New medication for both kids, so I’ve gotta keep
track. It’s sort of unexpected that we changed medication. We have
tried the kids on several things, and I felt that they were using what worked best.
But then a little catalyst of change came up. In December, Luke was suspended
for three days for hitting another boy in his class.
Got that call from the principal, “Mrs. Larson. There’s
been an incident with Luke.” The first
time I got that call, I was in tears. The second, I was really stressed. The
third I just sighed and rolled my eyes. Kind of an "Oh boy, what now?" But it turned out to be worse than an eye roller.
So I met with the principal about the incident and got a lot
more info. The kid had teased Luke and tattled on him. Luke had hit him--but he's no boxer. I worry more about his bark than his bite. It seemed that this meeting was really a "we don't know what to do with your kid" meeting. I realized that things were not going as well as I
thought at school. Luke has a tracker that his teacher signs and sends home,
and he was earning rewards almost every day. He did have some problems with
other kids that the teacher had told me about, but things were definitely worse
than I perceived.
My husband and I met with the principal and vice principal
again the next day. Things just seemed to get worse. They brought up the option
of putting Luke in a Learning Center, which essentially means a smaller
classroom for kids with behavior problems at a different school. We were shocked to hear that. DH about lost
his mind and brought a law suit after that meeting.
The next day Luke, my husband, and I went to one meeting with the
district “Safe Schools” administrator and another with the case management
team. The people at the district were very understanding and helpful and
reassuring that they wanted to help Luke and not kick him to the curb. But we
did get the idea that they had gone a little overboard with Luke's suspension.
They termed it an “assault.” And Luke had to sign a general behavior contract
that I’d say is usually reserved for tough high school kids. It mentioned arson,
theft, vandalism… Luke started to read it and said, “What’s sexting?” The
administrator pushed the paper right up to Luke’s chest and said, “Just sign the
bottom here.” Luke cuddled a stuffed dog in one hand and signed with the other.
So we were at one of those points of desperation where we
felt like we’d do anything to help Luke and make the situation at school
better. I asked our pediatrician Dr. Dave about trying different meds, and he suggested Focalin.
We had tried it several years ago and decided against it since it made Luke sleepy but thought we’d try again with a super low dose. So we switched both
Luke and Izzy and started with a very low 5 mg dose for Luke and 10 mg for Izzy.
Izzy obviously needed more, and we gradually increased her dose to 20 mg. We then
tried her on 27 mg of Concerta, which is also a methylphenidate, but she seemed
to get a little over-the-top crazy on that. So we are sticking with 20 mg
Focalin for both of them. I think it might be working better than the Vyvanse.
But since this is all so subjective and mixed in with the emotions of a
desperate mother and father, it is hard to know. We are also trying to figure
out if they need a little short-acting, after-school dose.
More details to come on help from the school district, an in-class aid, school psychologist and special ed teacher changes, and finding an outside psychologist.
A great message for moms who are trying their best.
A great message for moms who are trying their best.
