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ilikefree
01-11-2008, 02:12 PM
My younger son, who is 8 and in 2nd grade, has trouble concentrating in school and getting his work done. He does the same thing at home. I've had him to the doctor. He suggested before putting him on any kind of medication (which I would rather avoid, if at all possible), that we could try having the school psychologist monitor him or he could recommend someone else to do it. My mind was thinking $$ so I told him I'd like to try the school psychologist first. Ryan (my son) has 3 teachers during the day, not counting his art, music and gym teachers. Each of the 3 teachers filled out a form regarding Ryan's behavior. For example, they all said that he doesn't have a problem staying in his seat, but they all said that he can't concentrate on his work and doesn't get it done. The school psychologist had me fill out the same paper regarding how he does here at home. That's the last I've heard anything about it. The teachers will send work home with him that he didn't get done during class. I'll have him finish it at home and take it back, hoping that he gets more credit for having done it, even though he turned it in late.

Today is the last day of the 2nd quarter of school. I've been telling Ryan that he needs to get his work done or it will bring all his grades down. He knows HOW to do the work, it's just that he can't concentrate on doing it. His mind wanders everywhere. I got a call from his homeroom teacher today after school telling me that there was a lot of work he didn't get done this quarter and that all those papers he'd get a 0 on and that would bring his grade down. I told her that I understood that. She said that the next quarter they would be doing the same thing. I asked her that if he doesn't get something done in class if he could bring it home as homework to do it. She said the 3 of them (teachers) talked it over about doing that and she didn't think that would be an option because they are trying to teach the kids that they have to do the work in the time allotted and that all the other kids (except Ryan and one other boy, who doesn't sit anywhere near Ryan) get their work done. Now when I was in school, what we didn't get done in school was to be brought home and done as homework and turned in the next day. Maybe I'm thinking wrong and trying to come up with somehow to have him get the credit for doing the work, I don't know. What do you think? I'm looking for honest opinions, not what you think I want to hear. Oh, and the teacher also told me when she called today that there wasn't anything that the school or the psychologist could do for him. I understand that the school can't do anything, but I thought that's what a pyschologist was for, to actually talk to Ryan and see if he can figure out why he can't concentrate. He's never even taken Ryan aside to work with him or talk to him. Any thoughts????

dangerousfem
01-11-2008, 02:22 PM
sounds to me like your son is ADD.. and although you don't like the thought of meds... may be what he needs. My son was just like that.. so super smart.. could do the work.. just couldn't concentrate to get it done. We keep trying different things till 3rd grade.. when his grades plummeted to f's so we finally got him on meds, and it was so much better. We didn't give it to him on weekends and holidays or summers.. only school times.

ahippiechic
01-11-2008, 02:23 PM
I think it would be the school pyschologist's job to talk to him if he's having problems.

About not bringing the classwork home to finish, my DD's school is the same way. They have to finish it in the time alloted for it.

freeby4me
01-11-2008, 02:31 PM
It makes sense to not be sending the work home. They're trying to teach the kids to do it at school, in the time given.

Perhaps some medicine is the best thing. If he honestly just cant concentrate, I see no problem giving him something that will HELP!!

Kelsey1224
01-11-2008, 02:46 PM
I don't think it is unreasonable for teachers to expect children to finish work in the alloted time. However, you have indicated that there is a problem and have asked for an evaluation. Obviously there is something going on. It sounds like you need to request a meeting to discuss options.

You can't make an informed decision regarding potentially medicating him until the school psychologist completes his evaluation.

It's time to be a very squeaky wheel!!!

