*smash*
*pterodactyl scream*
When I think back to my son’s toddler milestones, there were a few that seemed out of reach for a long time. Sometimes literally. Remember those block towers you saw on Pinterest? Those age and development charts on Babycenter.com? I eagerly looked forward to celebrating that achievement, and I made sure our home had those nice, wholesome, wooden toys. Stack those blocks, kiddo! Develop that brain!
*smash*
*Tyrannosaurus roar*
As it turned out, the process of block-building required not only fine motor coordination but also a few other things:
- Patience
- Persistence
- Self-control
I had to wait a LONG time before I saw those milestones.
Fortunately, he did eventually learn to stack those blocks, and a few years later, here we are. After I started writing this, I remembered that he did actually have a block-related meltdown just last week. This time, the tower was taller, the blocks didn’t go all the way across the room, and he pulled himself together three or four times before finally blowing his top.
I’m not here to write a “success story” but I think we can call it a “road to success” story. Parenting is a messy and long process, and I don’t know if my son will eventually need to be assessed and diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) but there’s good news:
As it turns out, the #1 recommended treatment for children with a diagnosis of ADHD, aged four to six years old, is behaviour therapy!
If you visit the website of the American Psychiatric Organization, and you look for information on ADHD, you will see two things:
- Behaviour therapy
- Medication
These are often recommended in combination. I’d be interested to hear from those parents who received a diagnosis of ADHD from their doctors:
- were you offered behaviour therapy?
- did you try it out?
- did it help?
This is a sensitive topic, of course, and if you prefer to talk about it in a more private setting, I’ve created a Facebook group! It’s here! Come check it out, and share your experiences!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/155286521685704/
