Billy – A Child

When I first met Billy, he was eleven years old and in 5th grade special education. He was hyperactive, anxious, distractible, impulsive and showed little social awareness. Although many specialists had examined him throughout his childhood, he had shown very little improvement.

After reviewing his medical history, consulting with his pediatrician and meeting Billy, I could understand how Billy’s social confusion may have indicated Asperger’s Disorder (a form of autism). I became concerned that it would be impossible to diagnose him accurately and treat him definitively while he was still struggling with focus and distractibility issues.

I was pleased to observe him improve with a trial of a newer non-stimulant medication. Billy showed more attention, less impulsivity and the ability to make better social judgments, based on his surroundings. The result was that he had much less to be anxious about! At that point. Psychotherapy became a meaningful possibility. I began meeting with Billy and his mother and father, together, to help Billy learn appropriate social judgment and skills.

Over time, Billy began demonstrating improvement in his social awareness. He started responding more positively to his parents and teachers and was better able to complete his school assignments. Three years later, Billy not only graduated from the eighth grade, he also played a role in the school play and successfully completed his bar mitzvah.

Billy’s mother’s comment about his treatment was: “Our son has been a patient of Dr. Freed for the past few years. His anxiety has dramatically decreased under his care. We are very grateful for all his support and guidance. We have a very happy child. Thanks Dr. Freed!!!”