YankeeMary
01-11-2008, 03:01 PM
For starters, call the school psychologist keep calling until you talk to her/him. Your son is not getting the education that he is entitled to, period. If the teachers don't think he should be able to bring school work home (which is crap anyways, since they KNOW he is having troubles) then they need to only grade him on what he does get done (thats the great thing about an IEP). I think it is ridiculous that all the teachers and the psychologist know there is a problem and they are all doing nothing to help this kid out. Once he gets "use" to getting Fs on his grade card, it will tear apart his self esteem and he will no longer care. Mom you need to stay on top of this because obviously the school doesn't seem to give a crap. If you are not wanting to do prescription meds there are herbal alternatives such as calm child, etc...that will work. But keep in mind eventually the body gets use to them and they will eventually quit working. This is the route I took with my son. Looking back (he is now a senior in highschool) I wish I would have medicated him immediately, instead of fighting it so hard. Once I agreed to the meds he was a straight F student and had very low self esteem and didn't care. Once he was on meds, it was a huge difference. He told me he loved his new meds they gave him an inner calm, how great is that. I wish you and your son the best. Feel free to PM or email me as I have been there and done that.

stresseater
01-11-2008, 06:58 PM
This isn't going to be a very popular opinion but from what I gather this is normal progression of boys. My son had the same problems at that age and now he is 10 and turning in his work. He is making all a's and b's. I'd say hang in there,stay on top of the assignments and as for the teacher not letting him turn in late work I'd have another talk with her to try to persuade her into letting him turn it in the next day. If that doesn't work then tell her (if you are in a position to) that you will come and sit in class with him to help keep him on point if she can't do it. I did that a few times with my son.One thing that helped me was getting my son interested in something. He chose to play football and we made it clear that in order to play he had to do the work. Good luck, I'm going to go look for the flame resistant undies now.

Boxtop
01-11-2008, 07:13 PM
Like some of the other posters I too have a son with ADD without the hyperactivity and in his 2nd grade a very intelligent(bless her) teacher confronted me during a parent teacher meeting and basically said If I didn't do something(meaning meds) my son ran the risk of being held behind. It was a wake up call for me because I too did not want to put him on meds even though he had been showing signs of ADD since preschool, but I definitely did not want him to have the stigma of being retained either. We took him to counselors in conjunction with the meds and by the time he was in 3rd grade he was testing in the 90th percentile nationally and he had a happier attitude towards school. Meds have come a long way, but I was very concerned that my son would not be himself on them. He wasn’t. He was him but with all that potential that he had such trouble letting through now shining bright. The school psychologist once related a kid with ADD like a computer with all this info coming in but not being processed properly, she also said that a lot of ADD student are borderline gifted but just have problems letting it out.
My sons story gets kind of shaky from there though because his father, my ex-husband was so against the meds that he convinced my son that he did not need them and not to take them while he was over there for the weekends, by the time I figured out what was going on my son had missed a half dozen days of school from headaches and bellyaches. My point would be to always check with the physician before skipping any meds. I immediately stopped the meds so my son would not be permanently injured from the on and off of the meds, but I was furious with the ex for putting his own ego in a sense before his sons needs. He had been doing so well and I could show the difference in grades and knew the difference in attitude. In my case I wanted to take the ex back to court to force him to smarten up but with the stigma around the meds and their necessity I wondered if the court would even take me seriously. Since then his grades and his attitude towards school have suffered.
As far as the school goes, they have a responsibility to teach all kids regardless of disability. How are they doing that for your child? They seem to be giving you the shaft too because with my son, especially once he had a formal diagnosis, they made a lot of accommodations, almost too many. They would separate him for testing and give him more breaks in between to help him stay focused and/or refocused. The schools here in Florida call the plans 504 and IEP and basically whatever accommodations the child needs are listed, followed, and then reevaluated each year. I totally agree with the squeaky wheel theory. Good luck to you and your child. Follow your gut and don’t be afraid to squeak, squeak, squeak.
Sorry so long winded....

EMSnurse
01-11-2008, 07:29 PM
My son was the same way, very bright but just wouldn't stay focused, We voluntarily had him repeat 2nd grade and that just made it worse. He had numerous medical and psychological tests and said there was nothing wrong with him. When he hit his early teen years the behavior problems started. We ended up putting him on antidepressants, which helped for a couple of years, but he still didn't do well in school. I honestly thought he'd end up in prison. Well, when he was 17 he decided he was going to quit school. He started exercising and stopped eating or drinking anything with caffeine in it. Within 6 weeks he had taken and passed his GED with a near-perfect score. Today he is 26 yrs old and a police officer. He tells me that he was just bored in school. I think his diet had a great deal to do with it. I wish I had been smart enough to try cutting out sugar and caffeine when he was little. But anyway, the whole point is that there is hope, but you may have to do a lot of work along the way. From my perspective, it was well worth it. Hang in there.

dv8grl
01-11-2008, 08:54 PM
Sounds to me like your son is an average kid., I don't think he has ADD, as he has no problem chilling in his seat.

