I just have to share this wonderful news.  We have a HAPPY boy again!! Our son, Jonathan, is 8 years old and has struggled with fears, worries, depression,  and explosiveness, due to an organic cause.  His brain just gets stuck on bad stuff, or on something he wants, and it just sends him all to pieces if it doesn’t happen.  We have lived through a few years of dealing with this on a daily basis.  He also has dyslexia, and this can be a discouraging phenomena for a second grader.  All of these have combined to make his life, and ours, quite a challenge at times. 

Things that are routine for others, small frustrations that inevitably occur, changes in plans, or small things like fatigue, can wreak havoc in our day and his life.  He completely melts down.  And it isn’t like he is just “being bad.”  He tries to control his frustration and emotions and literally cannot.  Then he is plagued with guilt and just feels deplorable afterwards.  It has been exhausting and heart-breaking to walk through with him.

Recently, we began giving him some natural supplements that have made an amazing difference - Omega 3-6-9, and Neurolink, a compound formulated by Dr. Amen specifically for someone like Jonathan.  It contains a whole bunch of good stuff:  L-Tyrosine, Gamma Aminobutyric Acid, L-Glutamine, Inositol, Taurine,and 5HTP.   Now if you’re thinking, oh yeah, right.  A natural supplement won’t help any.  I was skeptical myself, for months.  When things were at their worst, I read about how natural supplements could help, and I was totally turned off by their promises.  I still don’t like these boasts.  But, for us, getting the right supplements into Jonathan’s body and brain, has made a significant difference. 

Now, I’m making a disclaimer right up front, that I am NOT saying all of our problems are gone, nor that all of his tendencies toward inflexibility are cured forever.  I’m pretty sure our struggles will resurface.  But we do have a happy boy again.  He is laughing his contagious laugh again.  He is handling frustrations with a bit more objectivity.  And only someone who has walked through something like this with a child or loved one can really know what I mean.  We have Jonathan back.  And it is good.

If you are dealing with any type of special needs with your child that involve ADHD or any type of anxiety issue, I would recommend checking out the site of the Amen Clinic.  There are online tests you can take to help you figure out what your child may need.  There are suggestions for dealing with these issues, as well as recommended supplements for specific types of ADD. 

Dr. Amen is the first person I have heard of to break down ADD into six different types.  Also, he has extensively used a brain scan method that helps identify the place in the brain that is misfiring, so to speak.  It is fascinating to see these scans of the brain that actually help us to understand specifically what is going on in the brain and what needs to be done.   On the site you will find information about attending conferences or visiting a clinic, and even making a consultation phone call.  I’ve benefited from simply reading the information and from trying the supplements.

I just want to say a big “Amen” to the Amen Clinic!

The time has come to write about my dear son.  Ahhhh - Jonathan.  Where to begin?  His name means “God’s gracious gift,” and he has been that to us in a multitude of ways, some very unexpected.  Jonathan is a 7 1/2 year old boy loaded with energy and adventure.  He is cute as a button and has a snaggled-tooth smile full of sunshine and a laugh full of joy.  He has an amazing imagination and ability to create new inventions and tell exciting stories.  He has a razor sharp memory and remembers everything you ever read to or tell him, which is great - usually. 

He is also challenged with a couple of difficulties both for him and for our family. He has severe anxiety in the form of obsessive compulsive disorder, and he also has dyslexia.  The OCD exhibited itself early on as fears at nighttime and being extremely particular about things, and we chalked it up to normal childhood fears and his being a strong-willed personality.  Later, it began to show itself in the form of intrusive thoughts, such as fears that he or someone he loved would die.  This began to affect his ability to get through the day without major meltdowns or just bouts of severe sadness.  Let me tell you, it is excruciating to watch your young child deal with such adult problems.   

If you are reading this, and you’re wondering if OCD is really a childhood disorder, believe me it is.  I wouldn’t have believed until I lived it.  And if you’re reading this, and you can relate to anything I’m saying, it is my desire that this gives you encouragement that there is hope.  He is facing his fears daily, and he is learning the thinking skills to deal with unwanted thoughts and to begin to keep his frustrations in check. If you need more information about OCD, it might be helpful to read about it at the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation.

Some other resources that have been helpful for us are the following books:  What to do When your Child Has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Dr. Aureen Wagner, The Explosive Child by Ross Greene, Up and Down Worry Hill by Dr. Wagner, and What to Do When You Worry Too Much  by Dawn Huebner. The latter two are children’s books, which give the kids the understanding that they are not alone and also help build useful skills into their lives for dealing with their troubling thoughts.

Jonathan is such a remarkable child, and we have grown in ways as parents, as a family, and as individuals, that we never would have without these struggles.  Still, it is something no one would ever choose for someone they love. 

We have homeschooled this year, because the dyslexia triggered such anxieties that the classroom was and impossible learning environment for him.   He is growing daily in his ability to read and overcome this weakness.  We’re also able to do such interesting supplemental activities and enrichment activities that keep his smart mind occupied.  I don’t know too many first grade classes that have studied ancient Egypt thoroughly and have read the Greek myths, while also doing weekly science experiments such as how electricity works and what causes weather changes, and who have gotten to visit the water treatment plant and the Channel 19 weather station and talk to meteorologist James Paul Dice (Thanks Jana B. toyour sweet hubby). 

I wouldn’t have chosen to homeschool Jonathan with his specific challenges.  I wouldn’t have.  But it is best.  Best for him and for everyone in our family.  It has been and continues to be a challenging walk to walk, and yet we are beginning to come to a new definition and experience of normalcy for our family.  And Jonathan is a brave young man.  Words cannot describe the deep and fierce love I have for my gracious gift.  And I have faith that all of this is part of his story, and he will become a more amazing, compassionate, and gifted person because of these struggles