What’s Wrong with My Child?

When David was born his grandfather called him a “slice of bread.”  He was very self-accommodating and almost never cried.  He was extremely curious about his environment and you could watch him absorb information from everything around him.  He had exhibited developmental delays that were brushed aside by his physician as irrelevant, and something he would outgrow.  In Pre-Kindergarten class his abnormalities became more prominent and the focus of teachers’ concerns.  His first grade teacher accepted his differences, was able to work with his quirks in the classroom, and he excelled academically. 

By second grade David’s standardized testing scores were higher than the school had ever seen. He readily demonstrated superior intellect, but was not particularly accommodating to the demands of classroom standards.  By third grade the teacher proclaimed he showed symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder because he would not always attend to the teacher’s instruction.  Following a brief questionnaire filled out by teachers and parents his pediatrician diagnosed him with AD/HD.

By the end of 4^th grade he was on a handful of medications and could no longer participate in the educational program.  He became extremely paranoid, would have psychotic outbursts, and suffered severe weight loss.  The teachers insisted he take medication, but the medication only made him more volatile.  He exhibited a form of emotional epilepsy when he became over stimulated and could not be easily calmed.  As his behavior worsened he received new diagnoses.  With each diagnosis came additional medication. 

As a parent, I followed David down the rabbit hole, medication after medication, seeking the proper treatment.  The elusive red queen (treatment) was guarded by professional opinions that only made his condition worse.  The time lost as specialist endeavored to force him into a box that did not fit his behaviors, severely impacted his ability to become properly educated and lead an independent life.  Social skills training was limited to convincing him that he had to accept other children’s differences, but not how to overcome his own. 

Receiving a diagnosis of mental illness when seeking treatment for behavioral difficulties can be very misleading.  Insurance companies insist on a diagnosis before approving reimbursement.  Therefore, providers are not reimbursed unless a diagnosis is made -- generally within 3 visits.  Long-term medical treatment is covered by insurance, but long-term therapeutic treatment is not, so behavioral therapy is not often recommended. 

A diagnosis of ADHD or bipolar disorder guarantees the treating physician years of treatment coverage.  The services granted by federal regulations are not readily disclosed and require a great deal of research and background knowledge to comprehend.  By exploring how the diagnostic process works, this book provides information to parents who are facing difficult choices in finding the proper treatment.

With all the ‘experts’ weighing in on what is ‘wrong’ with a child, parents have no idea how to best serve their child’s needs. It can be overwhelming and severely detrimental to make the wrong decision. 

As a therapist I learned what needed to change in the diagnostic process.  Psychotropic medication changes the chemistry of developing brains in ways that may permanently impact functioning.  They reduce cognitive functions; induce weight gain, , and cause cardiac irregularities.  These “side effects” are often minimized by physicians and hard to spot.  This book helps parents look for symptoms of side effects that are not always directly reported by a child.

Many children who are different are not evaluated for their strengths, but instead for their weakness, in the search for perfection.  Those who stand out are still ostracized or segregated in society.  My hope is that this book will help change that, if not for me than for other parents.  I wish I could say I am alone in my nightmare.  Parents everywhere are subject to professional negligence and ego-induced hypotheses.  This book provides a guideline to when medication is beneficial and when alternatives to medication are suitable.

One of the stories discussed in this book is about a 12 year old girl who was so heavily medicated that she could not write her own name.  Hope had been prescribed 7 different medications and was about to get a new one to treat the tremors brought on by all the others.  This alone was cause for immediate concern.  As I worked with Hope, I discovered that her stepfather had sexually molested her, and the medication was an effort to make her look like the one who was sick.  She had become convinced that sleeping in her parents’ bed was normal, because if she didn’t she would receive a medication that convinced her it was.  The plethora of diagnostic labels was enough to convince anyone that she was a desperately troubled child, but not why.

At what point do treating physician need to ask a different set of questions?  For most parents, the search for answers can be like following Alice down the rabbit hole.  It isn’t until you can’t find your way back to the beginning that you find you went in the wrong direction.