"ADHD isn't *anything* but a myth."

This dude's nothing but a crock of crap! He is NOT a certified Medical Doctor (and actually ADMITS to such claim). And apparently, so is Depression. It's a "moral dilemma". The ADHD is an "imaginary" medical condition according to this dummy.

Ones like this asshat has NEVER had children most likely. Or never had kids with these disorders.

"Invisible No More" (video)

Take a journey with these people and their stories of having hidden/invisible disabilities of varying degrees and ailments.

This is an introduction to those that have been willing to come to the forefront and be the "face" of the Peoples with Invisible Disabilities Community.




Pete Monfre




Lauri Cohen




Andrea Fabry




**DISCLAIMER;**

I own NOTHING. These videos are provided through a YouTube channel for the Invisible No More Organization. And are solely for educational purposes, only.

Verbal Abuse/Assault. I'm tired of it.

Verbal assaults. Gotta love 'em. Yeah, I just LOVE getting yelled at by a ten year old. And over what are seemingly mundane things.

Like getting up for school and being told that I will NOT "cater" to his every whim as if he is a two year old.

This merry-go-round is getting to be an insanely OLD ride. I want to get the hell off the damn thing.

Why me? Why am I to be the "lucky" one to be bombarded in this manner? I'm just completely TIRED of this shit.

All I hear from Bryce is that he is a "tween" and is ten years old. And that he is a "big boy" now.

But each time he acts the way he did this morning, I remind him that he is NOT acting his age and that for being a "tween", he being more like a "toddler".

I came THIS close to back handing him in the face for being so verbally abusive to me. Telling me to shut up and to not tell him what to do. And for yelling at me for MAKING HIM get up for school.

Now, for the next 4 to 8 weeks, he will be WITHOUT his Nintendo DS, computer time and be in bed by nine o'clock EVERY night (including the weekend). If he keeps pushing me, it's going to be moved back to 8:30 or even eight PM.

I'm at a point where if this crap doesn't change, and soon, I'll seek out a detention home or a group facility for the behaviorally challenged (which there IS one or two in our area for kids with these types of special needs).

I deserve better than this. So do the girls. We should NOT be subjected (almost daily) to verbal assaults and threats. Nor should we be getting physically harmed due to my son's lack of control.

ADA and it's historical Significance

ADA, also commonly known as Americans with Disabilities Act, which is now integrating more and more Disabilities over the last couple of decades is an often misunderstood Federal Law. There seem to be more assumptions made, than having facts spoken of.

To get a better view about the ADA, please watch this video that is just a few minutes long.



Sadly, for those individulas who like my son, have what are called "invisible" or "silent" disabilities, getting the ADA to work for them is a chore, to say the least.

The less a person LOOKS disabled, the less likely that the ADA will benefit them. At least this is MY personal experience in regards to trying to have the ADA work in Bryce's favor. I'm still fighting to get simple accommodations at school. Not to mention, he is LEGALLY obliged to receive the 504 Plan. But again, the school is fighting me on that with mundane excuses.

Here's some facts about Invisible/Silent Disabilities.



We as individuals with invisible/silent disabilities and/or those as their caregivers need to get louder than we have been. We need to start shouting from the rooftops. Especially where CHILDREN are concerned. They are the most overlooked individuals.

Why? The simple answer is that because they are KIDS. Kids are stereotyped as being too young and should be able to have things "bounce off them" as if they were rubber balls. Basically, they are too young to be so inactive. Or too young to have "such things" (such as diabetes, which in its self can be QUITE debilitating).

Some children (and adults) don't "look" sick on the outside, but are debilitated on the inside. They may keep medical equipment within their vehicles, out of plan sight (which was the case with me as a small child), in case of an emergent situation.

For twenty years, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has fought long and hard for those that are VISUALLY (as in seen as they are physically disabled) disabled. Just within the past decade, that I MYSELF know of, have the silently disabled been justified with being included in the fight for Federal Law to also encompass their needs of inclusion and legal fairness to be seen and heard as having REAL disabilities and to be afforded the same rights and Due Processes as their visibly impaired counterparts.

I hope that this post has served it's purpose as being a learning tool, a historical piece, and a means to get more people involved in the movement to bring to light that those with silent/invisible disabilities can and ARE productive individuals within their communities and that they should be able to obtain the same rights and inclusions as those that are blind, deaf, physically and/or mentally challenged.

