My son starts his sophmore year with a diagnosis of ADHD/inattentive type. He is very bright—probably meets criteria for giftedness but his standardized scores were never adequate to get him in the program. I will meet with the school officials in about two weeks to try to write up a formal plan to help him. Organization and homework were a major struggel last year. He never could keep track of what was expected of him or when a test was. Temper outburst are a major problem for us —I don’t know if they are related to frustration or are part and parcel of the ADHD: any ideas?
He is on medication (ritalin) and he feels so much better about himself now—he said that earlier in class it was like he was reading two books at the same time and he could’nt keep the plots straight!
Anyway, I am in need of some suggestions as to what would be helpful in requesting accommodations for him. I am new to this and don’t really understand what his needs are. More time on tests is one I know of. Anything else?
Ellen
Re: High School with ADHD/inattentive type
Hi, my son is a middle schooler and is add/inattentive. Some accommodations he receives are extended time on all tests(he’s given opportunity to take in class but if he bombs, he can take it over.), opportunity to take tests in resource room with sp.ed teacher, reduced assignments(math mostly), duplicate books from school(saves running back to school for forgotten books), he can use an alphasmart if he needs to,as well as a calculator. As far as organization, we did well with a homework planner and contract that he, his teachers and his parents signed. He got points for all teachers signatures, who in turn made sure that homework, tests and assignment due dates were put in. It worked most of the time with most of the teachers. Not perfect but who or what is anyway? I think most of those items would be helpful for a high schooler as well. I know when I went to high school, I also color coded my folders and textbook covers to match so I didn’t get the wrong things home. I also am add/in, only recently dxed. so I understand the frustration of disorganization(put stuff on the fridge to keep it safe, dig through my purse to find it!!!! :o)
Anyway, there are probly others who also could help with some suggestions. Oh, one other thing is perhaps have the teachers specifically ask for homework at the beginning of the class period, especially if they have block scheduling. My son did his work, he had a hard time remembering he did it 2 days earlier (Monday)and needed to turn it in(Wednesday). We had a hard time with this issue and a particular teacher(there is a thread from way back started by me).
I hope I was able to help.
Re: High School with ADHD/inattentive type
Your son may find if he sits closer to the front of the class where the teacher is speaking he may hear a little better (reduced distractibility).
Re: High School with ADHD/inattentive type
Dear Ellen:
Your child is entitled to be served under IDEA as an exceptional education student. The classification is “Other Health Impaired” if his ADHD results in limited alertness that affects his ability to access his education. The specific wording can be found in the book by the Wrights—Pam and Peter. Peter is an attorney. Take a look at www.wrightslaw.com.
Also you should make sure that you have an accurate diagnosis for your son. Often children with ADHD have a co-morbid (co-occurring) condition. Sometimes its depression, often they have a learning disability, sometimes they have Tourette’s Syndrome.
There is also an increased concern that children are misdiagnosed with ADHD when they may have bipolar disorder. If there is a family history of depression, bipolar disorder (manic-depression), alcoholism or gambling, you should look at www.bpkids.org. That is the website of the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation.
Look also at www.nichcy.org under publications for information on your rights. You should do a search for the Parent Training Information Center in your state and contact CHADD—look at www.chadd.org.
Good luck.
I am an attorney in private practice in Florida with a high school senior and a college junior who are both Gifted, with ADHD and mild LD. I practice in the area of special ed law.
Sincerely,
Beth
Re: High School with ADHD/inattentive type
Dear Ellen:
In my first e-mail reply to your post, I forgot to mention that your son can be fully mainstreamed with an IEP. You can have as one of the accomodations a second set of books, shortened assignments, receiving long term assignments in advance, no homework if class is missed—competency testing on topic instead.
If your son has a handwriting problem, he is entitled to an Computer Access Evaluation and probably an Occupational Therapy Evaluation. If he needs study skills that should be provided–make it an elective and tell them that they need to teach him one-on-one if necessary or alternatively request that they pay for a tutor. Do not go to the meeting alone—bring your spouse, a friend, a lay advocate or an attorney.
Keep a notebook of all contacts with school and put everything in writing. Once again, I urge you to look at www.wrightslaw.com.
Just meeting with staff without starting the IEP process may result in some accomodations, but usually they get ignored. They will tell you yes, and not follow through.
The value of having an IEP is that then your son will qualify for more time for the SAT tests, potential payment of college expenses by Vocational Rehab in your state, and supports in college under Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
You should get the book “Learning Outside the Lines” —its available on www.amazon.com. It was written by two Brown University students who struggled with school—one with ADHD and one with LD. Very good book—study skills in the back.
Regards,
Beth
Re: High School with ADHD/inattentive type
Dear Beth,
I am following your answers and see that you are very knowledgeable. I have children like yours, and I am ADHD and LD. I am writing my thesis this semester for a Master’s degree in Special Education. I am exploring the viability of homeschooling for some students with mild disabilities. Do you have an opinion on this topic? Could the expenses of homeschooling conceivably be covered under IDEA if it was determined to be a more appropriate placement, similar to public funding of private school education for some students with an IEP? Would you be willing to discuss this with me, or are there others to whom you could refer me that would have information on this topic? I would certainly appreciate any help you could give me. Thank you. Ellen (a different Ellen, not the author of the original question!)
You can always also ask for his homework to be given to you or e-mailed home. In the ideal world, each teacher could send home a weekly list of homework and a calendar with testing dates circled on it. He could have a second set of textbooks at home in case he forgets his (you can always buy a second set from the publishers but it’s expensive) You could ask that his homework be reduced.
All they can say is no.
I would say, though, that if his issues with organization continue to be a major problem, you might share that with his prescribing physician. The Ritalin is supposed to be helping with that and he may not be on the right dose yet.