Most likey hes too damn smart & can't concentrate because he's bored!!!!

Sounds like your a great mom, making sure his assignments are in, etc... Keep up the good work.

Johnsmom
01-11-2008, 11:29 PM
I would be calling the school psychologist and asking for an update. There are other tests they can do to really get to the root of the problem. It could be ADD, but it can also be an autism spectrum issue, a learning disablity, a sensory integration issue, etc. I would recommend seeing a developmental pediatrician for testing, they may either diagnose or refer you to a neuropsychologist. Many of the tests done privately are the same as what they do in school, but when I went through this, I wanted my private doctor's opinion as well as the school psychologist's opinion. Fortunately, they all came to the same conclusion, and we didn't need meds. However, I can see where someone may have thought my son was ADD because he was so easily distracted from task. He didn't have trouble staying in his seat or things of that nature. Perhaps your son isn't mature enough for 2nd grade. Many boys lag behind in maturity as far as school/responsibility goes, but catch up. I have a relative who had this issue in grade 1 and was held back and everything was fine after that. The key is getting the appropriate testing done to be sure about what the problem (if any) is. I do think they teachers are beng unreasonable based on the fact that he is being tested and they know there's a potential problem your son cannot help. They would be right if there was no "issue" going on. They should be helping you by getting a plan together to help your son get the work done since he is having trouble. Again, I would also be contacting the school psych and if you don't hear back, call the administration at the school (you may want to do that anyway if you can't get any help with the homework issue).

annie169
01-12-2008, 08:22 PM
My son was diagnosed with ADD in 2nd grade also. PLEASE let him see the school psychologist. My son did and they were able to have him see the Special Ed. teacher for an hour a day and she helped him with strategies and ways to help work on concentrating.

One thing I did was he'd work on his papers for 10 minutes...then a 10 minute break and we did this over and over until his homework was done. Now he's 14 and we kinda do the same thing except its 45 minutes of home work, then a break.

Also....I'm DEAD SERIOUS on this: Give him a cup of coke, pepsi, whatever caffienated drinks you have in the house before school. You'll be AMAZED. I had a mom who's a teacher, with an ADHD child now in high school who does this and it works.

BlueBerriTerri
01-13-2008, 05:47 AM
Have they ruled out dyslexia?

ahippiechic
01-13-2008, 07:23 AM
My son was diagnosed with ADD in 2nd grade also. PLEASE let him see the school psychologist. My son did and they were able to have him see the Special Ed. teacher for an hour a day and she helped him with strategies and ways to help work on concentrating.

One thing I did was he'd work on his papers for 10 minutes...then a 10 minute break and we did this over and over until his homework was done. Now he's 14 and we kinda do the same thing except its 45 minutes of home work, then a break.

Also....I'm DEAD SERIOUS on this: Give him a cup of coke, pepsi, whatever caffienated drinks you have in the house before school. You'll be AMAZED. I had a mom who's a teacher, with an ADHD child now in high school who does this and it works.

Years ago, before my younger brother was diagnosed as ADD, my Mom used to do this. So many people bitched at her for it, but it DID help, I could tell the difference in his ability to concentrate after he had a pop.

dangerousfem
01-13-2008, 07:28 AM
yep.. if your child is not severely ADD then this will work also...

the meds that they put them on are essentially speed.. at least the Adderall is.. its a class II drug.. so what would make us.. a non ADD person speed up and hyper... helps calm an ADD person down.. helps them focus...

ilikefree
01-15-2008, 08:58 AM
Thanks for all the great replies. My sister, who is a teacher, came up with a letter for me. I mailed one to each of his teachers, the school psychologist, Ryan's doctor and the school principal. My sister did a great job writing it so I hope it gets something done.

annie169
01-19-2008, 02:32 PM
Years ago, before my younger brother was diagnosed as ADD, my Mom used to do this. So many people bitched at her for it, but it DID help, I could tell the difference in his ability to concentrate after he had a pop.

