We started the 5mg Focalin last Saturday. We waited a little while after we received the scrip because my wife and I were both out of town at different times and we wanted to be together so we could both watch him closely. I told our son that we were giving him medicine for his brain. He already knows and is very open about the fact that he's got something going on with his brain. He's very casual about it and it's not weird at all, which I'm grateful for. I'd like to think it's because my wife and I have been very careful to be casual about it and not act weird or ashamed or distraught or anything when we talk to him about it. Anyway, we went to a restaurant with extended family for lunch and we saw some immediate and strong effects of the medication. He got one of those kid's menus that has activities and shit you can color and whatnot. He focused INTENTLY on that the entire time. It was almost like a dog with a new bone. He didn't want to let it go. I had to take him and his little brother to the bathroom to change their clothes and he took that paper and the crayons into the bathroom and continued working on it up on the counter. So, at least initially, his ability to focus on a task has been tremendously affected by the medication. A downside is that he seems to be more aggro, which is not good. If we ask him to do something like brush his teeth or something that he doesn't want to do, he gets angry and screams instantly. That was kind of normal before, but it seems more severe and constant right now. We're just keeping a close eye on it, getting feedback from his teachers at school, who know what's going on, and then we'll decide if we need to talk to the pediatrician about maybe changing the dosage or medication. Too early to tell right now.
He's also started occupational therapy. I'm about to run out to take him to his appointment now. It's only his second appointment so too early to see any effects. The OT and meds are all we're doing right now. We had the option of a group therapy session, but we decided maybe that was too much and we're just sticking with the other things right now. The group seemed to really help him last fall, so maybe if he struggles during the school year again we try to start that up again.
We still don't have an answer for school next year. Most likely he's going to go to the public school in our neighborhood. We have no idea if it's going to work or be good for him long or short term. It's just a crapshoot and there's no amount of data or information that is going to make that decision any clearer. We're just going to have to try something and see how it goes then constantly reassess and respond accordingly.