ADD Question......

[poster]

IEP is Idividualized Education Program. What it is is a document that you and the school agree on interventions and goals for your child.....

I discussed this with the counselor but she led me to believe that this is only if there's a doctor's diagnosis. Is that not the case?

I have been making her read daily, to herself and me, and tell me something about what she read. It seems to be helping but not at the rate needed for what she's doing in class.

 

[vegmom]

I discussed this with the counselor but she led me to believe that this is only if there's a doctor's diagnosis. Is that not the case?

I have been making her read daily, to herself and me, and tell me something about what she read. It seems to be helping but not at the rate needed for what she's doing in class.

What a load of...what school does she attend?

Push for an evaluation. If you have to call Student Services.

My experience has been that Calvert Schools are better about these things, but you still have to deal with some hard-heads.

 

[Cowgirl]

I had the same problem It's probably the same fat lazy slob of a teacher.

C'mon now...in defense of the teacher, it's not like she's the only student in the classroom.


Poster, if you think reading comprehension is the issue, can't you work with her at home? What's the name of that place....ugh....you know, where you take your kid to learn one-on-one with tutors.

ETA: I was thinking of Sylvan. :dur:

 

[lovinmaryland]

..it is helpful but what kind of signs should I be getting at home, or are there any? I've made an appointment with the doctor. My daughter isn't getting up and wandering during class, she's sitting quietly, behavior is NOT an issue and she can get through assignments in one subject but not the other. She's 3rd grade this year and never has a teacher suggested this be a problem.

He was not concetrating, he would get up and walk around the class room, sharpen his pencil numerous times etc...

I really didn't want to medicate him but I am glad I took the Dr.s advice because in my sons case it hs worked out well for him.

 

[Dymphna]

Don't have a child with ADD/ADHD, but I do know that that is a conclusion a lot of teachers jump to without having a clue. It may be legit, it may not.

Read up on the symptoms and watch for it in your child. Now kids will act differently in different situations. I provided childcare for an ADHD child who I wouldn't have noticed an issue with, even when he was off his meds. BUT there were enough stories his mom shared with me to say there was something going on. Also, when I knew he was off his meds, I could tell a difference, but if I didn't know I wouldn't have realized it.

The other thing to consider especially in the first 2 weeks of school is boredom level. A lot of what they are doing now is review of last year's work to gauge where everyone is. One of my kids has been having problems finishing his work. Found out from the mother of the kid who sits next to him that the two of them are bored out of their minds and are both blowing off their work. They've learned how to "look busy" when the teacher glances up from working with other children on the other side of the room, while in reality they are talking with each other quietly enough that teacher doesn't notice...I'd accuse them of passing notes, but since they are in 1st grade, I doubt that though has occured to them yet...heaven forbid when it does.

 

[Sharon]

In the second week of school the teacher calls and explains child has a "focusing" problem and I request a conference. During conference teacher informs me that if child was diagnosed (even w/out medication) with "ADD" there are programs available to help but at this point nothing she can do extra for the child as that would be unfair to the other students.

How would you respond to this bit of information? I have mixed feelings about it and would like to hear others thoughts.

I'd ask her what medical school she attended, if she is in fact a doc, she must not be very good if she settled on a teaching career instead.

 

[Cowgirl]

I'd ask her what medical school she attended, if she is in fact a doc, she must not be very good if she settled on a teaching career instead.

She said the teacher said "if the child was diagnosed." She didn't say the teacher told her the kid has ADD.

 

[Ritak9777]

Adhd/ld/iep

There are two possibilities that are being discussed here.
First is ADHD. In the case of ADHD, in order for a student to receive an IEP, she must have been diagnosed with ADHD by a doctor. Schools can not "diagnose" ADHD (although teachers and parents are both involved in completing rating scales as part of an evaluation for diagnosis). That is what the counselor may have meant, but not explained.
Second, some have mentioned LD (specific Learning Disabilities - in Reading, Written Language, or Math). This, the schools can diagnose after an evaluation consisting of assessments, observation, and other data collection (like your daughter's "lack of progress" in some of the interventions in which she's participated).
In both cases, an IEP can be developed by the team (you're included on the team!) only AFTER diagnosis and determination that an IEP is needed.
FYI: Federal law requires that the school-based teams meet within a certain (federally-mandated) timeframe after an evaluation is requested by a parent. You could simply write a letter to the principal stating your concerns and asking for an IEP Team meeting (which she would HAVE to do, per federal law), but I really sugest that you talk to your child's teacher about your concerns first and ask if she would refer your child to the school's PST or IEP team. I know you're already ruffled by the teacher, but, ultimately, you two are on the same team. You don't want to jump over her or make her your enemy. You will be working with her for this whole year, and the evaluation process can be long and (sometimes) confusing. You both want your daughter to be able to learn as best as she can. Working to work WITH your child's teacher (and get her to work with you) will be very beneficial in the big picture.
That said, know that you can pull the strings at any time by formally requesting an IEP meeting.

 

[poster]

C'mon now...in defense of the teacher, it's not like she's the only student in the classroom.


Poster, if you think reading comprehension is the issue, can't you work with her at home? What's the name of that place....ugh....you know, where you take your kid to learn one-on-one with tutors.

ETA: I was thinking of Sylvan. :dur:


She said the teacher said "if the child was diagnosed." She didn't say the teacher told her the kid has ADD.

