Adhd Educational Alternatives for an 11 Year Old??????

Updated on April 14, 2012
R.M. asks from Cedar Park, TX
11 answers

My 11 year old boy was just diagnosed with ADHD and is struggling so much with school and every aspect of it. He was officially evaluated and has a "superior" IQ ...but is having trouble in school due to his ADHD. Any ideas on what I can do to help him? Anyone else had this problem? Did you take your child out of school and homeschool or do something else?

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

My 11 yo granddaughter was diagnosed with ADHD last year. She's on medication which helps a lot. She also has and IEP, Individual Education Plan that provides her with a tutor in reading and math areas in which she is behind because of her ADHD. She's doing well with this plan.

My grandson is speech delayed and also has ADHD. He's on medication and going to a special school so that he gets the personal attention he needs.

You can get help thru the school district's special education program. The help can be anywhere from a special school to individual help in specific areas while in a regular classroom. This program does assist the mentally challenged but also assists children with issues other than intelligence that have a negative impact on learning.

Call the school district's main office and ask for special ed office number.

Here is a site that give basic info on special education. http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/

3 moms found this helpful

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Well, what is the specialist recommending? I would assume that medication combined with therapy was brought up, since it has the best track record in treating ADHD. You want to be talking to the medical specialist who diagnosed the ADHD for advice on the next steps in helping your son.

Many kids with ADHD are extremely bright. Our son is, too. He is on medication, which allows him to function normally in school. He's also been in behavioral therapy and is currently going through neurofeedback treatments, too. He has stayed in the public school system.

Since you have an official diagnosis, contact the school district office and get in touch with the psychologist's team. Request an evaluation for a 504 plan (sounds like he wouldn't qualify for an IEP). They're legally required to do the evaluation if you request it. With a 504 plan, you can get special accommodations at school due to his disability.

5 moms found this helpful

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

First of all, take a deep breath.
I know it's overwhelming at first, but it's in your son's best interest to remain calm and carefully consider all of your options.
What is the school recommending? Have you got an IEP in place yet? That's where you need to start.
What does the psychologist who evaluated him say? What are his/her recommendations? How about your son's doctor? It's hard to answer your question without this information.
My daughter's school was quick to recommend medication, but her doctor was hesitant because he felt her case was mild enough to be treated with extra resource support services at school (that's what you get with an IEP.) So far that's been working fine. She was diagnosed at the end of fifth grade and is now in seventh grade.
I am not against medicating her if she needs it, but we are trying to avoid that if possible.
Please work with ALL the professionals, your son's doctors, teachers and counselors, this is really a TEAM effort. Yes you are the parent and ultimately whatever you decide is up to you, but you will need support and guidance along the way. Good luck!

3 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

All my kids went the meds/coping skills route and did just fine in school.

If I were you I would work with the doctors and the school to figure out a plan. Every kid is different.

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E.S.

answers from Boston on

Hi! I didn't take my son out of school, I never sent him because I knew he would come home the first day with a note pinned to him telling me not to send him back without drugs. Homeschooling is not anything I ever planned nor did it turn out to be what I thought it was but I am SO happy we chose homeschooling my babies, now 16 and 19. Homeschooling is a lifestyle. You can give your son freedom to learn and do without being told to sit down and shut up. You can help him figure out what works for him instead of the school's way. Learning should be fun, we all have different ways of learning and should embrace it!

1 mom found this helpful

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

My dtr is 12 and was diagnosed ADD about 5 or 6 years ago. She is not on meds, but at the time, she qualified for an IEP in school so she has modification to her work such as she gets extra time to take tests and her classwork and homework are less than typical kids. We are also having her tested for Aspergers. My son is 9 and diagnosed last summer as ADHD. We had him on meds, about 4 different ones and different doses and I think we finally found one that is working for him. AZ does not allow his diagnosis any longer to qualify him for an IEP but he does have a 504 Plan in place which allows minimal modifications to be done. I have noticed that structure and a schedule has really helped the kids. I mean honestly, we do the extact same things every single day at exactly the same times and it helps. Also, find the book "All About Attention Deficit Disorder" by Thomas Phelan. Its been a great resource for us. Good luck!

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T.C.

answers from Austin on

My son was diagnosed with Aspergers in kindergarten, and when I asked the neurologist if he had ADHD too, he said it's all part of the same Executive Function disorder. We held off on medication until halfway through 2nd grade. It has let him be more successful in school and catch up in math. Unfortunately, If he forgets to take his ADHD meds, the teachers send him home because they just can't deal with his behavior.
The school has tried many things to help. He gets a calm start to his day with the speech teacher, who goes over a "plan" for the day and certain behaviors to focus on. He's pulled out of the regular classroom to work one on one with a teacher for writing and for testing. He focuses better, and so does the rest of the class without him. I try to find lots of activities outside of school for him to be successful at and to challenge him.
In his words, if school was like a video game it would be great.

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J.T.

answers from College Station on

I am sure you will get TONS of opinions on this, but diet works for us. I refuse to put my kids on meds. We use the Feingold program (feingold.org, adhddiet.com) really easy to follow, once you get the hang of it.

We also make the sacrifices to pay for private school. The class sizes are smaller and the kids tend to be more understanding of those with differences. The teachers are not overwhelmed with dealing with too many behavior issues and can actually teach. There also tends to be a little more patience from the teachers and administration on getting kids focused and their work done. Again, this depends on the school.

This is what we do for our highly intelligent ADHD boys. Good Luck!

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S.B.

answers from San Antonio on

Have you considered diet changes? Approximately 40% of high IQ kids have food sensitivities that appear as ADD/ADHD, especially dairy. My DS is highly gifted and his ADHD diagnosis was reversed after eliminating dairy, gluten and soy from his diet. He went from needing an IEP to no support at all in school and is excelling. You might want to talk to a specialist in gifted kids - other learning disabilities such as auditory processing disorders can also appear as ADHD.

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P.H.

answers from San Antonio on

With ADHD the school should be helping him with a special program. DO NOT KEEP HIM BACK! Let the school know so he can get some help. Don't let this be a program in his life. Get him the help that he needs.

R.W.

answers from San Antonio on

Our son also has ADHD and is struggling in Reading. He started off with a 94 and has gone down to 68. We are very concerned about this. He didn't pass a STAAR mock Math Test. The real test is on the 25th of this month. He is in the 3rd grade and turned 9 back in Jan.

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