Forgetful

Monday was a crazy day.  I knew it was going to be an off one when I noticed Sam’s Ritalin on his place mat. It was just where I left it for him at breakfast. And he was already gone for school. The last time he forgot to take it (months ago), his teacher noticed and I wondered what would happen today.

Before I get into the story, let me introduce you to Sam’s teacher. He has an IEP so is in the inclusion class which has two teachers – one is general ed and the other is special ed. Luckily, they’re both great. His special ed teacher, Mrs. Holland, was also his teacher in Kindergarten and she is one of the best things that has happened to us. She goes above and beyond in every way that you hope a teacher will for your child. Because she knows and understands him so well, she gets the most out of him and they connect in a unique way which enables him to come home understanding the day’s lessons better than he would with any one else.

So on that day a few months ago, Mrs. Holland didn’t know why he was so off. I went to pick up and asked how it went. She laughed and said it wasn’t one of his best. When I told her he had skipped his Ritalin she admitted that she had never been sure about medications for kids but now that she saw the impact on Sam’s behavior, she acknowledged that some kids really do need it.

So here we were a few months later, on week six of Brain Balance and he forgot it again. I emailed Mrs. Holland at the end of the day to tell her he missed his pill and to ask how it went. She emailed me back immediately (of course!) and said she was so relieved to hear that that’s what it was. She has been reading this blog and has been loving what she’s been seeing in the classroom – until today. He has no learning issues so her role with him has always been to get and keep him on track. His mind and body wander all over the classroom and he needs her to bring him back to his desk – both literally and figuratively. For the past couple of weeks, he’s been following along without her usual prompting. He’s been getting the books out for the next lesson without a reminder from her. So when he came in on Monday with a serious case of the wiggles and jiggles, she got a little nervous. He couldn’t sit still. He couldn’t focus. He couldn’t transition well. And when she challenged him to see if he could sustain his new found independent behavior, he couldn’t. She couldn’t believe the Brain Balance magic was wearing off and didn't know how to tell me so hearing that he skipped the Ritalin was a relief.

I am not anti medication for kids. I am a firm believer that many issues can be solved, or at least improved, through medication. And if there’s a pill to make life easier for Sam, he will take it until he doesn’t need it anymore. There are some Brain Balance parents whose primary focus is to get their kids better enough to wean them off their meds. Sure, I would love it if Sam's ADD went away he no longer needed Ritalin. But getting him off the drugs is not that important to me so this reminder that he still needs it, didn’t crush me. I will probably try one more experiment like this one before the end of the school year (be warned, Mrs. Holland!) to see how he does while he has a teacher that knows him so well. Maybe in another month or two he will do better without it. If not, I am more than fine with the new and improved Sam who can handle the school day better than before – even if it is with the support of that little yellow pill.