8Th Grade ADHD/LD Student in Need of Help

I'm an experienced educator with a heart for struggling students and would love to talk to you about working with your family. My degree is in middle grades (4-9) education with a primary emphasis in reading. Before staying home with my daughter, I taught intensive reading to struggling readers. Additionally, I have several years of tutoring experience. If you are interested in private in-home tutoring, please send me a message or email me at ____@____.com.

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What is his OHI? I suggest you and he sit down every night and read. You could visit your local library to ask what books would be appropriate for a reader on the 3rd grade level. He needs to learn to read in order to catch up. This take practice.

Also, do you know if he is in mainstream classes with a second teacher? the district where I used to work moved away from small classes for kids who were seriously behind and decided to put them in regular education with a second teacher.
just wondering what his day looks like...

1 mom found this helpful

I'm sorry about your frustrations. I do want to say though that I am a teacher and I really do care about the kids in my class. Not all teachers are bad. His IEP should be on his instructional level not a level that he isn't on. Also, the parents should be part of the ARD committee and sign that they agree or disagree with the goals that are set. It is hard for me to offer advice b/c I don't know all the details and OHI covers a very broad range of things. If you aren't satisfied contact the school and request an ARD meeting. They can be called anytime not just once a year. You have that right. Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I definately feel your pain. Our child (who is now 18) was diagnosed with Asperger's when in the 3rd grade. School was not helpful at all and actually placed him in a "transitional unit" to which the teachers always had some excuse as to why he could not be in the regular class. Top that with the kids in the transitional unit were there for behavior issues...not emotional! Anyway, by the time he was going into the 5th grade, we had enough of public. We placed our son in a small new private school then called Newfound School where he flourished! He graduated from high school there this past May and is in COLLEGE!!! Something we never thought would happen. While Newfound is expensive like any private school they are caring, provide 1-1 teacher assistance, kids have no homework (the philosphy is that these kids need to learn to be good productive kids in their homes/neighborhods and they can not do that if they are doing homework). They are a small school (our son's graduating class had 4 kids!) but they are awesome. You can contact me offline if you want more information. There website address is www.newfoundschool.com and they are located in Carrollton. They have kids from all over.... Best of luck and feel free to contact me.... S.

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I wish I could recomend a school to you, but I don't know of any. I will say first that a I myself went to a charter school and that might be the worst thing for him b/c they focus on independant study, and offer very little help. Also, my parents went through similar issues w/ my brother... my mom studied up on the disorders her self, went to an untold amount of parent/teacher meetings and worked very close with his teachers every year. she almost home schooled him in addition to public school for 12 years, but he graduated with a solid b avg only one year behind his class. hope you can find something positive in all of that and good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful

My son goes to Southwest Academy in Allen. It's a private school, but we feel the expense is worth it. The kids get lots of one on one help, but they only go to the 9th grade. Their number is ###-###-####.

1 mom found this helpful

I want to commend you on your dedication to helping your son. Not all parents follow through once they see their child struggling.

I am a school counselor. I don't know if anyone else has mentioned it, but you should have your son tested for dyslexia or other reading problems, esp. with how low his reading levels are. Once diagnosed, they are required to provide interventions for him, it's a federal or state (I don't remember which) law. In FW they have a dyslexia class that he can take to help him..............even if he's diagnosed Sp. Ed. as well. With his age it will be more difficult to get him in, but you can because of the law............insist on getting him help if that is what he has. FW uses a Scotish Rite (hospital) program............which you could also get from them, obviously.......so you could also get help from SR on your own as well.

Best Wishes.

Great Lakes Academy is a private school in Plano for kids with various learning differences that provides a warm and nurturing environment for all of their students. Just call them for a tour at ###-###-#### and visit their website at www.greatlakesacademy.com.

Shelton School in Dallas

Great Lakes Academy in Plano

I would recommend the Winston School in Dallas. Their focus is in helping children succeed with AD/HD and learning differences.

I know who can help, my husband Johnny. His first responce is to say lets look at how the public school is not working and how he can work with you, your son and the school. If there is no way to have the school to provide the service then he can help you fine a school or provide you with the tools to home school. We are home school our son for the last 4 yasrs because of middle school.

