Colin's Story
As told by his mother, Mari
My son Colin is almost thirteen. He was diagnosed with AD/HD the
month he turned five and was put on Ritalin immediately. Without large amounts
of medication, he was unable to sit in his seat at school, listen to anything
the teachers said, control his impulses, or complete any kind of academic work.
Colin's handwriting was awful, as was his spelling. He could never remember how
to spell anything, even very common words. Each sentence took a monumental
effort. Organizing his thoughts on paper was next to impossible. Consequently,
he never wrote anything down.
The most consistent thing about his academic performance was his inconsistency.
Some days, he could do very well and make a 100% on a math paper, for example,
and the next day he would get a 60% on a similar type of paper. He has a
terrible time memorizing things like his multiplication tables.
Colin had no friends. The only kids that would play with him were his older
brothers. All the other kids thought he was weird, out of control and stupid.
When he was medicated, he was quiet and often withdrawn and showed little
emotion. It was impossible for Colin to make and keep friends.
He would get so frustrated at the smallest things, like asking him to pick up
his room. A request that small could send him into a meltdown. He seemed to
have no ability to empathize with others, and he truly believed that everything
that went wrong was someone else's fault. He had very low self-esteem that
seemed to be eroding more every day.
I was desperate to get him help. Over the years, I tried special diets, vitamins
and herbs, behavior therapy, and group therapy with other kids with AD/HD. I
read about DORE in US News and World Report about a year ago, and I thought the
premise made sense. Never could I have imagined when we started the program
that we would see the level of improvement that Colin is now experiencing in
every area of his life.
Colin has now been on the program for about 11 months. The improvements started
with his memory. It has improved immeasurably. Before DORE, Colin would "lose"
hours throughout the school day where he could not remember a single thing he
learned. Now, he actually realizes when his mind is wandering in class, and
then he redirects his attention to the task at hand.
The second improvement that we noticed was his behavior. He began to get calmer,
less prone to anger and frustration. His overall mood began to improve, and he
started playing with other kids during recess.
The third improvement we noticed was his attention span. He could go for longer
and longer periods of time in the evening, finishing homework. This was
something unthinkable before DORE. He began to enjoy reading books before bed,
and that was something he did not have the attention span to do before the
program.
He can now write much more efficiently, and he can actually take notes. He can
easily write a couple of pages on a topic and complete it in class. He has
become an enthusiastic learning, and he thinks he is smart and competent.
We have lowered his dosage to half of what it was at the beginning of the school
year, and he is doing better in school than ever before! He no longer needs
medication on the weekends to control his behavior. He can also do his homework
and projects on the weekends without medication.
He is now happy, well adjusted, and he is making friends. The benefits from the
DORE program were invaluable. My son's potential is now limitless. Thank you so
much!
During the last month of seventh grade, (about 12 months into the Dore program)
Colin went to school without any medication for the first time ever, and he has
remained completely off medication ever since. He recently completed the DORE
program successfully after about 18 months, and his academic performance and
self-esteem are better than ever!