Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Ibrahim's visit to the doctor

Mustafa went to the school to check on Ibrahim's progress.

At the beginning of the year (a month ago) Mustafa had a conference with the teacher explaining that Ibrahim was going to be extremely difficult. Of course the teacher said 'I have been teaching for years and I've seen everything. Just leave your son in my capable hands and he will be just fine.' Well she is singing a different tune now - saying she has never seen the likes of Ibrahim in her entire life!

Of course I have been telling Mustafa for ages and ages to have Ibrahim evaluated by a doctor. Finally he has seen the light and we took him today. Since it's Ramadan the clinic's hours have all changed and we had to go at eight in the evening to take an appointment. The doctors started arriving at nine and slowly but surely worked through the long list of patients.

While we waited, Jenna and Ibrahim found a wheelchair and had some fun. Finally it was our turn, Ibrahim saw the doctor and had a brain scan and some other tests. He will have more tests next week, but the Doctor says Ibrahim has ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and has started him on medication.

We will have to take him for furthur evaluation after he has been on the medication for a few weeks. I hope this works - for all of us! Especially since Ibrahim has discovered the wonders of playing with fire - and even lit his hair on fire the other day! It will be so nice if he could sit still - we would all be able to enjoy our lives.

3 comments:

  1. I'll be making dua for you all, having over hyper children is a challenge and a half. I have what I deem as a regular hyper child, although there are times that I can't pin him down to save my life. But not to the point where he needs medication, he can concentrate in school, sit down (although not still) when he needs to. And can even concentrate on things for at least a semi reasonable time.

    I have a friend who has a child that is ADHD and she is in college now doing well. But medication was a necessity and it worked wonders. Inshallah this will work for you as well.

    setting hair on fire.. I have images of michael jackson in my head. :) My son found matches last year.. decided to light them under neath my bed I found burnt ones everywhere. Of course "no mama it wasn't me" ugghh

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  2. Khadija, I'm no expert in the field, but an experienced mother. This is what I have on this issue.

    Be ware of quick ADHD diagnosis. Actually, it can't be diagnosed from one visit, and here in the US they take extreme care before they declare it is ADHD, especially if the kid is less than 8! I don't know how reliable doctors are in Libya when it comes to this.

    There are other alternatives you could try before going to medication. ADHD symptoms could also be mistaken for or related to sensory integration issues the child is having... he seeks movement input and impact.

    There is the brushing and compression techniques where you brush the body in a certain manner for certain periods (we started with every 2 hours, to twice a day and then stopped completely. We did it for about a year and go back to it once a day now if we see the need). Compression of the joints is also good and gives desired results. You can find more on the net in relation to OT and SI.

    The other thing that really worked miracles for us is Therapeutic Listening. We did that for about 6 months, started in March. The result was immediate from the first session. I actually called the therapist to make sure the music has no hypnotizing effect or something of the sort. He was completely transformed and sat down on the couch for almost a straight hour, mellow and quiet! The therapist was amazed at the quick response when we went for the first follow-up. It is basically a special headphones set with CDs of modified music that addresses different issues. I know many other parents who tried it and they swear by it, we do too!

    http://www.kidzjamz.com/index.asp

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That comment "I have been teaching for years..." (blah blah) I hear that every year about my son Owen. I go in and try to talk to them about his special needs (he has been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder since he was 5) and they just dont get it. It just drives me nuts. Good luck with Ibrahim.

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