He "Graduated"!! (Of Sorts)

Yesterday, Bryce had another medicine check appointment. But with his NEW (again) Case Manager tagging along.

We went through the usual jargon. How do I feel the levels are, how's he doing at home and at school. And how are the mood swings and yadda yadda.

After everything was hashed out like about the Accommodations problems with the school and about more Behavior Modifications at home and at school, and about upcoming Day Treatment Camp for the Summer, it was time to leave.

After I had picked up all THREE months worth of prescriptions (which to me felt funny), I said "so when are we coming back?". Well, my jaw hit the floor and I went bug eyed when I heard...

"Not for another three MONTHS (unless an emergency arises)".

This will be the longest length EVER for Bryce to be in between appointments. And this is a GOOD thing, seeing as it shows significant progress in his behaviors, struggles with his ODD, ADHD and his Mood Disorder. And it's a good sign that means the levels of dosages for his medications are right where they need to be.

So all in all, it was a pretty good appointment. I honestly could not ask for a better Psychiatrist for my son or other patients under his (the doctor's, of course) care. That man GENUINELY cares about the welfare of his pediatric patients AND their family unit (from siblings to the parents). And he NEVER disses an idea you give or gets huffy for saying "no" to a treatment or dosage change. He knows YOU are the parent and that indeed YOU as the parent, know YOUR child best.

April Is...

I have a lot of causes and "awareness" topics/subjects I like to make others "aware" of. For one thing, I am a Transplant Recipient, so I have already posted about becoming a Registered Donor.

I have *tried* to bring forth attention/awareness to how Group Homes for the severely disabled are "ran". Sadly though, barely anyone read, let alone said ANYTHING about the atrocities that had taken place in that facilities and in others ALL OVER THE WORLD like it. I found and used a couple of videos from a (now closed) institution in Bulgaria. To read and watch the videos (that are heart breaking, but THEIR voices SHOULD be heard), please CLICK HERE.

Not only is this the month (April) for Organ/Eye/Tissue Donation Awareness, but also for Autism/Asperger's Awareness as well.

I personally highly suspect Asperger's in Bryce. But the doctor (is this a surprise?) INSISTS (without testing him, mind you) that he DOES NOT have ANY form of Autism.

These children (and adults) are more like us "neurotypical" folks than you think. They just have some quirks that can seem a tad bit odd to the lay person and see the world through a different pair of glasses than most other people do.

Denial..Why "Our" Kids? (PYHO)

**Reminder..Those of us linking up with Shell at PYHO are literally writing from our hearts, what is on our minds. Good, bad and indifferent. It's a place to BUILD UP, not tear down those of us participating. So, if you have NOTHING NICE to say in your comment, please refrain from commenting at all.**

I've got a lovely, sweet, funny and kind new Bloggy and Twitter friend. Her pen name is The_Drama_Mama over at The Scoop On Poop. I have even added her blog to my Blog list of Special Needs Bloggers here in The "Mental"-ist Mom. Most of the time, she shows us what her life with a child with many mental disorders is like using humor and seeing the lighter side of life.

But she took on a more serious topic for MommyLeBron's "Bipolar Tuesdays" and has shown what progress her daughter has made who's got most of the same diagnosis as what Bryce has as well. To say we "relate" is a clear understatement.

After reading the last comment that Drama_Mama_ had made in regards to our "kind words", the last line struck a chord with me. One that I still at times wrestle with.

Denial.

At first, when my son was a toddler and even a baby, I "denied" that I saw some "strange" things. Like not wanting to be held or touched much. Not liking the textures of certain food types. Crying at loud sounds like a fire engine. Ordering things, and getting profusely upset if you even slightly changed the order or the way the objects sat.

Then came the nasty mood swings that I chalked up to the "Terrible Two's" and "Horrible Threes".

But how can you "deny" facts like your child beating his sisters almost senseless or pulling a knife or hammer on you at the ages of 4, 5 and 6 years old, knowing he NEVER is able to watch movies that "promote" violence such as that?

I tried to "deny" the obvious for so long. And even when I did let myself see the REAL picture and magnitude of my child's problems, his father still was in denial himself. Until he saw Bryce actually pull a pencil on his older sister and heard his son say that he was going to stab her in the heart and kill her...over a TOY.

