finally knew the reason he was so difficult. However the possibility of my son taking mood medication at such a young age made me cringed. I mean he was only 5. I had to try all other alternatives first and if all else failed I knew I might have to consider medicating him.
I knew I couldn’t deal with Codey’s constant misbehavior. He was always hyper, impulsive and seldom paid attention. He threw tantrums and fits as he pleases whether in the house or out in public. Time outs, talking, scolding, and bribes soon ran their courses. I began to dread the embarrassment of going out in public with him because I knew that we would be welcomed by constant stares of disapproval and annoyances. Strangers, friends, and family would interject their own parenting advice. They were not shy in telling me what I was doing wrong as if I was not competent in the parenting department. My son would quickly go from one activity to the next even when it was playing with his toys. When around other children, he would most certainly be the noisiest. He would not share but he would certainly take the other children’s toys. In school Codey displayed the same behavior. He would not raise his hand; interrupted the teacher and other students. He was very impatient and would not wait his turn on line or for anything. Of course this type of behavior was quickly making him unpopular in kindergarten.
Like I previously mentioned I tried different courses and books which promised help with kids behavior problems. I read behavior development, child behavior, and child discipline books. I implemented some of the techniques even before finding out about Codey’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I would get some relief with him, but to my dismay it would just be temporary.
I started to read different books and watch different dvd’s that promised help with kids behavior. They mostly talked about different behavior problems and the different ways to discipline kids. Some of the things I already knew and I learned some new techniques, while some well let’s just say I can just do without. A lot of the information on getting a child to behave were just overwhelming and left me even more frustrated, especially when they didn’t work for us. I continued to try out the ones that I thought would be more beneficial.
I even broke down and went the route of taking some parenting classes, something which I didn’t think I would ever need. A couple of times it seemed like I would probably have a breakthrough with my son’s behavior but to my disappointment it would only be very temporary. He just seemed to be immune to whatever I tried and his behavior continued to get out of control. Once again I received a call from my son’s teacher to discuss Codey’s destructive behavior. I explained to her that I was doing the best I could with him and didn’t understand why he acted the way he did. She told me that Codey was showing signs of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and recommended that he be evaluated.
Hearing this made me feel awful as I did not want my child labeled with any type of disorder. I remembered when the teacher was talking, I was thinking wow she went straight to the ADHD and completely skipped the ADD. I begin to question my parenting skills and wondered if I was a failure at it. But deep inside I did have my suspicions that my baby might have some type of behavior problem. I guess hearing it from someone else confirmed it for me.
Reluctantly I took Codey to his pediatrician who recommended a psychiatrist. He was giving a full psychiatric evaluation and the psychiatrist felt that he should see a neurologist to confirm that it was ADHD. After the neurological testing was done it was confirmed that Codey indeed had ADHD. She then discussed the different treatment options. The options were psychotropic medications and behavior modification.
