To medicate or not to medicate? If I start medication when do I stop it, at the end of high school, college after I start my career? Will there be side effects? These are all of the questions we struggled with when deciding what path to take with our son. We tried meds for a very short time, but they didn’t agree with him, he couldn’t eat, would cry very easily, and he couldn’t fall asleep. We could have tried harder to find a medication that worked for our son, but then I ran into Sandy Larson and she told me that there is another answer.
Why did we choose Focus for Success? We did not want to change our son’s personality. His talkativeness and daydreaming were difficult to deal with in school, but it was what made him, him. When I talked to Jerry the first time I felt so positive about my child. He said that he is most likely a very creative and talented child. Other doctor’s appointments and questioners made me feel like my son had a deficit, not a gift. The beauty of this program is that he is still my creative and talkative son, but he knows the meaning of the word focus. He knows when and how to do it. He knows how to take control of his mind and make it do what he needs it to do so he has some time left over to do some daydreaming. He still needs some reminders, but he does have the skill.
Can I afford this? Learning to focus is not a “quick fix” and milestones are gradual and sometimes easy to miss. I had to look at it as a diet. There is a pill that will make you look great with no change in lifestyle and no harmful side effects, yeah right. Focus for Success is a time and financial commitment. We figured that if a dentist told us our son needed braces we would find a way to make that work and get him to his appointments. We feel very proud of the sacrifice that we made.
Does it work long term? I was wondering that same thing and I can’t really tell you beyond what the research does. Ryan was in the program from September 2008- July 2009 and after taking half of July and all of August off we went back in September just for a little refresher to get ready for school and because he missed Mrs. Larson. I thought after the summer he would not so well. Ryan got the highest scores ever on all of the categories. He got a 96% on Academic Bridge which is when they read or do homework. My son was concentrating 96% of the time! Yeah! We have not regretted the decision we made for a minute. We are so glad to have Sandy and Jerry helping us through the journey of raising a great kid, and they will remind you that your kid is great!
Susan - Mother of Ryan (7)
Note: The photo is representional and not a photo of the actual student.