Johnny has over 20 years experience as a educational consultant, teacher, and diagnostician He has taught high school and middle school. He has assessed students in grades from PPCD-12 grade. He has experiences as an elementary campus administrator and director of special education.
Certified Special Education Teacher - Certified School Administrator - Educational Diagnostician

Please let me know what we can do.
Look forward in hearing from you.
H.
###-###-####
www.educationalrescueonline.com

I would definitely look into some of the schools that have been suggested. As a former teacher, I can tell you that the public school system does not make it easy for teachers to help struggling students. They put 25-30 students of all different abilities in one classroom then give teachers (who have about 150-180 students total) only 45 minutes a day to write curriculum, plan lessons, grade papers, attend meetings, serve on committees like ARD, contact parents, make copies, update websites, hold parent conferences, etc. It is next to impossible to help each student at the level they need. I can tell you I worked overtime every single day trying to help my struggling students and create an enriched environment for my overachievers but it was never good enough and my heart was constantly heavy knowing that I couldn't help them all! Only you can save your son!
I also suggest reading some books on brain-based learning and synaptic development. This will help you understand that his issues may not all be long-term, with help and the right kind of environment he will thrive! Good luck to you. And remember that teachers really do want all of their students to succeed; we just don't always have the best tools and resources to make it happen.

I agree with Hill School and Key School. The Winston School in Dallas is also excellent. They are not cheap although they may offer some financial assistance. Have you checked with the Child Study Center in Fort Worth. I am a former Resource teacher and I understand your frustration. The mainstream teachers sometimes just don't want or have the time to deal with some special needs students.

No personal experience, but I've heard wonderful things about The Winston School and The Shelton School, both in Dallas. I would urge you to look at their websites and get in touch with them to see if either would be a good fit for your son.

So sorry to hear about your frustrations! I don't have much experience with ADHD but was recently speaking to a doctor in another state who told me that she and a food allergist together cured a kid with a bad case of ADHD with diet alone. Try finding a good integrative M.D. who has experience with ADD/ADHD cases. I really hope you find the help you need!

I would call Covenant Christian Academy and talk to Mrs. Ohara...she should be able to tell you whether or not CCA is equiped to help your son.(press 2 for the Grammar school, then leave a message, or ask the lady, Mrs. Buckingham, who answers during the week.)
It is in Colleyville on Cheek-Sparger Road. Online go to CCANET.ORG. Plus, they go through 12th grade! I love the school!

(If you go to the Admissions office at some point, please tell them K. Smay referred you.)

If you decide to go the route of tutoring which could help him catch up, there is a good offer on Huntington Learning Centers here: http://www.burbmom.net/huntington-learning-center-special...

Good luck. I am sure it must be really frustrating! ugh.

I have also heard great things about the Hill school. I don't have contact info, but I used to know a teacher and they are passionate about helping kids (with troubles like your son's) succeed. Good luck and God bless!
J.

I would also talk with the dr. that he sees for the ADHD/LD to see if they might be able to help somehow. I have a son too that is ADHD/LD and his dr. is very helpful and has told me that she would even talk to the schools if need be for my son. His dr. might do something like that or recommend something for you to do. As far as the school goes, if you have talked with everyone there about your concern and haven't gotten anywhere, another alternative is to go to the school district and let them know what is going on and that your son needs someone to step in from there to help him. I don't know anything about Royce City schools to help you find a private one, but I wish you and him the best of luck. Let us know what happens!

I have a friend that has a son around 13 that is ADD/ADHD and the only way she can help him is by giving him B-
Complex and OmegaGuard supplements by Shaklee.

She did have to play with the amount giving and he takes 6 B Complex a day. When he is own the B Complex and Omega (reg dose of Omega) The son will go to school. not get in any trouble and make straight A's. If he has one day of not having the B-Complex because he ran out; he has gone to school and straight in to the principals office he goes.

Now to give you info on these products and Shaklee. Shaklee is the number one nutrition company in the U.S.
Shaklee has been is in their 54th year of business and the products are naturally safe and proven effective. There are
over 80,000 quality tests conducted annually to guarantee purity and safety on every product. There are over 350 tests on every new ingredient for heavy metals, pesticides and hundreds of other contaminants to ensure purity and quality. All products are 100% money back guaranteed so you can order the products take them for 30 days and if it does not help or if you are unsatisfied for any reason; simply return the packaging and Shaklee will refund your money.

For more information please visit:
http://choice-wellness.myshaklee.com

The B complex and OmegaGuard is the products you may need for you son to help him; then think about all the other people you can help when you son to doing lots better. we are about creating healthier lives and wealthier lives for those that want more.....