Not to mention the attention, focusing and extreme hyperness that got him in to trouble with the classroom Kindergarten teacher.

It took us a good two years to get ANYONE to listen and to lead us in the right direction. I definitely suspected (highly) ADHD. But of course the "doctor" (Pediatrician) chalked it up to his just "being an overly active, typical boy". Even after I stated the volatile states and severe mood swings.

At that point, I wondered who indeed was the one "in denial". And I had a CREDIBLE person attend that appointment with me. My mother-in-law who (at the time) was a (still) practicing nurse!

After almost a year later of the same crap, I finally got him in to his current Psychiatrist. It took at least three visits before the doctor would confirm or deny ANY kind of diagnosis for Bryce. He wanted to see my son a few times, get reports from the school, his Primary doctor and what the Case Manager where we go monthly had observed.

When all the pieces were fit together of the intricate puzzle that was my child, at least one firm thing was confirmed. My son has *SEVERE* ADHD. As I sat there and heard the OFFICIAL Dx, I bawled. And not from anger or sadness. From relief. FINALLY. Someone heard me. They BELIEVED me. I no longer had to TRY and deny "something" was off or wrong. After two extremely hard and long years, we were getting somewhere.

Parents like myself, The_Drama_Mama, Angel over at A Drink Of Sweet Tea and a host of others in my Blog Buddy List have times of denial. It's our way of "escaping", if just for a moment. It helps us see the true reality of what our children have to deal with on a daily basis.

Sometimes, "denial" can be a blessing. The reality is ALWAYS with us. But to "pretend" once in a while that our children are like ANYONE ELSE'S, even just for a brief moment, or have the deep-seeded hope that one day our kids will "grow out of it" gives us a tiny bit of our sanity back.

Denial doesn't (always) hurt anyone, if you are in denial for the "right" reason, and not to the point where it can damage you, your child or your family further.

Hence the question... "Why OUR kids!?"

Because they were put here to teach us something about ourselves. Patience, kindness, looking past other's differences, and a host of other reasons.

They weren't our "punishment" for something done in our past. They just want what we all want. Love, acceptance, the chance to meet their full potential and to show the world that "being crazy" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Tardive Dyskinesia & Finally Being Heard

Bryce suffers from a medication-induced "tic disorder" called Tardive Dyskinesia. Basically, he has involuntary muscle movements of the mouth region and of his hands and/or feet. It is in close relation to another well-known neuro-muscular disorder, Tourette's Syndrome.

The following is provided by the site, TD Center.

Tardive Dyskinesia Symptoms

Those with tardive dyskinesia engage in repetitive, involuntary movements without purpose. These may consist of any or all of the following:

* Movement of the lips and tongue (grimacing, smacking, pursing, sticking out the tongue)
* Rapid blinking
* Impaired finger movement or "fluttering"
* Rapid movements of the arms
* Toe tapping, moving the leg up and down
* Twisting and bending of the torso (in extreme cases)

There are also other similar, but unrelated movement disorders which are sometimes mistaken for tardive dyskinesia:

* Dystonia: Dystonia is characterized by sustained muscular contractions which can result in the entire body twisting into abnormal and sometimes painful positions. It is usually congenital, but can occur as a result of injury, a bacterial infection, lead poisoning or drug side-effects. However, while most types of dystonia may pass, the tardive variety is usually irreversible.

* Akathisia: This particular condition manifests itself as a compulsive need to move about, driven by inner feelings of anxiety or even terror. This is sometimes related to symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but is most often caused by drugs that block dopamine receptors (dopamine being the neurotransmitter that carries instructions from the brain over the nervous system). Unfortunately, this condition is often misdiagnosed as a psychological problem, leading to the prescription of yet more drugs, thus exacerbating the problem.

* Tourettism: This is similar to Tourette's Syndrome, a set of tic disorders that range from facial jerks and spasms to sudden uncontrollable exclamations. In most cases, the only way to determine if such symptoms are indeed true Tourette's syndrome or related to tardive dyskinesia is to obtain a thorough medical examination and review of psychiatric history.