My son is passing ALL his classes this year...YAAY! He had to attend summer school last summer because "his grades didn't improve soon enough" and he was "at risk". But this year...NO SUMMER SCHOOL...I hope. He is smart...just doesn't know how to "channel" his attention for the most part.

I think he's in a competition w/ his younger sister too now, she was just tested for GATE: Gifted and Talented Education.

ahippiechic
01-19-2008, 02:36 PM
My son is passing ALL his classes this year...YAAY! He had to attend summer school last summer because "his grades didn't improve soon enough" and he was "at risk". But this year...NO SUMMER SCHOOL...I hope. He is smart...just doesn't know how to "channel" his attention for the most part.

I think he's in a competition w/ his younger sister too now, she was just tested for GATE: Gifted and Talented Education.

That's great. My little bro graduated collage with 3.9. I was so proud. He is dyslexic also.

Not so proud now that he hasn't worked a day since and still lives in my mom's basement, lol!

taz69
01-19-2008, 05:14 PM
My son also had trouble concentrating and getting his work done. His teacher moved him to the front of the class, away from the windows, so that there was less distraction for him. It helped him very much! That was when he was in second and third grade-he is a junior in high school now, with a 3.5 GPA, and no drugs!

MOMMYOF2BOYZ
01-19-2008, 05:31 PM
My Son Was In An Iep From 3rd Grade Until 12th
If It Wasn't For The Iep He Would Have Failed Way Back In 3rd Grade.
Demand That The School Tests Him .there Is No Charge To You
Their Is A Lot The School Can Do For Him. You Have To Ask For It.
The School Never Told Me What All They Can Do. I Had To Find Out On My Own.

MMClub
01-20-2008, 07:23 AM
def talk to the school psychologist, & then find a doctor to fully evaluate him (yes, its hard at first, but keep in mind how much more important his well being is to you than anyone in that school system ~ it'll give you the strength you might need to get thru this {{hug}})
if DS does have ADHD or ADD (or any learning disability), make an appointment with the psychologist to write up a 504 (pretty sure that's the "number"....it's been a few years). the "504" is a legal plan to help the child (i.e., the school is required to follow it, no more excuses :) ). include reasonable requirements that might help him (e.g., extra time on tests, weekly progress rpt, requirement to call or e-mail you if there is a prob, etc ~ figure out what adjustments might best help your DS).
do also read books, websites, etc on behavior modification, & try applying some methods. also, try eliminating processed food from his diet.
some methods will work on some kids, & do absolutely nothing for others ~ you need to try them all.
we used the medication as a last resort, but it helped my ds tremendously. tried quite a few, until we found the right one in the right strength. remember, it is an actual illness so med should be an appropriate option (DS had an ignorant teacher who said, it was really "poor parenting" :getyou . yeah, i let the principal know that the teacher obviously needed further training, which was done quickly). btw, not to scare you, but untreated ADD/ADHD have an extremelly high incidence of depression & suicide in their late teens & 20's ~ it really is that important to get him the help he needs.
it very well might be a long, difficult road ahead, but totally worth it for your child (btw, my DS is now 19, & able to function very well without any meds. he tries to control himself, & is doing an excellent job :) ).

whew, that was long ;)
you are welcome to PM me if you have questions, etc.......i wish both you & your DS an easy journey

ilikefree
01-20-2008, 10:32 AM
Here is the letter that I mailed to them:

I am confused and to be blunt, at a loss for what to do. I feel as though Ryan’s teachers have given up on him. The three of you and myself have filled out paperwork on his behaviors for the psychologist to look over, but I have not heard anything as of yet to help me determine what could be causing him to not concentrate on or finish his work. I am feeling frustration over the fact that I am not able to help him get back on track. The work that he is unable to complete in class will be counted as zeros, according to you, but I am not okay with that. Yes, I understand that you want to teach responsibility in your students (as do I). However, I feel we need to look at the bigger picture. I feel the only thing that poor grades will accomplish is further frustration on his part, and that will totally turn him off to school now and in the future.

