L. begins her finals today. Please keep her in your prayers.
Also, I could use prayers. We got the report on Becca’s testing for learning disabilities Monday. She was diagnosed with a learning disability in math (no surprise), ADHD, and some neurological deficits. Her IQ was much lower than I’d anticipated… The psychologist who did the testing is a man I trust (he’s a strong Christian, we’ve known him for seven years and he’s well-respected in the community). He recommended we have her medicated for the ADHD; I’m reluctant to do so as she also struggles with anxiety and stimulants can exacerbate anxiety… We have an appointment with the psychiatrist he recommended on January 5.
So sorry, Ann. This will make your life interesting, but Becca is just as lovable. Play to her strengths, listen to her father, trust your parental instincts.
If you’re interested in looking for alternatives to medicating for an ADHD diagnosis, or want more information on the disorder, you may find the following book, by Kenneth Bock, M.D., helpful: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders. It’s at Amazon, and you can take a peek inside the book to see the Table of Contents and some of the opening pages of the book.
I think it is very beneficial that you are looking at the issue holistically (“I’m reluctant to [medicate] as she also struggles with anxiety and stimulants can exacerbate anxiety…”) It would be good to ask them what negative impacts medication for ADHD could have on other aspects of her functioning. You know your daughter better than anyone; your knowledge of Becca is an important piece of the puzzle that could help keep her off the merry-go-round of medicating for one thing, experiencing side effects, causing problems in a different way, medicating for that new problem that cropped up …etc. etc.
Pray, research, pray some more, and remember that you and your husband, not any medical personnel, have the final say on the matter and manner of her treatment.
Thanks for the book recommendation, 6 arrows. I’ll look into it a little later.
I just got off the phone with my oldest brother (he’s 13 years older than me and super smart). I’m glad he had time to talk; it helped. He reminded me that IQ scores do not equate to happy, fulfilling lives…nor spiritual standing…nor anything other than processing speed. She is who she has always been–the absolute joy of my life.
One can have a high IQ and do less well in school than someone with a lower IQ. Never let an IQ score stand in the way. The amount of effort involved may need to be much greater. That can lead to some very positive character traits. The best thing is to make sure that the effort is as efficient as possible. This means you make use of all the learning shortcuts that high IQ people often find on their own.
That means teaching each of those shortcuts to the student and finding what works best for them. Organizing material and time, underlining or copying important things, games and songs are all things that can be used. What may seem obvious to others may not to the student, yet it might be the one thing that really helps.
This seems such a small request with so many major things going on in the world and in the lives of the people on this blog and your loved ones, but…
I have fairly often lately been struggling with a down mood, and I’m pretty sure the poor weather we’ve been having has contributed. It’s been nothing but fog, rain, snow or clouds for probably at least a full week now. A lot of people up here are talking about the weather, and I know I’m not the only dejected one in these parts.
Could you pray that the sun would come back out? I don’t think we’ve had even one glimpse of it in many days, and all the relative darkness and gloom can get hard to cope with sometimes.
But here’s a praise. This blog and the people on it. The sense of humor displayed over the past couple days has helped me SO MUCH. You just don’t know what a blessing that is to me.
I think perhaps that is one form of “sunshine” God is bringing to lift my spirits. You are instruments in God’s hands, and I praise Him for that.
But I can’t be on the computer the whole day. 😉 And I still would enjoy a little bit of natural Vitamin D. 🙂
“Amazing, someone is praying! I went to check in and they gave me a boarding pass! That never happens! Yesterday I waited three hours in the heat. Usually they tell you wait over there, not today. California here I come!”
We finally got a day of sunshine here. That means colder weather, but, oh that sun is appreciated! Now we have some bright snow to make things even brighter. Hope you got some snow, too, 6.
We got a little bit of snow this morning, Kathaleena, but almost all of the previous snows had melted in the past few days with 40-something degree temperatures and rain, so there isn’t much of the white stuff here at the moment.
I did hear someone remark to another at the Advent supper tonight at church something like, “Did you see when the sun came out that once? I thought, ‘was that what I thought it was — a little bit of the sun?'” LOL
Our church is in a neighboring city from where we live, so maybe they got a little bit, but I don’t think we did in our town. (Or not at our house, anyway, because we’re surrounded by hills and trees on our south and west sides.)
