The choice to Medicate

The choice to use medication is a hot topic in general much less for children with Autism. A couple of the major complications we face as caregivers is that many if not most of our children actually have more than one diagnosis. Some diagnosis are confirmed or suspected by a professional. Other diagnosis are just years of observing certain behaviors by a parent or caregiver who KNOWS ! Another complication is many of our children are non verbal, selectively verbal and /or have high tolerances for pain or feeling:so when we finally medicate we don't know if the medication works, if they need the medication or if they are experiencing side effects. Its difficult decision in the world we live in with the many options that exists out there to know what is the right thing to do????

I think again it comes back to GO WITH YOUR GUT and PICK YOUR BATTLES! Sometimes you just know when something is right or wrong and you have to trust yourself. Trust yourself to be wise enough to know when something feels right or when its all wrong.You also have to decide whether you want to fight the battle. Often times the behavior or situation will pass and you can expend a huge amount of energy fighting something that exhausts you and in the end you did not accomplish much.

There is no right or wrong there is only what's right for your family and your child .We live in a world where we are obsessed with what other people think about us and our decisions--You have to get passed that! I often feel like an outcast or a rebel because people think I am crazy for the way I do things . I must admit that that is one thing that age does for you-- It frees you from the shackles of public opinion. Perhaps having a child with Autism also does the same thing.

As one of the Moms on one of the support groups I belong to recently said is 'if there was only one way to go and one solution to autism all of our kids would be recoveredand everyone would take the solution behind the Magic Door #1. We work hard for our children and there is no one easy answer.'

That why you make the choice and pray that it will make life better for your child, for you and for your family.