We are in the process of getting our son tested for ADHD. I’m just wondering what to expect and what we should ask when we have our conference. We noticed his grades slipping around 3rd grade and problem seems to be lack of focus and comprehension. He is in 6th grade and so far his grades are still in the B-C range, but it’s been quite a struggle this year to maintain this. He does attend private school and I believe that has helped, just in the structure and expectations alone. Sometimes I feel like I’m overreacting and then other times I don’t think we can get this testing done soon enough. Has anyone else had these doubts in the begining? He feels that we are trying to put a BAD label on him. I guess I should mention that he has a cousin that has ADHD, but has no discipline and that is his perception of this.
Re: need advice
Sharon, We have been getting my grandson tested . It has taken some time as his parents have fought that there is nothing wrong with him. He has been both home schooled and in public school. he does fine if you can keep him busy in home school. we had him tested both in school and with his Dr. He is 11 now and it gets harder to handle as he gets older. The tests in school and Dr.s office show he has some spurts of explosive anger that goes along with the A.D.D. He is very smart but has some LD in Math and Writeing. also in his motor skills. We have been worried about his anger as he is very strong and think he might hurt the younger kids. But he is a very loveing child and always wants you to give him hugs. This year he was in a class with a teacher who does not ever raise her voice and talks to and reasons with the kids. She was the best teacher i have ever seen in handleing him. It seems like spanking and yelling at him makes him worse. We have him on Effexor xr 75 mg and as of last night 7 mgs of Zyprexa. the zyprexa was added because of his anger outbursts. I encourge you to talk to the school and your Dr. and see if they can help you. I have this child in my home to live with me.I see a change in him since we got him and the tests have been done and the Effexor xr has been started. We (the Dr. and I ) have talked to him and he said he was afraid that he might hurt someone and can see the difference since he has been takeing the med. Don’t know if this will help you but hope it does and if you want to you may e-mail me and we can talk. Lois Cantrell
Re: need advice
Sharon,
I didnt want to believe my daughter may have something like this, as time went on I had to admit she needed help. Her behavior changed around 3yrs to 4yrs old. School has been a struggle until this year. She was diagnosed 3yrs ago. She will be going on to 4th grade and is actually excited to take the extra classes and summer school. It has been a long haul to get to this point but she is learning to deal with it and accepts it and knows sometimes she needs to do things differently than others to learn. Her self esteem has sky rocketed. She is very proud of herself. You may want to include your son in the process of finding out and deciding what to do next based on the results from his testing. That is how I keep my daughter interested, plus I want to teach her to rely on herself. You may want to tell your son that everyone is different and that is one of his differences and that it is not a bad thing. Its only bad when you dont understand it, its hard to find what works but he will know it when you guys find it. As for what to ask for in the conference, its hard to tell until you know what maybe affecting your son. If its is any learning disability, I suggest checking into an advocate for children with special needs. I had one to guide me at first and they are concerned with the childs education and thats it, no politics. They are a great resource, they can guide you in what your child may need. Call your school superintendants office and ask for a number to someone in the special education office (depends on where you live as to what name it will be) they should know where to go from there. Good luck! It gets easier when you know what it is you are dealing with…….
>
>
Re: need advice
Terri wrote:
>
> Sharon,
> I didnt want to believe my daughter may have something like
> this, as time went on I had to admit she needed help. Her
> behavior changed around 3yrs to 4yrs old. School has been a
> struggle until this year. She was diagnosed 3yrs ago. She
> will be going on to 4th grade and is actually excited to take
> the extra classes and summer school. It has been a long haul
> to get to this point but she is learning to deal with it and
> accepts it and knows sometimes she needs to do things
> differently than others to learn. Her self esteem has sky
> rocketed. She is very proud of herself. You may want to
> include your son in the process of finding out and deciding
> what to do next based on the results from his testing. That
> is how I keep my daughter interested, plus I want to teach
> her to rely on herself. You may want to tell your son that
> everyone is different and that is one of his differences and
> that it is not a bad thing. Its only bad when you dont
> understand it, its hard to find what works but he will know
> it when you guys find it. As for what to ask for in the
> conference, its hard to tell until you know what maybe
> affecting your son. If its is any learning disability, I
> suggest checking into an advocate for children with special
> needs. I had one to guide me at first and they are concerned
> with the childs education and thats it, no politics. They
> are a great resource, they can guide you in what your child
> may need. Call your school superintendants office and ask
> for a number to someone in the special education office
> (depends on where you live as to what name it will be) they
> should know where to go from there. Good luck! It gets
> easier when you know what it is you are dealing with…….
