The Journey....1st appointment
1st Child Guidance Clinic appointment.
3.15pm: The clinic was huge. It was bare. Not crowded at
all. I could have counted about 4 pairs of mum and child pair.
The clinic was in the basement. The surroundings were cold
and quiet....Unlike a normal child clinic. Abang and me entered awkwardly.
There was a tall retarded boy, walking around. A nurse asked
if he was behaving well in school and he answered yes, he is 1st in
his class. *smiles* The nurse encouraged
and cheered him on. Obviously, he is a
regular to them. He seemed well like by the nurses. The retarded boy laughed
happily.
There were a few boys and a girl around 8-9 years old. They
seemed hard to manage. Their face showed anger and resentment. Their guardian beside them looked tired. Here I am with my son, who looks very normal when compared to these kids.
I asked myself silently,”Why
am I here?”
Upon registration, I was given a few sheets of paper to fill
up. I had to answer long questionnaires and do 2 full pages of multiple choice on
Abang’s behaviour.
The Dr was kind enough to call us earlier than 4pm. We went
in, to see a middle aged Dr. He seems nice. Dr Jared. He was a Manchester
United Fan just like Abang and he was happy to see Abang who was wearing a Man
Utd jersey.
The Dr asked me alot of questions about Abang.
How was your pregnancy? How was his childhood? Any history
of mental illness in your family? Do you smoke when you were pregnant with him?
How is he with his sibling? How is he at home? How is he in school? What are
his hobbies? Is he aggressive? Is he independent? Etc etc etc
We also discussed the pros and cons of Retalin, the medicine
to calm Abang’s mind if ever he needs it.
After all the talk about Abang’s behaviour. I asked the DR,
"so do you think my boy has ADHD?"
.......................................
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