Ot Adhd?

[stacy6552]

OUr child is finishing up first grade. Due to his struggles with reading, we had him evalauated for an LD. The school took alot of steps and went through a big (if rushed) process and came to the conclusion that he qualified for services under the "other medical impairments" siting, but not diognosing ADHD. We have been in touch with the pediatrition and will be seeking an official confirm or deny from him.

From what I have been reading on the net and these boards, I think it is pretty mild. However, the school has to have an education plan drafted in the next 30 days, which will probably be sooner because school and teachers will be out before then. And it will probably be sooner than the pediatrition can weigh in.

So my question is to all you parents who have been through this. What kinds of things have worked for your children at school, things that the school provides? What should I be trying to get into his plan? Front of the class room, the possibility of an aide.....what else?

Thanks so much.

 

[Silverbelle990]

My DS6 had ADHD and we found that medication did very well for him. He couldn't swallow any of the pills and is on a patch much like for smokers. At school we do many things to help him
Sit close to the teacher, be able to stand and do work, take breaks often so he doesn't feel he has to always sit, we also put to gether a plan for the coming years that his teachers can look at before he gets in clas and be ready ahead of time. I think this is great for him when third grade comes around and the testing is taking place he can go to a special room and work, get longer time and breaks to help him get through it.
We didn't want him of meds but found that just alittle helped his schooling alot. If you want any other infor please feel free to pm me and i will tell you everything that went on with us and wthat we found to help.

 

[badblackpug]

Get an independent educational/psychological evaluation. Schools are very quick to say ADHD or diagnose some type of LD. My friend had her son diagnosed by the school child study team who diagnosed ADHD, she has him independently evaluated (your local chidren's hospital or university hospital with a large peds dept. can do this) and they told her he had a "skills gap" (he was also very weak in reading) she did tutoring at a local Sylvan Learning Center once a week for one school year, and he is doing very well now.

 

[Schmeck]

How can schools legally diagnose ADHD anyways? Doesn't a doctor have to do that?

 

[karliebug]

How can schools legally diagnose ADHD anyways? Doesn't a doctor have to do that?

Not anymore, at least not here in PA. It is likely that the diagnosis was made by classroom observations, teacher and parent checklists on behavior,etc. I have taught first grade for 23 years. Here's what may help. Breaking assignments into smaller chunks. For example, instead of giving him a page of 30 math problems, the teacher may give him 10 at a time. Sometimes looking at a big assignment is intimidating. Frequent opportunities for movement may be helpful. Special seating away from distractions, which may include being in the front of the room. Depending on the severity of symptoms, medication can be extremely helpful, but behavior modification should be tried first, for example a sticker chart for desired behaviors. Sometimes a simple timer on a student's desk can help them stay on task-you have 5 minutes to complete this work,etc. Good luck. Remember that this is not a life-long sentence. IEP's can come and go when support is no longer needed.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Not anymore, at least not here in PA. It is likely that the diagnosis was made by classroom observations, teacher and parent checklists on behavior,etc.

Yikes! That is quite scary to tell you the truth. My son has ADHD (diagnosed by a doctor) and here in NJ they (the school) couldn't even utter the word years ago because there were so many lawsuits against school systems for making their own diagnosis without being a medical doctor. I wonder if that has changed for us too now in the recent years. We had those checklists also, but the school could only give them to us to use to discuss with the doctor, they couldn't use it to make their own diagnosis. When DS first went into special education it was recommended to me that he be checked by the pediatrician, but that is all they could say at the time.