Hoping to get some of that sunshine tomorrow that you got today, Kathaleena. 🙂
Wandering Views 
L. begins her finals today. Please keep her in your prayers.
Also, I could use prayers. We got the report on Becca’s testing for learning disabilities Monday. She was diagnosed with a learning disability in math (no surprise), ADHD, and some neurological deficits. Her IQ was much lower than I’d anticipated… The psychologist who did the testing is a man I trust (he’s a strong Christian, we’ve known him for seven years and he’s well-respected in the community). He recommended we have her medicated for the ADHD; I’m reluctant to do so as she also struggles with anxiety and stimulants can exacerbate anxiety… We have an appointment with the psychiatrist he recommended on January 5.
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So sorry, Ann. This will make your life interesting, but Becca is just as lovable. Play to her strengths, listen to her father, trust your parental instincts.
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Praying, Ann.
If you’re interested in looking for alternatives to medicating for an ADHD diagnosis, or want more information on the disorder, you may find the following book, by Kenneth Bock, M.D., helpful: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders. It’s at Amazon, and you can take a peek inside the book to see the Table of Contents and some of the opening pages of the book.
I think it is very beneficial that you are looking at the issue holistically (“I’m reluctant to [medicate] as she also struggles with anxiety and stimulants can exacerbate anxiety…”) It would be good to ask them what negative impacts medication for ADHD could have on other aspects of her functioning. You know your daughter better than anyone; your knowledge of Becca is an important piece of the puzzle that could help keep her off the merry-go-round of medicating for one thing, experiencing side effects, causing problems in a different way, medicating for that new problem that cropped up …etc. etc.
Pray, research, pray some more, and remember that you and your husband, not any medical personnel, have the final say on the matter and manner of her treatment.
I’ll keep you in my prayers. Blessings~
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Thanks for the book recommendation, 6 arrows. I’ll look into it a little later.
I just got off the phone with my oldest brother (he’s 13 years older than me and super smart). I’m glad he had time to talk; it helped. He reminded me that IQ scores do not equate to happy, fulfilling lives…nor spiritual standing…nor anything other than processing speed. She is who she has always been–the absolute joy of my life.
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Amen.
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IQ scores are not static either.
One can have a high IQ and do less well in school than someone with a lower IQ. Never let an IQ score stand in the way. The amount of effort involved may need to be much greater. That can lead to some very positive character traits. The best thing is to make sure that the effort is as efficient as possible. This means you make use of all the learning shortcuts that high IQ people often find on their own.
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That means teaching each of those shortcuts to the student and finding what works best for them. Organizing material and time, underlining or copying important things, games and songs are all things that can be used. What may seem obvious to others may not to the student, yet it might be the one thing that really helps.
Ann–your brother is wise.
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I always seem to agree with Kathaleena and Mumsee. I wonder why? 🙂
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This seems such a small request with so many major things going on in the world and in the lives of the people on this blog and your loved ones, but…
I have fairly often lately been struggling with a down mood, and I’m pretty sure the poor weather we’ve been having has contributed. It’s been nothing but fog, rain, snow or clouds for probably at least a full week now. A lot of people up here are talking about the weather, and I know I’m not the only dejected one in these parts.
Could you pray that the sun would come back out? I don’t think we’ve had even one glimpse of it in many days, and all the relative darkness and gloom can get hard to cope with sometimes.
But here’s a praise. This blog and the people on it. The sense of humor displayed over the past couple days has helped me SO MUCH. You just don’t know what a blessing that is to me.
I think perhaps that is one form of “sunshine” God is bringing to lift my spirits. You are instruments in God’s hands, and I praise Him for that.
But I can’t be on the computer the whole day. 😉 And I still would enjoy a little bit of natural Vitamin D. 🙂
Thank you all.
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Prayers for requested. ♡
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From Jo, posted on Facebook…
“Amazing, someone is praying! I went to check in and they gave me a boarding pass! That never happens! Yesterday I waited three hours in the heat. Usually they tell you wait over there, not today. California here I come!”
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In a comment, she said her iPad wouldn’t let her onto the blog, & asked if someone would copy her message over here. So I did. 🙂
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We finally got a day of sunshine here. That means colder weather, but, oh that sun is appreciated! Now we have some bright snow to make things even brighter. Hope you got some snow, too, 6.
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We got a little bit of snow this morning, Kathaleena, but almost all of the previous snows had melted in the past few days with 40-something degree temperatures and rain, so there isn’t much of the white stuff here at the moment.
I did hear someone remark to another at the Advent supper tonight at church something like, “Did you see when the sun came out that once? I thought, ‘was that what I thought it was — a little bit of the sun?'” LOL
Our church is in a neighboring city from where we live, so maybe they got a little bit, but I don’t think we did in our town. (Or not at our house, anyway, because we’re surrounded by hills and trees on our south and west sides.)
Hoping to get some of that sunshine tomorrow that you got today, Kathaleena. 🙂
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