The "No Meds" Truth

One reason that medications are popular for attention deficit is because they are quick and easy. They may have side effects, they may have long term consequences, they may have unexpected and unwelcome results. But they are undoubtedly easy.

Coping with attention issues in a way that teaches a child to compensate, and to avoid distracting influences is HARD! Not only must the child learn coping skills, but the parents must learn different ways to teach, and must take more of the burden upon themselves. They have to contend with often uncooperative schools, and they have to not only limit their child's exposure to certain things, they must do without them for themselves as well (in order to keep their home environment more stable for their child).

Many people will, undoubtedly explore options for coping without meds, but only a few will actually follow through and doggedly persevere in the objective.

It takes work, and change, and it requires skillful leadership from the parents to work successfully. And even then, it may not be a matter of normalizing life, but of finding an ongoing series of ways to compensate as new phases of growth challenge your child. It is not something you deal with once and then heave a sigh of relief over and forget. You choose to cope from this day forward, and to accept a challenge that will present itself in new ways throughout your child's life.

This is the reality of what it costs you. And the reason why so few people attempt it.

There is another reality though:

• Watching your child find strengths within themselves.
  
• Seeing them learn, year by year, to govern their own existence and direct their own progress for the better.
• Having a child go from feelings of discouragement and incompetence, to understanding that they can find a way to cope.
• Helping your child learn to apply problem solving strategies to their distractibility, and then seeing them benefit from that skill in other areas of their life.
• Knowing that by choosing the hard way, you not only teach your child to deal with their issues in a constructive way, but that you are also teaching them that when they are faced with hard choices, they can survive and benefit from choosing the things that give them the greatest gifts in return.
• Seeing the person of your child unfold into someone amazing, unpredictable, and very much themselves.

Coping without medications is the harder way. But it is also very often the better way, and a way that rewards the parents and the child over and over.