Speaking as a mother, I know that Ryan is a smart boy; he just, for some reason, chooses not to show it by getting his work done in a timely manner. It is obvious to me that there is some bigger issue at work here. He is not being stubborn and is not trying to be defiant. He simply cannot concentrate…something that I feel needs further investigation.

Something needs to be done. I don’t know if there is an IEP that can be written (or even a 504 plan) that will accommodate him on any achievement testing next year. I feel he needs some type of accommodation (i.e. shortened assignments, etc.). Or do we need a definite diagnosis of some type first? What am I to do at this point? Do I go to my doctor and have more paperwork filled out by you, or is the psychologist going to meet with me and find out what he has determined? My question here is…how can he evaluate anyone whom he has not met with or spoken with except for a few minutes at parent-teacher conferences?

Please understand my frustration. This is my child and I do not want him to fall through the cracks. Please speak with the psychologist, Mr. Bryan or whoever needs to be in this process of finding out what these issues with Ryan are all about.


Well, the day that everyone got their letters that I mailed out, the principal called and wanted to schedule a meeting with the teachers and me. So I went and talked to them. I guess the teachers took offense in the fact that I said that I felt they were giving up on Ryan. That's when they told me that in order for the doctor to see that there was, indeed, a problem, they had to give him the zeroes instead of just adjusting the work for him. If I'd have been told that in the first place, I wouldn't have been AS upset. As for the psychologist...he is only there 3 days a week since we are just a small school and a small county. He wasn't at the meeting, but I did see the papers that he had faxed to Ryan's doctor...back in NOVEMBER!!! I didn't get any copies of these papers, didn't hear a thing from the psychologist or anything. That was why I was upset on that aspect; because I hadn't heard anything from him since I talked to him the one time at parent-teacher conferences back at the beginning of November. Plus once he got them, the doctor didn't call and talk to me about them. That's why I felt that nothing was being done. I was left out of the loop!! So now I have to call the doctor's office on Monday morning and talk to him about all this. He has an associate that recently opened an office just down the street from where I live. I actually went to high school with this lady. The teachers said that she is very good with this type of situation so I might just go to her. I am just at a loss over what to do. I only want the best for my son and feel that everyone is playing the "not my problem" game. The principal told me though, that if there was anything HE could do to speed up any kind of testing or anything to just let him know. I think his son went through this when he was younger too, so he knows how it can be.

I just want to thank everyone here for your suggestions and replies. You are all really helping me a lot!

jayhawkfan
01-21-2008, 04:03 PM
Ok I have a 11 year old that is the EXACT same way. We have been fighting and fighting for them to have him tested for 3 years. They say that there is nothing they can do because his state assesement scores are too high, like way way above average, but that his daily work is F's. They have been telling me that they will not move him on to 6th grade next year. We JUST got a call this afternoon, finally. They are going to have a SIT meeting and we are going to figure out what needs to be done.

I would have sent that same letter. It is really hard when they keep telling you that they are struggling but never follow up on it. I really have no advice, I just wanted you to know that you arent alone. I dont think that my son is ADD. I could be very wrong, but they havent mentioned thinking that.

Jenefer3
01-21-2008, 04:24 PM
My son doesn't have the same exact problem, his is the opposite. He would fall asleep in class or when he was awake, he'd just be really slow in moving around or getting things done because he was so tired. We had a ton of phone calls home from the teachers complaining about that and the fact that he wasn't doing the work (we worked with him at home on it but there's not much you can do when he's asleep and won't stay awake). I ended up talking to his doctor (who I just love, he's so great!) and he wrote out a note describing that my son does have a medical issue and needs an accomodation with his school work. Well because of this, the school has to provide my son with the ability to get his work done in a certain time frame (for him, it's 2 days). While I understand that the teachers are trying to teach kids to do their work within a time frame, unfortunately, there are kids who, for whatever reasons, cannot meet those expectations. If there's a medical reason behind it, than I think it only fair that those children be accomodated within reason. My son's school, his doctor, myself, and the school psychologist all sat down and talked about it and came up with a timeframe that would be acceptable and it's understood that if it's not done within those 2 days, then it's 0 and even if he turns it in, he gets no credit for it. It's worked really well for us. I think that you should have a talk with the doctor and discuss the problems and concerns with him. He should be able to help come up with a solution to the problem. Best of luck