OKAY - I agree, my child is not the only student in the room and I don't expect the teacher to treat her as such. However how does one explain not knowing that one student hasn't turned in any classwork in 2 weeks?

I have used tutors and plan to do so this year but I use the teachers at her school, some of which have not been tutoring during the first couple of weeks of school. We constantly work at home with her reading, she's made to read every day and then tell me about what she's read.

It's my understanding that the teacher (or school) is legally not allowed to say "your kid has ADD" which is why she used the phrase "if she was diagnosed".

Your missing the point here, is the teacher grasping for an easy solution by suggesting ADD? Has this teacher or the school, in 2 weeks, exhausted all possible efforts to help my child? I find it hard to believe that in 2weeks time, not even full weeks mind you, the school or teacher has had enough time to make such a suggestion. That being said I am not ingnoring the possibility.

I have made arrangements for the school to evaluate her and will go with these forms to the doctor. Also for the record she has been improving in the last week, she's having 2-3 good days a week and I'm in daily contact with the teacher. I'm also having her tested for a learning disability. I want to rule out all other options before I have to consider medication.

I do believe that the school is not providing her an available service (Intervention in reading) that she is obviosly in need of. Should she sit and struggle while we wait to find out the problem?

I appreciate all the comments I've received it has given me some insight into what the school can be asked to do. The school will not offer the services they are able to provide, they must be asked for. Being this is new territory for me I didn't know what I should be asking for. We now have a plan on how to handle this and I feel much better about it. - Thanks to all!

 

[crabcake]

I wouldn't place ALL my eggs in the teacher's basket. Certainly take what he/she said into consideration, but a child with ADD/ADHD would also be demontrating the symptoms at home; not just at school. If it's at school only, I'd bet the child isn't being challenged enough. If the symptoms are at other times, it's possible. It does sound like the teacher might be off her own rocker a bit if she didn't realize that there was classwork not being completed.

If you DO see the symptoms/signs in other (non-school) environments, talk with the pediatrician. There is a "test" they will give you, the teacher and a care provider (if you have one) to do ... it's a list of behavioral questions that you rate your child on. It's not a firm diagnosis, but will help provide an objective clue if your child does, in fact, demonstrate the signs.

I would never let the school be the sole provider of a medical diagnosis for my child; after all, they're educators; not doctors.

Good luck!

 

[crabcake]

Also worth noting ... while the medical community lumps ADD & ADHD together in reference, there is a difference between the two ... ADD primarily is the lack of ability to focus on the task at hand (e.g., mind wanders, gets off track easily, etc.). ADHD is the same, but with a hyperactivity component (e.g., gets up and wanders around, can't sit still, frequently interrupting teacher, fidgety, etc.)

If the teacher cannot distinguish between the two, then I'd definately be talking to someone else who can.

 

[poster]

Update:

1st: Teacher told me her 2nd grade benchmark scores where to high for her to qualify.
2nd: Different day Intervention teacher tells me she tested her and she didn't show any indication of needing Intervention.

When I asked what kink of testing they did she didn't really tell me but offered to test her again one on one for a better determination. From what I'm getting I believe they don't want to put her in Intervention because she had "Title I" in both 1st and 2nd and was an "Early Success" student in 2nd grade. Problem is she isn't progressing like she should unless she has the extra help.

...since I as told my daughter would be retested I didn't hear back from the school about the results, so I called. It turns out that she is still decoding her words when ready and therefore can not COMPREHEND what's read. They have since pulled her from class 1/2hr each day for suppliment support!!!

Didn't I say this to the teacher, didn't I tell her she couldn't comprehend !?!?!?! And what did they tell me? They told me she tested fine and it was because she wasn't focusing in class. I'm so frustrated, I'm still having her evaluated because I've already started the process and I'd like to know the outcome. At this point I have very little faith in the school.

 

[vegmom]

...since I as told my daughter would be retested I didn't hear back from the school about the results, so I called. It turns out that she is still decoding her words when ready and therefore can not COMPREHEND what's read. They have since pulled her from class 1/2hr each day for suppliment support!!!

Didn't I say this to the teacher, didn't I tell her she couldn't comprehend !?!?!?! And what did they tell me? They told me she tested fine and it was because she wasn't focusing in class. I'm so frustrated, I'm still having her evaluated because I've already started the process and I'd like to know the outcome. At this point I have very little faith in the school.

Glad to hear your making some progress in the right direction now!

Best thing is to have her read aloud short grade-level passages or to follow along with audio recordings as she reads the text. Fluency (being able to read a sentance as a whole rather than decoding idividual words) is the major stepping stone between decoding and comprehension. My own daughter hit the same snag around 3rd grade, but she's OK and reading on grade level now.

 

[bcp]

In the second week of school the teacher calls and explains child has a "focusing" problem and I request a conference. During conference teacher informs me that if child was diagnosed (even w/out medication) with "ADD" there are programs available to help but at this point nothing she can do extra for the child as that would be unfair to the other students.

How would you respond to this bit of information? I have mixed feelings about it and would like to hear others thoughts.

they used to force you to put the child on the drugs, but then that became illegal for them to do.
now they want a professionals note on hand that the child has ADD.
why?
because the school systems get extra money for each child with a disability that they have in their classes.

its a scam.

90% of the kids that "have ADD" most likely just need a swift kick in the ass