Okay, now to OP. Since you weren't told DS had ADHD, I would not really worry about consulting with your doctor so much unless it would make you feel better. My DS and DD both have learning disabilities and developmental delay and educational testing was more reliable since the doctor does not do that. In that respect, the teachers and counselors are best qualified to spot if a child is lacking in an area or behind. Our pediatrician did send my kids to a neurologist, audiologist and pediatric psychologist for confirming a diagnoses of ADHD. I know there was another person they saw to evaluate for perceptual impairment, but I can't think of who that was at the moment. Anyhoo...both my kids are classified and they receive special services. Most of their classes are self-contained-they are very small-maybe 10 kids in the class. The less kids, the easier it is for them to learn because they don't get lost in the crowd so to speak. Both of mine are given different modifications-they are allowed extra time to complete tests and quizzes, tests are given to them in 5-10 question increments (because if they see a test of 40 questions, they totally shut down)-kind of like what karliebug said, they are allowed to do physical models in lieu of written reports (sometimes, not always), questions for tests will be read out loud to them if necessary, DD gets an assignment book to keep track of what she needs to do and her teacher gives her a sheet on her desk in the morning of all classwork that will need to be completed for the day and it helps her immensely. There are a lot of modifications that can be made to help your child along and sometimes what one teacher does, another may not, but most times if they know it works for your kid, they will do it. Don't worry about the classification either-ultimately you have the say in what happens with your child and whether they stay in the program or you try to have them adapt to regular size classes and expectations. Normally, if the disability isn't severe, over a few years they will try and mainstream them back into normal classes. Usually if they are ready, you child will tell you. DD is mainstreamed for some subjects, but not others. It all depends on where their deficits lie. Good luck to you!

 

[pweyl36]

OUr child is finishing up first grade. Due to his struggles with reading, we had him evalauated for an LD. The school took alot of steps and went through a big (if rushed) process and came to the conclusion that he qualified for services under the "other medical impairments" siting, but not diognosing ADHD. We have been in touch with the pediatrition and will be seeking an official confirm or deny from him.

From what I have been reading on the net and these boards, I think it is pretty mild. However, the school has to have an education plan drafted in the next 30 days, which will probably be sooner because school and teachers will be out before then. And it will probably be sooner than the pediatrition can weigh in.

So my question is to all you parents who have been through this. What kinds of things have worked for your children at school, things that the school provides? What should I be trying to get into his plan? Front of the class room, the possibility of an aide.....what else?

Thanks so much.

Let me get this straight,Just because he is havng a problem with reading everybody thinks he has adhd? My older son has add he was dx by an neurologist. He never had a problem reading or learning,he just could not sitting still or concentrate .He also had to walk around the class and call out in class alot.After he was dx we tried meds untill we found one that worked for him and last yr he graduated with As and Bs.

 

[kribit]

I firmly believe that boys in general have some sort of attention deficit. My husband is 33 and he still has a difficult time remembering a list which contains 3 items. I'm not trying to make light of your sons issue, because I don't know your family. I just get nervous when teachers with no medical expertise diagnose a child with add or adhd or autism for that matter.

I would take him to his pediatrician to get him evaluated and then report the findings to your sons school.

Good luck.

 

[WDWCPAlumni]

As much as you feel like you need to hurry, you do not. Please dont. I think so many kids are incorrectly diagnosed.........

There are at least two well-documented ways to determine if your child has a neurologically based disorder of ADD or ADHD: a spectrogram or an EEG can identify specific patterns in certain parts of your child's brain.

Please read this over.

http://drphil.com/articles/article/150/

If it doesnt work, copy and paste.

 

[janets]

Yikes! That is quite scary to tell you the truth. My son has ADHD (diagnosed by a doctor) and here in NJ they (the school) couldn't even utter the word years ago because there were so many lawsuits against school systems for making their own diagnosis without being a medical doctor. I wonder if that has changed for us too now in the recent years. We had those checklists also, but the school could only give them to us to use to discuss with the doctor, they couldn't use it to make their own diagnosis. When DS first went into special education it was recommended to me that he be checked by the pediatrician, but that is all they could say at the time.

I'm not sure what NJ now allows, but a friend with a child in 3rd grade was recently called into school for a meeting. It was the principal, the school GC, the entire child study team, the curriculum supervisor and a bunch of other people. They told her that her son is not scoring where they think he should on part of his reading exams. The principal basically told her that he needed to be tested, that they had decided he had a LD and that they were going to put an IEP in place. Then he told her that if she didn't agree, he would file a due process claim in court to force her to do it and said to her "and I'll win too."

I was shocked at the arrogance and unbelievable behavior of these people. There have been isolated instances over the last couple of years when she has spoken to his teacher over one thing or another. In kindy, they told her he was having trouble because he didn't go to daycare/preschool. By the end of the year, the teacher told her she was wrong and he was fine. In 2nd grade the teacher said he was having some difficulty and she tried to explain that the family was having a lot of stress over her mom's cancer diagnosis and her being very, very ill (he's very close w/ her mom)...the teacher and administration wanted no part of the information. When she had her parent/teacher conference recently, his teacher told her that he'd do great in 4th grade. Now all of a sudden, he has a LD and they want to force her to have him tested.

