One mothers attack on dyslexia

Dyslexia. Ugh. I still hate you. I am still frustrated by you. I don't appreciate you yet.

Here is our fight against dyslexia thus far...


Rhett is now seeing a speech therapist who had to order a $1000.oo program for his treatment. He sees her twice a week. He likes to go. It doesn't surprise me. She is gorgeous. Tall, slender, fancy dresser, plus she gives him soda pop and candy. She also feeds him popcorn and lets him play on the computer during his break.



Here is what his homework looks like. She thinks he is coming along okay.







We have hung these signs around the house. We are trying to quiz him on his words.




Last year I bought him a TAG pen. Its is WAY cool. It reads the words of the books programed to work with the pen. So when I can't help him (which is often because of little siblings who need drinks 50 times a day) he can take his pen and read. You just point the pen on the word and it says it. What a world we live in.



One enormous factor in Rhett's learning problem is the fact that he has an alien inside his body in which I have come to lovingly refer to as ADHD. For anyone who doesn't believe it is a real thing please come sit by my kid during church. Please drive in the car next to my kid. You'll walk away a believer.

For anyone who believes better discipline could solve the problem, perhaps in some situations that may be true. I am a fan of good discipline. But there is truly a little motor inside my kid and I believe it is not in his power to control himself in regards to sitting still and not fidgeting and not trying to pull my arm hairs out at church and ...not, not, not....anything you can think of to be fidgety. He is not even allowed to ride on the front seat of the car with me.


Why is that again? Oh yes. Turn on the cigarette lighter, open the glove box, shuffle through the glove box, turn on the over head light, shut the glove box, shut off the overhead light, turn on the overhead light, turn off the overhead light, turn on the overhead light, turn on the radio, push a bunch of buttons, move the vents all one way, move the vents all another way, roll down the window, beg to steer, turn on the light, beg to steer, turn off the light, beg to steer, try to steer, ask me why just to annoy me over and over..... turn on the.....




"AAAAAHHHHHHHH! You are never riding in the front seat again!!!!!!"


And that is really not an exaggeration!


He truly can't seem to stop. Maybe over time he will develop some skills but for now it is not within his own capabilities.

Therefore ,


We have medicated him for ADHD. It BREAKS my heart and I know there is a lot of controversy. I am not the pro. I am learning as I go here but I am NOT going to let him not have every chance he can have. I know there may be lots of criticism on medication and I HATE it do death also but I am just doing my best here. I really hated it the first week when I kept finding him like this.... I was so depressed.



It took a few weeks to get use to the medicine. It made him so tired at first. It hurt to see him like this because it feels like I have stifled his personality. But is spasticness his personality or a symptom of his ADHD. It is hard to know what the right choice is. He has acclimated to the medicine and is doing better. I defiantly don't have all the answers and I am doing my best. I am not medicating him because he bugs me or because I am annoyed by him. I am medicating him because he literally can't sit still to work on his work.

Speaking of work....this kid is the best worker we have in our house. I think I will keep him. He loves to work and he is VERY capable and does a good job!

Also I just wanted to let you know that even though there is an alien in my child I have very high hopes for his future.


Like a lighthouse in the storm,



like a beacon in the night,



like Hershey chocolate to a depressed house wife...



I know of someone else who is riddled with ADHD (and he is medicated). And he is lighting my heart with hope, you know, when he isn't terrifying me with his scary talk.


(well, hello there Glenny! Lookin' good!)


Today I had to cry because I was thinking of my poor buddy at school. I was thinking of the teacher passing him out assignments and paper work. Although they are aware of his dyslexia he just can't have someone there every second. And if they forget to help him.... Anyway, I was picturing him just in a little fog because he can't read the top of the paper to know what he is suppose to do and he will be too embarrassing to ask.


The other day he got to go to dinner with some friends who have kids his age. He wanted help with the menu and the kids were surprised he couldn't read. He told them he had a disease.


I wish there was a little computer symbol to show a person with their big sad fat lip out.... Cause that's me.... right now.

Dear Dyslexia, you can go away now and take ADHD with you!