Stitch

Ryan’s Dad: “You have to see “Lilo and Stitch”!! Ryan is Stitch!!”

Me: “What do you mean, Ryan is Stitch?”

Ryan’s Dad: “Well, you know how Ryan never sits still, and he just gets himself into all kinds of trouble? And he’s so cute. And we can’t control him. And he’s just a bit of an out of control little being? Well, that’s Stitch! And that’s Ryan!”

“Lilo and Stitch” came out in 2002 when Ryan was three years old. I was out of town for some reason and Ira took Ryan and his sister to see the movie. I even think that it was probably Ryan’s first movie. How perfect is that considering the above conversation. Of course one of my questions was whether or not Ryan sat for the whole movie. It was quite the brave thing for my husband to do, to take an extremely active three year old and a somewhat active five year old by himself. I don’t recall the answer to that question, just that to this day, this memory is still so strong. And to this day we still on occasion call Ryan, Stitch.

Stitch is a perfect example of how ADHD can present itself in a little person. The inability to sit still, acting like the child is driven by a motor and the major impulsivity!. And although Ryan was only three, and was too young to be diagnosed, we knew he had ADHD. We just knew it.

To this day, if anyone asks me how to describe a child who has ADHD, I will often ask if they’ve seen “Lilo and Stitch”. Most people have and so I just will say, well, “Stitch! That’s what it looks like!”.

These symptoms that I described above tend to be the most common and what most people think of when they think of ADHD. But as the ADHDer grows older, other symptoms appear when they start learning how to read, how to communicate, and how they hit or miss important milestones,

ADHD is so much more than being hyperactive physically. If that was just the only symptom, how easy would it be to manage the ADHDer? I would say, relatively easy, but this is usually just the tip of the iceberg. The following is a list that I wrote about in another posting of typical ADHD symptoms:

Hyperactivity

Trouble paying attention

Problems keeping friends

Emotional problems

Problems eating or sleeping

Impulsiveness

Problems with math or language

Temper tantrums

Compulsiveness

Fears of being separated from loved ones.

Executive functioning issues

These symptoms can change over a child’s lifetime, and their ADHD may look differently as they grow into adults. They will not “grow out of it”, but their symptoms may change. Some may get worse, others better, and others not change at all. For Ryan, this has been the case. For example, his extreme physical hyperactivity has changed into brain hyperactivity, and as he has matured, his executive functioning issues have become more pronounced. Through medication, therapy and coaching, Ryan has discovered his strengths and tools that help him be successful in his everyday life. It’s always wonderful to see and be a part of his successes.

And getting back to Stitch. Living with someone like Stitch can be a wild ride. Do you have a Stitch in your life? Or, are you Stitch?

“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.” – What Paul Bourget Thinks of Us. by Mark Twain