Why? Who knows. This principal is fairly new and they are in an affluent area. If the school scores aren't high enough, maybe he tries to explain it by then having the kids not doing as well as he thinks they should classified and thereby removing them from the testing batch. I don't know but it's very alarming when a school tries to bully you into something by threatening to take you to court.

 

[emh1129]

Definitely talk to you ped.
We suspect that ds would be labeled ADHD if we continued with public school. We're going to homeschool, though. I think he just needs a more relaxed environment with a more realistic schedule (he can't sit still for an hour plus at a time- that's just not realistic for him, or many 5yr old boys I know for that matter). I think ADD or ADHD is often a catch-all diagnosis that is used far too often for children that just don't conform perfectly to the stereotype of a model student.

Anyway, I think an aide might be helpful for your son, and possibly setting up regular breaks for him. Sitting near the front might prove helpful as well. There are lots of things to try.
I would just try to make the school day fit him, rather than ask him to conform to the often rigid structure of the day (would be possible if he has an aide). If you are able to do that, you may be able to forego medications completely.
I worked in Special Ed for a few years and have seen many different ways to deal with ADHD, if in fact you believe that he has that.
Good luck!

 

[stacy6552]

Ok ok. hang on. Here is what has happened. We have him evaluated. He has qualified for services, under "other medical impairment." NO one has diagnosed ADHD, but that is what is suspected. Examples that were sighted we being off task in the class 50% of the time, while others were about 0-20%, and being hypersensative to other things like, when he was in a room one on one and someone walked by, he wanted to know what they were doing. It came down to OMI or a specific processing problem and with his attention being seen by everyone across the board, this is what we went with( though it could totally be that his attention wonders because he cant process).....Honestly, he's always been a high maintenance kid and I do question the cause for the reading (no one is thrilled with that class).

From what I have been reading, if he has adhd, its a really really mild case and I am wondering if we should even persue a formal diagnosis, but I do think I want the chicken or the egg question answered. But either way, we won't have a medical answer before we draft up his IEP. I like the idea of an IEP, because it hold the county accountable and even if he doesn't really need services, he could have a really bad year with the wrong class or teacher, so "go ahead and spell it out," I say.

I don't think he will have an exclusive aide, but I hope we can get the spec ed teacher in his class at the right times of the day, like language arts. If anything, he might be pulled for reading assistance. What kinds of behavior thing should I be looking to include? Anything else you think that we should require?

 

[Tikicampers]

I think if it were my child I would have him evaluated by a doctor even if you do not want to put him on medication. If he has ADD or ADHD he may be able to recieve services that would otherwise not be available to him. I doubt he would be given an aide. That is usually reserved for extreme situations.
Some things you may want to consider:
-Some kids with ADD actually do worse sitting in front of the class. I have had students who did better sitting on the side slightly apart from the class where they were less distracted. Your child's teacher should know best on that one.
-Your child will probably need assignments broken up into smaller chunks.
-A positive reward system for time spent on task may help, especially if you do something at home to back it up.
-A timer can help, because it gives the child a better idea of how long he has to complete a task.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

What kinds of behavior thing should I be looking to include? Anything else you think that we should require?

