Seeking Advice Regarding Schools for a ADHD Type of Child

I am so sorry that you are being pressured to put him on medication. That seems to be what many educators think a child needs when they can't seem to figure out what to do with/for them. I am a teacher myself, but I am quite the oppposite. I believe it is the teacher and the schools responsibility to meet the child's needs. If you have to move him to a new school, please do. I hope you can find a good solution for you and your son. Do not give in to the fact they have decided that he has ADHD. That is a copout on their part.
If you would like to consult with me further, I would be happy to be a sounding board for you. Best wishes.
Gretchen

Hello,
I'm a new special education teacher (just need one more test to be certified) I haven't had much experience with ADHD but you can get more information at:
http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/html/parents.htm
To download Parents right's or To request a copy of A Parent's Guide, call 217/782-5589.
Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs).

http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/html/ADHD.htm
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The US Department of Education has released two guides on ADHD for parents and teachers, Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home and Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices. These guides are the first two in a series of three guides that the Department will release that addresses children with ADHD and school performance. The third guide, which is not yet available is: A Resource Directory for ADHD. The available document can be downloaded from http://www.ed.gov/about/pubs/intro/index.html?src=gu or you can order a copy.
Once at the website do a search of adhd
Hope this helps,
Bonnie

Dear V.,

I would agree that it's not the school's place to diagnose these things so I certainly wouldn't be pressured into meds. I'm no expert either, although I am an educator. A very close friend of mine is an awesome clinical psychologist here in chicago and she specializes in kids/adolescents... perhaps she could help?
Dr. Catherine Pines
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her office is downtown at Illinois & Clark....

it sounds like there's more going on in your son's life with the divorce... and simply labeling him adhd won't necessarily solve anything with his behavior...

good luck!
sincerely,
C.

Hi Veronice:

My name is M.. After reading your post I just felt the need to write you as my son also has ADD and I know how hard it is to diagnosis and how frustrating it is to get the appropreate help in the schools We pretty much made our own diognosis on our son by what we saw and experienced and what his teachers noticed in his school work and also by seeing how he was with his friends.
I have listed a few things that we noticed that told us something was not right. Our son was very argumentitive and could never let go of a situation, he could not do homework as he would get not only distracted but also frustrated, teachers told us he could not concentrate in school, he also had problems with friends quite often, as he was always right (no matter what) and would argue a lot. We noticed prolems as early as 1st grade but did not see a councelor until the 4th grade. We then put him on medicine and he did wonderful, He actually thaanked us for it. He became much easier to talk to and starting do better in school. It was not all easy after that though. The teen-age years were very hard and then he started to not want to take his medicine. Now that he is 18 he knows he needs it and we have no problem with him taking it .Although he does want to get off of it some day and we will try to wein him from it after the school year. They say some people can out grow it and some may not. I guess time will tell.
As far as HS we had trouble with him there his first two years. Like you said some teachers are better then others. SOme did not want to bother with him and others were great. After much work and investigation we found that they have to work with children with these kind of problems and our sone was put into a small classroom and is flourishing. We are so proud of him.

I hope I helped you a little. If you have any questions please write and I would be glad to help if I can. You can also call me if you want.
M.
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Hi V.,
I am a teacher for Chicago Public and trust me when I tell you that your son is just fine. Tell the teacher to F**k off and that when he gets an MD after his name in Pediatrics he should give you a call(Ok, maybe not exactly in those words). Do Not Put Him On Any Medication! Your son's teacher knows him for 6 months and he is qualified to make that decision? I certainly think not. Here is a suggestion, call downtown and let them know that they have budding doctors on staff making a medical diagnosis based on their inability to teach. I work with many fantastic teachers who love their students, but there are always those crappy teachers who wish some children would be medicated out so that they do not have to deal with them in the classroom. You tell your son that he is fine. Tell him he is coping with a crappy situation but that it will get better. Support him and make him feel stable. Be strong and kick that teacher and principal in the A$$! Also, if you need someone to do it for you, give me a call. I am a stay at home Mom and if you could not already tell, I am tired of educators promoting medication for EVERY situation. Good Luck! Seriously, I have gone into schools for my friends acting as their advocate on different matters. This really grates on my sense of fairness. Shame on this school! Good Luck Mom and be strong. Next time they diagnose your son with ADHD, you diagnose them with MS, Morbid Stupidity.

V.,

The school actually just did you a very big favor. Since this is what they "believe" he has, they may be able to provide accomodations for him--even without a medical diagnosis. Unless the state has changed it's rules, this is still true. Tell them that you want a consultation with the school psychologist. Tell them that you'd like an observation of your son in the school setting--the social worker or school psychologist would be the best person for this job. Also, it would be nice to get a sense of what these professionals have to say about your son since it sounds like the only people who have made this "label" is the teacher and principal.

They may want to do a full case study--but this can be done at any time per the parents request. He would qualify for what's called a 504 Plan if there are no learning disablities present. You should pressure them to take a closer look at your child's needs. Make the system work for you and learn the facts. There is no need to change schools or teachers. That will only add fire to the situation.

What are your son's actual isssues, by the way? Is it his grades? Or just behavior? What does your son say to you about all of this?

Hope it all goes well!

I don't understand why schools think they can diagnose.

My 6yo has ADHD, is not medicated (although we're open to it if he needs it as he gets older) and (not to say your son does have it) he has had the same experience of functioning very well in one classroom and terribly with another teacher. It's truly shocking to see how environment/teacher can totally change a child's behavior. If you can change schools that might make a difference.

If you are able to, have him evaluated by a private behavioral psychologist or neuropsychologist. If they are able to do a full series of tests and evaluations, they can tell you if he has ADHD, but also what his strengths and weaknesses are, what types of things might trigger problems for him, and so on. We saw Dr. Michael Appleby at Loyola in Maywood (not in your neighborhood, I know.)

If you are in a public school, one thing to think about is that a diagnosis that shows your son needs accommodations to help him to behave/sit still/whatever won't force you to medicate him, but it may be able to force the school, through IEP process, to accommodate his needs. For example, to let him get up and move around a few times an hour, or whatever is helpful to him to stay focused. I would consider going through with the evaluation process through the school - there's no cost to you, and you aren't bound to any course of action like medication, unless you agree to it. But the school is bound to accommodate his needs by law.

This is a very stressful thing, I know. Good luck to both of you and I hope you find some solutions and answers soon.