A Little About Elijah

Elijah Joseph Guillory was born on February 26, 2001. The pregnancy went fine and the birth went somewhat fine with the exception of a couple of concerns. They weren't concerns then, but they are concerns now. Elijah was a pretty normal baby. I did start noticing differences as he got older. As a toddler he would throw fits that would get worse if he was punished. He had a hard time grasping language and expressing his feelings. At age four  Elijah was not an articulate child. He had a hard time explaining himself. He rarely understood what we were talking about. He did end up going into pre-k where the first concerning incident occurred. In pre-k Elijah lost his temper and repeatedly hit a kid with a block because he was sharing. He was placed in ISS (In School Suspension). For me this was my wake up call. How does a 4 year old express this behavior unless he has experienced it before. I saw no other explanation. The only thing was that this kind of behavior was not practiced in my family. Where else could he have gotten these ideas. I was worried and I knew there had to be something more to his behavior. In the next two years in school Elijah had a hard time learning how to read, simple math, and other things. By the end of 1st grade I was so confused and lost that I broke into tears in front of his teachers begging for help, telling them that I didn't understand what was going on with him and I didn't know what else to do. I begged of the teachers to please tell me what to do and one of them finally recommended that I have him tested for ADHD! THAT WAS THE BEST ADVICE EVER!!! I made an appointment for him and in September 2008 he was diagnosed. He's not severe, but he does have most of the traits. Once I was explained how his brain worked, it opened up a WHOLE NEW WORLD! I finally understood what was going on with him!!! I decided not to medicate, I feel that it's the easy way out. It takes a while before finding out what medication will work for this kind of thing and I don't want to have to go through that. I prefer to teach him how to deal with it.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD

ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Although some people may disagree, I don't consider this a disorder or a disability. Some people wonder why is not a disability, and in my opinion it shouldn't be. It just means that you don't learn like most of the world does. You have a gift and you don't know how to use it yet. Did you know that people with ADHD depending on how they deal with it growing up they can either become a criminal, suicidal, high risk in accidents, high risk in taking drugs etc., or you can be a genius, inventor, musician or artist.

Some famous people who had or have ADHD are Pablo Picasso, Dustin Hoffman, Jim Carey, Jack Nicholson, Elvis Presley, Robin Williams, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Prince Charles, Michael Jordan, Terry Bradshaw, Henry Ford, Mozart, Bill Gates, Christopher Columbus, Jack Nicholson, Elvis Presley, and there are a lot more. A person with ADHD sometimes need help to develop and and finding their gift. They see things most of us don't see.

Having a son with ADHD has been an eye opener for me. As a parent PATIENCE is the biggest ingredient that you need to deal with a child with ADHD. Elijah is a great kid that has a great imagination. Some kids think he's different and that's because he is, he has a gift, not a disability, and it's up to the people around him to help him learn how to live with this gift. 

Today I spoke with Elijah's teacher and we agreed to do a journal on Elijah's everyday activities. Since I don't medicate him, this may help to identify what triggers his hyperactivity and when. If you are interested in how we handle some of his behaviors and challenges, follow my blog and I will update you on the days of the life of Elijah Joseph, our challenges and our accomplishments.

Elijah is a great kid, and my job is to make sure that he takes the right path with the help of all the people around him and above all with the help of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!