If he has already been classified and and IEP is being drawn up, I would think that the school would advise you where DS deficiencies were and what they could offer him. There are different levels of classification, some only get pull-out resource help for certain subjects and other times they put your child in a totally self contained class-it depends on the severity of their impairment or disability. Behavior modifications are usually (in my experience with my own kids classifications) developed by the teachers as the children go along because they need to see exactly what the problems are in the classroom setting and go through trial and error of what works. Once they find something that works, they usually document it in their files and the recommendations are passed on to the teacher for the next year. Has your DS 1st grade teacher given any recommendations? Front of the classroom is definitely an option if DS is not going to be in a self contained class. THe benefit of the self contained classes (at least here in our town in NJ) is that they normally have 1-2 aides to help the teacher with the students and the classes are very small to begin with. Speech therapy is an option if your son qualifies-some get it every day and others only once a week. The teachers can use manipulatives in teaching and normally they do with special ed kids without you having to request it. Breaking up assignments, giving tests orally or in pieces, giving check lists, reward programs, etc. are all options. We have been very lucky in that I have not really ever had to request anything because the child study team here always addressed DS and DD needs before I even said a word. I think 99% of the time when the IEP meetings are over each year, I have nothing I need to add or request. Definitely don't be afraid to speak up and ask for something though-the worst they could do is say no. In our old town, the biggest problem I had was to get my DD classified, but once I did that we didn't have a problem. Also, the IEP is the not final word, so don't feel that if it is not spelled out in there, that DS program cannot be changed. You can contact your DS counselor at any time and request changes or modifications. If you do get a doctor that diagnoses DS with ADD or ADHD, make sure you inform the school asap, as that may change what is available to him. Good luck to you!

 

[SnowWhite12]

I am a Licensed School Social Worker, and I do the ADHD evaluations for my elementary schools. When I determine a child meets the criteria for ADHD (whether combined, primarily inattentive, or primarily hyperactivity-impulsive type) I send all the paperwork I completed (includes classroom observations, social/developmental history, Vanderbilt scale for parent and V for teacher) with the parent and child to the doctor. Doctor (MD or psychiatrist) makes the ultimate diagnosis. Then they bring back the Certificate of Health completed and signed by doctor to the school. That qualifies the child for a 504 plan. Just because a child is ADHD, it does not automatically qualify them for special ed (in fact most do not). A 504 plan just allows for special accommodations if needed in the classroom, such as special seat assignment, more frequent breaks, or longer test-taking times. The majority do put the kids on meds (which normally works wonders, and they don't have to be on them forever). A learning disability diagnosis is completely different from ADHD.

 

[graygables]

The moment my DD was dxed ADHD (although she's really bipolar, but they "won't" dx bipolar in children ) everyone involved wanted her on meds, but us. We e-schooled at the time (virtual charter school, so it was a public school, but at home). All of the IEP folks, the OT, everyone kept asking when she was going to start meds. We kept explaining that we were NOT going to put her on meds and we got the hands tossed up, there's only so much we can do attitude. I could NOT believe the things that were said.

I agree, many children and MANY boys simply have attentional issues period. It's the way they are wired, they are curious and rambunctious, snips and snails and all that. It is the social engineering of the modern public school that is the problem and NOT the child. Sit down, be still, be quiet. Get real.

As for the reading, you may want to take him to an eye doctor who specialized in pediatrics/education. My now 11yo had a TERRIBLE time reading and was dxed ADHD (even though she was NOT). Come to find out, she had tracking problems and needed vision therapy. She went from barely reading anything to reading on grade level (3rd) in 8 weeks. She still needs some refresher activities, but for the most part, she does well. I had to fight tooth and nail with our special ed department to get them to foot the bill for the therapy, but they did and it paid off. I was very happy when I was able to go to the person who sat across from me and called it "snake oil witch doctoring" and show him the test results.

For my bouncy now 4th grade 8yo, we do a lot of things standing up. I have a counter-height work table so 11yo can sit on a stool, but 8yo can stand if she needs to. We also have a seat cushion for her (inflatable disk thing, an OT would know...) that helps her. We tried an exercise ball, but it was just TOO bouncy. The cushion keeps their core making small movements to keep them steady which drains some of the energy. She also has yoga exercises she can do to both speed up or slow down. Frequent breaks and longer times to do the work were important on her IEP. She also swings a lot, to the point where we are putting a chair swing in our basement play room.

Good luck with everything, sometimes it's a tough road to navigate.