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Bryce displays many of these "signs". But primarily severe mouth/tongue movements, finger touching and even constant pulling on his clothes. He does NOT even realize he is doing it. Sometimes his feet and toes go "wild" as well. Plus now his speech is being affected.


I have said to his Psychiatrist COUNTLESS times that there is MORE to the story than what is on the surface. Now that the tics are seemingly more prominent, as is also now again, more volatile and emotional outbursts, I'm thinking that there is a "volatile combination" at work in my kid...

One being medication-induced TD (tic disorder). The other is an undiscovered brain injury from a severe impact with the sharp corner of a bedpost when he was two years old, where NO tests were ran that I remember, even though I said I had NO idea if he passed out, seeing as I wasn't in that room when it happened.

I thought both of the kids were sleeping at the time. That is until Bryce came to the hall of the trailer bloody and screaming and crying. Then I noticed I saw SKULL showing through his forehead.

Since then, he started to "change" in to a violent, emotionally charged 'hellion'. Before then, he was sweet, gentle and most of the time very happy and loving ALL of the time.

Not to mention a fall where he had a concussion a few months prior to this, where he misstepped going in to the house at about 18 months old. That time, he hit the side of his head pretty forcefully, due to the direction he fell after his foot slipped.

So, after talking with his Case Manager at Child And Family Services, where he also goes for his Psychiatric appointments, and catching him up to speed about last night's conversation and plans with his doctor, his CM (Case Manager) is going to help me with researching Bryce's records from when he fell, and look more in to the possibility of a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and the possibility that most of his mental disorders were triggered by an underlying brain trauma.

And if need be, he said he will try and "sweet talk" the Psychiatrist in to FINALLY doing tests like an MRI or a CAT scan (if not even both) to see if there is scarring or any evidence from a possible brain injury that was overlooked all those years ago.

At least now, FINALLY, I am being heard. I'm not being passed off, or told that it's not a possible scenario. I'm just sorry it is taking THIS long to get somewhere. But at least now the gears are starting to turn and something, ANYTHING is being done.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

Bryce has SPD. Also known as Sensory Processing Disorder. Though I don't normally talk about that part of his problems. Why, I can't say.

It has to primarily do with sounds for him. He gets 'overloaded' easily with audio environments.

The sounds he cannot stand, we can deal with. Such as a vacuum. Or a siren from a fire engine or police car. Or it could be one of his sisters screaming and yelling (with their high-pitched voices). Even at times, the TOILET seems to be too much.

Also, I have noticed Bryce having problems with certain food textures. He isn't in to things that have even a mild amount of lumps. And things that are too 'gooey' like puddings.

There are days where it seems like I can't go anywhere without Bryce complaining about noises. Especially decently loud ones. I can't take him to concerts, or to where there is a largely loud crowd. He gets too over stimulated.

When over-stimulation happens, be it loud noises, too many foods he can't stand (due to the textures aspect) or even a combination, Bryce can start having a severe fit because he can't control his environment, or he just shuts down and "hides away" from himself and everyone around him.

For me, as his mother, it can be quite troubling to watch and have to help him deal. But also, I am trying to teach him that not everything and everyone can, let alone WILL revolve around his world. At times, he MUST revolve around other people's world and the world at large.

There are times people (strangers) will see this unfold, and of course I get the stares, the head shakes and once in a while, someone will be bold enough to TELL ME that I need to better correct "the boy" and "be the parent, not the friend", being that he just seems to be displaying a spoiled, childish 'act for attention and to get his way'.

Most, if not ALL of Bryce's disabilities can be, and are mistaken for (at times) normal, childish, bratty attention-seeking misbehavior. What I can say is that yes, SOMETIMES, that is exactly what it is. But when he gets that bad, I can honestly say that it is NOT the case. My son CANNOT help it. And that it is the SPD displaying its self.

There are times that I wish I could tie people to a chair, that think that they know *MY* child better than I do, and feel that they are the EXPERT in parenting a special needs child, and FORCE them to listen to loud things like the consistent thumping of loud music, sirens that don't seem to stop, loud horns honking left and right, and shove food in their mouth that tastes like they are eating half-dried mud cake....

And listening to, and seeing everything AT ONE TIME as they are forced to chew on stuff that they can't stand having in their mouth.

I can be safe to bet that after that experience, they wouldn't decide to play Psychiatrist/Parenting Expert again after that!