To medicate or not medicate your child/teen?

 

Considering medication for your child is a serious decision. In this episode, we discuss the different factors and considerations involved.

1. Does your child/teen struggle with? 

• Attending or focusing
• Anxiety
• Self-regulation - organizing mind and body to achieve goal-directed behavior
• Emotional regulation
• Irritability
• Impulse control
• Cognitive inflexibility- restrictive behaviors
• Depression

 

2. Do these symptoms impact their quality of life and ability to navigate daily activities?  

• Most notably, are these symptoms/behaviors a barrier to learning? 

 

3. What is the intensity and frequency of the symptoms impacting your child? 

 

4. What systems are in place in your child's home and learning environment to help minimize these symptoms and struggles? 

• 0rder, structure, and predictability
• Consistency 
• Individual Education Plan IEP
• Smaller classroom 
• Individualized instruction/tutoring
• Interventions/coaching focusing on skills to cope and manage symptoms

 

5. Journal as many details relating to the symptoms and the impact on daily activities. Specifically, document the frequency and intensity of symptoms and behaviors.

• Have someone else observe your child in the classroom to assist you in gathering data. 

 

6. Consult with either? 

• Behavioral Pediatrician
• Psychiatrist
• Neurologist

 

7. Pursue diagnostic evaluation with a psychologist to seek the source of symptoms and behaviors. 

Spending some time reflecting and examining the information from the above list can help you make a more informed decision. Sometimes the answer to improving your child's quality of life and learning is more related to implementing systems, building coping skills, and altering their environments. Medication is a tool that should be combined with other tools to increase success. Medication is not a tool that teaches skills. It alleviates barriers to learning.