Just wanted to say Hello. My name is Jeannette. I have 3 girls a 12, and 2 10 yr olds. The twins have ADHD. School seems to be getting harder for them. One is doing good but is working very hard to get her good grades. The other one is working very hard also but she does not retain the information at all. EX we were studing for a Science test the other day. For abot 20 mins. we went over the differnet groups of teeth (names and what they did). When I tried to quiz her on it she had forgotten it all. This is not the first time. She has a very short memory. She also confuses the days. Something that might have happened a long time ago is like yesterday to her. I am just looking for help on a way to work with her with school. It is not fair to her when we both get fruserated because I just don’t know how to help her. Can anyone please help me?
Thank you
Jeannette
has your daughter had a speech and language evaluation?
Jeanette,
I would recommend you make a request in writing to get your child evaluated because it sounds like she is having problems with language and sequencing, she may also have problems with auditory/receptive language comprehension. IS there any chance that the oldest isn’t ADD as well, but possibly the inattentive type?
Learning problems
May be there are some learning style differences here that make it hard for her to get the auditory-visual stuff. Models, using her own teeth, moving around are all good. If there is a way to make a game out of it for her, make up some joke names for the teeth, ask her to chew with molars, with incisors, etc., have her show what each one does best - anything to get her actively involved in the learning.
It is also possible at this point that the anxiety involved in studying anything is interfering with her ablilty to actually learn the subject. If she is worried about “not remembering” and is viewing herself as “stupid” because of her “bad memory”, she will be looking for evidence to reinforce the idea that she just can’t do it, and it will seem easier to give up. If there is any way to find out things that she DOES remember and figure out why she is able to remember THOSE, then maybe you can start identifying her strengths and building on them, instead of helping her bang her head against the wall just a little longer and harder. Sometimes it’s the process that is creating the problems, rather than the subject.
Finally, it’s important to remember that being on stimulants has never been shown to improve overall learning for ADHD kids. Being able to pay attention to the teacher is no guarantee that what she is paying attention to will become knowledge for her. There are certain skills involved in learning that have to be developed, and your child may simply not be very far along in this process. Find out where she is and develop her skills from there. This might even involve finding a different classroom or school that is willing to work with her from where she is and help overcome her beliefs in her inability to do this kind of task. We homeschooled and used alternative, child-centered schools for our kids with great success. You might want to consider that option.
Meanwhile, remember she is very young and being “behind” is more of a concept than a fact. She is where she is, and worrying about it or comparing her to others (like her sister) is not going to be fruitful. Find those strengths and help her build on them, and don’t worry about her “behindness”. Focus on finding what works for her, and make it happen, whatever anyone else thinks about it.
Hope that is helpful!
Maybe you might try using pictures, this does take some thought. Also you might have her point to her own teeth as well. I like the web site- askjeeves.com I go there, and they have one for kids that is easier to understand, and usually has pictures. My daughter has a great visual memory and poor working memory, if I can use pictures and make it a game she does ok. I also have to break the words into syllables and have her read them quite a few times. My child is suppose to get accomodations for testing, such as reading the test to her and giving her extra time or scribing for her. Have they been tested and on an IEP or 504?