> >
> >
Re: need advice
Sometimes it can take many months, even a number of years for the right diagnosis to be apparent. Memory difficulties can be associated with a number of challenges including ADHD and some types of the very subtle epilepsies. Sometimes aspects such as CAPD/Central Auditory Processing Disorder/APD/Auditory Processing Disorder can be a part of what may be going on also. Strikingly positive responses to meds are often more the exception than the rule - especially when one looks long term (decade after decade after decade).
Ideally one wants a person to carefully observe what is really there vs mislabeling a child with a diagnosis which is not really there but happens to be a common diagnostic category box which some people may apply because its convenient and quick for them to do so. Best wishes.
Re: need advice
Mr Cantrell,
I am reading “The Out of Sync Child” It is a book about sensory integration.I am struck by the symptoms you describe and how they pertain to this book.
Do hugs really help your child? They describe this in the book. Something about tactile dysfunction.
Also he did well at home. Was the chaos of the school situation overwhelming his senses and causing the anger outbursts?
Also the motor issues are a sign of sensory integration.
Sensory integration mimics ADD. You will find alot of kids with ADD actually have sensory integration instead.
Maybe he does better in your home because something about the atmosphere provides a more appropriate sensory diet. They describe in the book about how when childrens sensory needs are met these symptoms can disappear.
I have seen alot of this with my own child. He has received OT from a therapist at school who does sensory integration therapy. It has helped his motor skills, his handwriting and his overall attitude. He is definitely not as emotional.
Also funny I just noticed that when we visit my husbands family (the loud family) he acts out almost every time. They are lovely people but extremely boisterous and loud. Also alot of tickling and excessive rough housing which will send my little guy right over the edge.
I have learned to help him find some quiet time away from the crowd when we go visit. It calms him down every time.
You may want to get a copy of that book.
Re: need advice
We went for our first testing and of course it was the day we received his report card and SAT results. Report card was all A&B’s and Sat 9 test show that minimally he is doing grade level work, but up to 11th grade in some subjects. I think when I showed this to the counsler, she was wondering why we were even there. I guess there is no way to explain the effort and frustration that goes into these grades. It’s not just about his grades, it’s about his frustration level and need to always be right. I may be going in the wrong direction, but as a mother I do know that he struggles so hard for what everyone says should come so easy to him. Will let everyone know where this goes, thank you for all the input and advice.
been there - trust your instincts (long)
My daughter’s kindergarten teacher told me to keep an eye on her progress - might be a problem or might just be young. Every year we struggled together to keep up. The teachers said she was getting it, just took a little longer - would probably level out by 3rd or 4th grade. It didn’t. By 5th still struggling, grades were A’s, B’s and C in math. To be honest, because I volunteered alot and they knew she was struggling, they “inflated” her grades to reflect her effort. Lots of temper, refusal to do homework. We would work on a concept until she got it. Then the next day, back to square one. She found it very difficult to write, many letter reversals and mixed up ordering of letters in words.
By 5th grade, she gave up. Called herself stupid, wouldn’t even try. Took the school the whole year to test her - they said she didn’t qualify for help. Did private testing over the summer. After following this bb for months, decided to seek out vision testing and a psychologist and a SLP. DEvelopmenta optometrist found vision problems. Psychologist found mild ADD and SLP found written lang. disability. They agreed with the findings of the others. Thought all were interacting to make problems. Enrolled her in vision training during 6th and 7th grade, started her on ritalin in 6th and moved up to Concerta in 7th.
While the testing was going on in 5th, enrolled her in a storefront tutoring program. They identified “gaps” in her learning and worked on those areas until she mastered them.
You can imagine my shock when she was selected for student of the month for first month of 6th grade. It all came together for her and now she is doing well, regained self confidence, is testing above average and has been moved into honors classes. For the first time in her life she is doing her own homework!
To be honest, the IEP team can’t believe she had so much difficulty in the past, but are willing to support her limited needs.
When the professionals reveiwed her school testing, they pointed out that while her average scores were okay, her writing ability was that of a 2nd grader (she was in 5th) and although her math skills tested at high school level, she struggled to make a C in math. BAsed on the subtests, she qualified for IEP and due to ADD, she qualified for accomodations that were written into the IEP.
Trust your instincts. If you think your child is struggling, there is a reason. And if you find the right doctors, there can be solutions.
best of luck
sharon
I went to a private school and they didn’t find my adhd till college. trust your instincts.