S. A.
###-###-####
http://choice-wellness.myshaklee.com

Please consider taking your son to a qualified optometrist who specializes in vision therapy. My daughter was also adhd, but after vision therapy corrected her, she not only caught up, but surpassed our expectations for her. I think there's a doctor in Plano. We live in East Texas, so we went to one in Longview. You can Google "Vision Therapy" and get to one that way, I think. Good luck getting the help your son needs.

There has to be something in your area that can help. Find out who holds the "Co-op" for your district and call them ASAP. They are the ones that HAVE to help. The law states each child has to be in the "least restrictive setting where they can succeed" and it appears he is not succeeding where he is. The Co-ops are set up to help with whatever situations the regular school districts don't cover. I wished you were in the Sanger, TX area. We have the BEST place in TX far as I am concerned. It's a school that has a few names, but my son has gone to "Challenge" for years and has succeeded so extremely well both accademically as well as socially.

My nephew went to Key school and did very well. The tuition is high though. So they put him at 4th Street School in Arlington, and that did not go well. I do not recommend that school.

Two good private schools in Fort Worth that have 8th grade age students are:

Key School
http://www.thekeyschool.com/

Hill School
http://www.hillschool.org/

My name is M. Shipman and I own a company here in Weatherford called, Unlock the Box Innovative Learning. My company is a student-centered, brain-based alternative to traditional tutoring.
My program combines compassionate mentoring with tutoring that focuses on building self-esteem and confidence.
Please feel free to call me, I feel 100% confident I can help you!
Sincerely,

M. Shipman Lee,
Founder
Unlock the Box Innovative Learning
###-###-####

When he gets to high school you might want to send him to Winfree Academy. There are six campuses in the metroplex. I work on the Irving campus and can tell you that we take the IEP very seriously. We offer alternative curriculum as well as reducing work in addition providing other modifications for behavior. I know this may not help you now, but something you can plan for next school year. Good luck!

Call Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas. They see childrens from age 5-14 who is having problems with learning disability anything associate with Dyslexia (reading, writing, math) They also have a Dyslexia Lab where the child would come for a 2 year program. There is no charge. ###-###-####

Also, try Focus Learning Center is Dallas.
Good Luck,

J.,

It's not that the Public School teachers don't want to help your child. Thank the recent "No Child Left Behind" act that dictates the level of rigor and the accomodations that a child recieves in the classroom.

You are your child's best advocate, and I applaud you for being proactive in the best interest of your child. However, if you get with his teacher on a one-to-one basis you may be able to work together to come up with a stragety or strategies to help your child be more successful in the classroom. I've been teaching for a long time and I can tell you that in my years teaching I've only met perhaps ONE teacher who wasn't there for the KIDS and only the KIDS.

Best wishes.

T.

Hi J.!

I can help!

I own The Cerebellum Center which offers the DORE program. DORE has help thousands of kids all over the world eliminate many of the symptoms of learning difficulties! It is NOT tutoring and changes how the brain processes information.

Please go to my website at www.cerebellumcenter.com and then go the YouTube and search for DORE program to hear all the stories of kids and adults that we have helped. Your son might be particularly interested in the stories of Scott Quinnell and Kenny Logan who are professional athletes in the UK and had dramatic results as the direct result of the DORE program!

I hope to hear from you soon!

Best wishes!
S. M

The Cerebellum Center
www.cerebellumcenter.com
###-###-####

Check out the Hill School in Fort Worth. It's over near TCU, maybe near McLean Middle School. I've attended workshops there, on Schools Attuned principles, (which is completely geared to the individual brain-process needs of students), and been very impressed with the approach they take with students. I'm not experienced with how you go about registering or qualifying to enter there (not even sure that is the correct term), but it seems, from what you said, that your student may be appropriate for that school. It's elementary, middle and high school, and very much "individual-student needs" based. Most of the students there have some kind of learning disability or issue, and the program is excellent. *I am a teacher, and I don't identify at all with your statement that most teachers in public school could care less about your child. The high school from which I just retired has a faculty full of teachers who spend volunteer hours helping students who need extra help, who will go the extra distance to ensure a student's success. I just completed 19 years with the district, and I know for a fact that I put in thousands of hours on my own time to take care of teaching business, to assist students, to enrich their learning, to facilitate them to experience things that went beyond the basics, to get them to think critically, to take stewardship for the planet, to be ready for college or some kind of career. Maybe you got more than your share, as certainly there are bad teachers just as there are bad doctors, bad plumbers, and bad ministers. As a member of that profession, I'm sorry for that experience for your son.
Check out the Hill School in FW.