RE: Creating empathy windows - Ren Gill: A light in the dark

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Chalk Outlines describes how the use of pharmaceuticals acts as a temporary mask for how Ren feels and experiences life; he can erase his real self and hide behind redrawn images that he presents to the world

I just left a comment that is a bit relevant to "Chalk Outlines" on a post by @denmarkguy about ADHD:

One of my sons started having extreme academic problems when he was in high school. We had him tested and the diagnosis came back ADHD.

He began taking a small dose of Ritalin, but it had no effect. They upped it to a moderate dose and he was suddenly able to focus and concentrate in class. It greatly improved his ability to sit in class for 4+ hours and listen and pay attention.

However, he began to notice that, although his in-class focus was greatly improved, as soon as the medication wore off (i,e. late afternoon / early evening), his post-medicated focus and state-of-mind was much worse than it was pre-medicated.

As a result of that realization, he began to search for ways to manage and cope without the meds. He was able to do that and is far happier as a result. (One of the coping methods was getting into a different academic program -- one that was more hands-on and less sitting in a chair listening to lectures).

hive-193816
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There is always the balancing of energy, right? It has to come from somewhere. Even the pendulum swings left to right and back again to maintain momentum. Highs are balanced by lows. My youngest has autism, ADHD, (Pathological) Demand Avoidance - I bracket the first word as it makes him sound psychotic which he isn't - and Sensory Processing Disorder. If he has a great day at school per his teacher (high focus, good attentiveness and work output - for him this means maintaining an hourly cycle of 20 minutes classwork, 20 minutes educational choosing time, and 20 minutes own interest choosing time), then he is pretty exhausted emotionally and mentally when he gets home. Never physically!!! !LOLZ And when he was at pre-school he would mask all day at school and then get in the car and melt down EVERY SINGLE DAY. The school didn't understand it. Then one day the wheel turned, they started prepping preschool kids for transition to Primary school. It got too much for him. He became overwhelmed on a daily basis at pre-school and a few times destroyed the parent room, throwing things everywhere and upturning chairs and tables. Get him home and he was settled and sweet as pie. So yeah... there is a definite need to recognise the quid pro quos and the need for our bodies/systems to adjust accordingly to the demands placed upon it, including the demands placed indirectly through medication which forces our bodies to respond in a different way from our own norm.

I'm so pleased that your son has found a way to navigate the muddy waters of his own ADHD struggles in a way that doesn't cause him more stress or harm. The world needs to wake up and stop treating people as numbers and guinea pigs... what academic program has he found that is working for him. I'd love to know so that I can start looking for something similar here in the UK as he heads towards High School himself (he is 10 at the moment and starts High School Sep 2024)... is it run in conjunction with the High School or did he need to enroll somewhere else instead of traditional High School? Always interested to hear what works for people as being armed with more knowledge puts me in a better position to help my own child.

!LUV !ALIVE

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what academic program has he found that is working for him

He’s doing HVAC through our local vocational technical school.

He originally did pre-engineering (Project Lead The Way) through the same vo tech school (for three years), and really struggled with that program.

He’s doing really well with the HVAC program, and has gained a ton of confidence along the way. He’s in his final year (of the two-year program), so now he’s working full time for an HVAC contractor and attending classes just one evening a week.

Also, something like the wood-joining program Cal did over there in the UK might be worth looking into.

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Sounds great, thank you for the info. I will certainly check out these programs in the US and see what similar things look like over here... and then look into alternatives for him so that if he struggles with mainstream schooling we have options to consider. !LUV

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(Edited)

The positives for him with HVAC is that it is very technical, so it requires a solid understanding of certain aspects of physics and chemistry, coupled with strong problem-solving skills, but it’s also very hands-on, so he’s constantly moving and always doing something different, so he stays interested and challenged.

And, he jokes about how someday he'll probably be earning more than his older brothers, both of whom got engineering degrees (thanks in large part to the government regulations that severely limit who can do what with A/C systems and refrigerants).

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he’s constantly moving and always doing something different, so he stays interested and challenged.

this right here... is key!!!

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