 

[goofymomof3]

I am a teacher of 17 years with 3 children. I hate the letters ADHD. I hate the medicine aspect of the Disorder ( for lack of a better word). I also have seen and live daily with children who suffer from ADHD and ADD. Our docor says it is not uncommon to run in families. All 3 of my children are so different. One would lose her head if it wasn't fastened onto her body, she is also Gifted and makes staight A's. Her twin and my other son are so hyper you can hardly stand to be in the room with them. They all take medicine which I hate giving them every day.
Sorry to make that explanation so long....... heheh just wanting you to know, your son will be ok. ADHD definition says that children can not pay attention to things....... I believe the contrary.. they pay attention to everything. THAt is why they often are off task 50% of the time..... I also agree with the person who said they have skills gaps...... YES, THEY DO...... that is because they are off task for 50% of the time.... that would cause you to be lacking in skills. Now as a teacher I can say, if you do not address the problems ( however you chose to adress them) your child will suffer. HIs gaps will get larger and he will feel worse and worse. He has a long way to go in school to hate it this young.
My doctor said to me...... if it was an ear infection you would doctor it... wouldn't you?? THis put it into perspective for me. It made all the difference in my kids. You are a concerned mom....... you will know when you have made the right choices for your son.
Accomodations:
shortened work---- given to him a page at a time.
doing errands ---- getting the chance to get up and move
study carrels(sp)--- the little box to work behind so distractions are not seen
not excluded, only used for quiet work times
MOST IMPORTANT !!!! Positive from the teacher...... be sure he gets teachers who are patient with him and not demeaning........
Extra time for work----- not recess time..... bring it home to do at night
timers on desk sometimes works.......
hand signals--- just he and teacher know...certain signals mean get busy.....or you are day dreaming..........
chances to verbalize---- tell the answer before he has to write it.......
SORRY THIS IS SO LONG......I JUST REMEMBER BEING EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE AND NEEDING SO MUCH HELP........... I HAD NO CLUE....... BEST WISHES AND KNOW.... SCHOOL MIGHT NOT BE IDEAL FOR YOUR CHILD.....BUT HE CAN BE A SUCCESSFUL ADULT IN LIFE.

ONE MORE THING..... IF YOU DON'T STAND UP FOR HIM...... NOONE ELSE WILL

 

[Tikicampers]

ADHD definition says that children can not pay attention to things....... I believe the contrary.. they pay attention to everything. THAt is why they often are off task 50% of the time.....

I love that. It totally describes every ADD/ADHD kid that I have ever encountered.
With proper accomidations and cooperation between the parents and teacher, these kids can do well. In my experience they are usually pretty smart.
To the original poster, I know there are many out there who have had a hard time with teachers and schools, but please give your child's school a chance. Sometimes parents come in expecting a battle, and it is hard to overcome that. When kids like this are in my class, I truly just want to find a way to help them learn to the best of their ability. It is so hard to watch a child struggle, when you know they have the intelligence.

 

[Order66]

ADHD definition says that children can not pay attention to things....... I believe the contrary.. they pay attention to everything. THAt is why they often are off task 50% of the time.....

That's my son to a T. Easily distracted with little to no impluse control. He is on meds and they do help. I did request testing as did his MD but the school didn't feel it was necessary as his testing scores are average to above average. He scores extemely low in listening skills. As if I haven't noticed this in 7 years? I think he's just intellegent enough that he gets by skipping things that stump him and excelling in other areas and it evens out. I will push for the testing in the fall as each grade gets harder he won't be able to cover up his skills gaps. I do realize I'm probably going to have to battle the school to get him some extra help. I wish I had the problem of the school offering me the help without asking.

For my son the big obstacle was writing. I found he wrote better if he stood up so that's how he did his homework. In 1st grade his homework never really took more than 10 minutes, but if there was more I'd give him breaks, or break it up by giving him a reading project for 10 minutes between writing practice. In class he needed a seat that had his back to the window, not his face so he wasn't worried about what was going on outside. It also helped to have him next to and across from girls rather than boys because well...girls are icky and he doesn't get distracted by them as much......yet.

 

[Tikicampers]

I did request testing as did his MD but the school didn't feel it was necessary as his testing scores are average to above average. He scores extemely low in listening skills.

I wish I had the problem of the school offering me the help without asking.

Sometimes it is better to wait to test kids until they are older. A six year old child with ADD/ADHD is really probably not that much different than a six year old without it. Most six year olds are at least somewhat impulsive, and get off task. By waiting a couple of years, the differences between kids are more easily seen and kids may have a better chance of qualifying for services.

As to the second sentence I posted, I'm glad you feel that way. I wish all parents did. It's much more common to approach a parent and have them insist that their child is not having any problems and does everything fine at home .