November 22, 2005 8:04 AM
Thanks for answered prayers
It's been about six weeks since I wrote Motherhood is Risky Business, where I shared about some of the difficulties we were going through with Daniel - one of our adopted sons with Down syndrome. Though he's really gifted intellectually for a kid with DS (at 9 he can read about 250 words and does some simple math), he's had a lot of quirky behaviors which made it difficult for him to be successfully integrated into the general population at school. Lately he'd become increasingly hostile and aggressive. His teacher, whose recommendations that he be medicated I'd been ignoring, started upping the pressure as he was hitting and kicking at school.
Over the summer, I took Daniel to see a Behavioral MD and - at my wit's end - I tried two medications over the summer. Each only lasted a couple days as the results were horrible. But once school started, and Daniel's antisocial behavior continued, I took him back to the doctor and got a prescription for something different. It was at that point of feeling completely broken and helpless, that I wrote the Risky Business piece.
[Two days later, looking over this entry, I realized I forgot to say I never got the prescription filled. So I'm adding this belatedly: I never got the prescription filled!!!]
And then an amazing thing happened. Daniel's behavior began to improve. His whole demeanor changed. The side of him that was happy and loving and kind, which we only saw intermittently before, became the dominant personality (I say that because it is as though there were two personalities battling it out for control - and even now, about once every 7-10 days he has a bit of a meltdown).
Look at my happy boy!
Don't you sometimes just feel the power of prayer - even prayer you didn't think to ask for? Thanks to each of you who read about Daniel and prayed. It will be a brighter Thanksgiving because your prayers were answered!
Posted in Disabilities, Down syndrome, Family, Mothering, Thanksgiving | Permalink
Comments
Praise the Lord! I am so thankful for your Daniel's change of behavior! At the time that you wrote your original post about his behavior I replied telling about my little guy with DS. Zac is 8 and is also having lots of negative behaviors at school. Non-compliance, hitting, spitting, name-calling, pushing etc. We are looking into a behaviorist ourselves. But I know that the power of prayer is the true answer! God can use many tools...but sometimes his power working in our children is the only answer. I'll continue to pray that our Zac can overcome his difficulties.
Posted by: Beckie | November 22, 2005 9:11 AM
Prayer IS an amazing thing!! Although now that I think about it-when I say it that way, it is probably giving us humans too much credit. As in US praying is what changes things! Don't get me wrong here, we do need to pray fervently. I was just reminded by the sound of it, that the amazing thing is actually the power and sovereignty of our God over everything.
His redeeming power often goes far beyond just saving our souls. I have 4 daughters that have not only been spiritually redeemed, but "physically" redeemed as well!! Yes, they were all adopted, and God has been busy at work redeeming the effects of their early upbringing, and the biological history that brought them each into Russian orphanages. My youngest are twins, preemies, born to an alcoholic mother, had no early bonding and little stimulation their first 4 1/2 years--God has given them, love, a conscience, cause and effect thought processes, attachment to parents and siblings, and unbelievable cognitive advances considering...
One of them however, still suffers from coping mechanisms which have led to mental illness. She has been on several psychiatric medications that have helped curb some of her anger, but not really helped with the other serious manifestations of her illness. Recently she has been taking a new medication which is working better, and we have had good effects, but also some negative ones that are psychological based on her having to finally enter "reality".
It's been a while, but I remember being so averted to the idea of the meds at the beginning. Then we kind of got used to them being needed, but with this new one, the change has been miraculous!! There was a tough time when she first went on when they were even recommending residential treatment, but through prayer, and the power of her heavenly Father, she is still home and continuing to be steadily and surely completely redeemed to the darling and joyful little girl that He created her to be!!!
Posted by: rbarlow | November 22, 2005 9:25 AM
This is good news and much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season : ) What a happy face! Who knows how much prayer goes up all around, just because someone was honest about their need. Thanks for sharing this.
Posted by: floorplan | November 22, 2005 2:09 PM
So good to hear! Praise God! :)
Posted by: Allie | November 22, 2005 2:46 PM
Thank God Daniel is smiling. May that continue, and may all of you be blessed this Thanksgiving.
Posted by: Jeff | November 22, 2005 3:05 PM
I'm so happy for your whole family! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We're off in the morning, for Michigan.
Posted by: Julana | November 22, 2005 4:59 PM
YAY!!!
:D
Posted by: molly | November 23, 2005 1:00 AM
Yay for Daniel! Yay for God! Love those gorgeous smiley pictures! especially the one with the beautiful tree in the background, skirting those gorgeous fall colors! I can't wait to see more smiling pictures of him!
Posted by: kristy | November 23, 2005 2:40 AM
