How the human brain processes information will determine what they will do for a living.
I overheard a musician talking to parents about how their daughter wants to play the violin. The musician’s face took on a very serious tone. ”Perfect pitch is something your daughter must have,” accented the musician. “It’s an ability that cannot be learned but must be born with.”
However, if a human is born with weak organizational skills (their handwriting looks like an elementary school child) they fall into that range of working disabilities called NLD. Most parents focus on the affective side of the problems e.g. tantrums, emotional meltdowns. Too often this processing disability is misdiagnosed as ADHD. Motto, if you can’t kill it, medicate it.
My mission? Transition a patient with NLD back to the care of the parents. But I was reminded that most parents forget the cause and need reminding that it’s not the child that creates the affective breakdowns but the processing. With parents, fathers are most difficult because they feel their will is being threatened. The father interprets this type of family interactions as a testicle threat. Hence, the family required more than just a verbal reminder of their sons profile. But they required a visual memory that would be with them forever.
When the parents first walked through the office door the father was seeking some kind of punishment for the tantrums, disrespect , and furniture destruction. Thought it was the actions of a willful child. Least to say, initially the parent was extremely angry. Now after 12 months the parents walk through the door. I sat across from them with a coffee table in between. I asked the father if he would like to say anything before I begin. The father covered his face with his hands and began sobbing. ”I played a board game with my son for the first time in my life. For the first time in my life I like my boy.”
And so I began to take the parents on journey. Please continue next blog to understand journey and cure.
This is Dr. B reminding you that we are not alone.