Our Story Of Using Medicine

Parents,

I know it’s a touchy and controversial issues and you have your opinions and I can respect that–but if you are considering whether or not giving your child with autism various medications and you haven’t made up your mind–let me share with you our story.  

William has always been a hyper child. He stems (flaps, taps, flicks, jumps) and that’s a way that he 1) gets attention 2) releases energy 3) shows excitement 4) shows unhappiness…basically he stems quiet a bit. We’re okay with that, working on it in other ways…but about 6 months ago we talked it over with his doctors at The Child Study Center in Ft. Worth, Texas, and we decided to start him on medication in hopes to calm him a bit, to help him settle down, to help him sleep and to “even out” during the day.

I don’t know how many meds we tried, but it wasn’t successful at first. He was extremely irritable, was stemming more than ever before, wasn’t sleeping and was reverting back to two years ago…for those of you who don’t know, two years ago we were dealing with William waking 10+ times a night, pooping on the floor, wiping it all over his room, furniture, walls…multiple times a day…throwing tantrums all the time, not using his words…it was BRUTAL!

Finally we found the right medicine! It’s been 3 weeks since he’s been taking his new medication and IT’S AMAZING! Not only has his behavior improved, his teachers have noticed a difference in his behavior, he is using his words, he is sleeping better, tantrums and stemming of course are still there, but he has shown massive improvement.

It might not all be the medication. We are working with him a lot at home and encouraging his good behavior and use of words. He is getting amazing teaching and ABA therapy at The Child Study Center as well. But I am not going to discount the benefit of medication in his demeanor.

I’m not condoning medication for every child with autism. It is a unique decisions for each and every family to decide. I’m just saying: “If you are considering trying certain mediations for your child with autism, I would encourage you to talk to your doctor and make the best decision for you and your child.”

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