This is the report card from my son’s 1st grade teacher.  We had met with her prior to this about his inability to concentrate and remain still.  Her suggestion was that he may be ADD / ADHD and hinted that medication may be in order.  We did not want to medicate him but wanted to get to the root of the issue.  When it was discovered that he was hypothyroid his behavior made sense.  A child with a foggy brain will behave differently than an adult.  They will attempt to compensate with hyperactivity instead of lethargy.  This is why it is difficult for a regular doctor that is not skilled in the identification of thyroid issues in children will miss the signs.  Putting him on Armour thyroid changed everything.

 

 

Then in his 2nd grade year, we had parent teacher conferences.  We were presented with this spelling test.  The test that he was given was on the left side.  He was a good speller and rarely missed more than one.  Clearly he was struggling when he took this test.  He had been going through a growth spurt and this is the time when children need more thyroid medication.  I contacted our doctor and was told to increase his dosage 1/4 grain (15 mgs).  I did and 7 days later I had him retake the test (right side of image).  I did not review the words with him.  I just had him write them.  He missed one word where seven days earlier he had missed 6.  This is the travesty of drugging our children.  They may be hypothyroid instead.  Thyroid hormones are needed for proper growth and hormone development.  Yet we are masking issues with ADD medication that in many cases causes the children to become suicidal in their teen years.  I’m thankful we had access to a doctor that got it.  Our pediatrician told me that children do not get thyroid problems.  I’m glad I did not take “no” for an answer.