jnc880
01-21-2008, 05:12 PM
Well I can tell you whats going to happen if you dont get him on med but also can tell you if you do put him on meds...lol my son was and is just like your son he is now 10 and from 1st grade i was told the same from his school. I then mentioned something about getting him on med for adhd and the school wanted nothing to do with it. My son at this point wouldnt even draw a stick person, so I went to his doctor and told her that they said no and i said I should have a say in the matter I would think. Well my doctor then told me she had a short form to have his teacher fill out and when i brought it to her the same day i went to pick my son up and even after telling me he didnt need any meds i looked in the class room and didnt see my son?? well he was in the room just the bathroom door was blocking his view and he was the only kid in the class that was all alone while all the other kids was near the teacher doing work or talking with the teacher i was so mad i could have screamed!! i said here to the teacher you need to fill this paper out and do it now THIS IS WHY MY KID DOESNT LIKE COMING TO SCHOOL?? at age 6?? well they actually filled the paper and i got my son on med. so the good thing about the meds is it helped out 110% with work the bad thing now is he hates the way they make him feel my doctors had him off it for summer vacations so he knows the difference, and i hate giving him something that dont make him feel good so we miss meds all the time but there are days when he really needs the meds.well he should take them every day during the week the doctor even allowed us to not have to take them on weekends. it just really stinks cause it dont go away atleast it dont with my son.For some reason the doctor's go by what the school thinks and some times they dont think...lol but after my son was put on meds im going to say 3 weeks later the whole school and staff couldnt believe the difference in him, and they know when he takes them and when he dont.. but hes older now and its very hard to get him to take them..its a losing battle I hate it!!Just my thoughts i prolly didnt help at all. But i do know if you dont do anything about it who knows whats going on at school unless you pop in unexspected.. know what i mean and if they are excluding him from the other kids or whatnot its not going to be good.I hope no other kids gets put in the corner without the parent knowing and then wonder why the kid comes home and tell me the next day he dont like school and dont want to go? at age 6,7,8 these are suppost to be fun years know what I mean?also we have even lowered the amount he takes and he still dont like it. I just dont know anymore

YankeeMary
01-21-2008, 09:00 PM
Ok I have a 11 year old that is the EXACT same way. We have been fighting and fighting for them to have him tested for 3 years. They say that there is nothing they can do because his state assesement scores are too high, like way way above average, but that his daily work is F's. They have been telling me that they will not move him on to 6th grade next year. We JUST got a call this afternoon, finally. They are going to have a SIT meeting and we are going to figure out what needs to be done.

I would have sent that same letter. It is really hard when they keep telling you that they are struggling but never follow up on it. I really have no advice, I just wanted you to know that you arent alone. I dont think that my son is ADD. I could be very wrong, but they havent mentioned thinking that.

They still have to do something for your son. If not it is discrimination. My son also tested way above average. Thank God the school has a great psy. and she was wonderful and explained it very well during one of our SST meetings. Steven (my son) tested above average on everything. Some things he was amazingly high, so the teachers said Steven just didn't "want" to do the work. So she said that with kids like Steven they take their lowest high score and use that as below average. I really can't explain it well here but needless to say, he tested way above average on every subject and he now (thank God) has an IEP. We made sure his IEP didn't enable his disability. So his is pretty simple. There is an aid in every classroom who is there to help ALL kids so the ones with IEPs aren't made public, and his IEP states when he gets off task (He is a great artist and doodles way to much) the aid will help to redirect him. He still does the same amount of work as every kid in his class and it is due at the same time as the other kids except now he actually gets it done because the redirection something so simple and for years the schools fought it.

YankeeMary
01-21-2008, 09:17 PM
Just a few things EVERY parent should know. The BEST thing any parent can do is to EDUCATE themselves.

-Section 504 is a civil rights law - the purpose of Section 504 is to protect people from discrimination because of disabilities.
-The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.
-No Child Left Behind holds schools and school districts accountable for results. Schools are responsible for making sure your child is learning.


Read all you can and learn all you can about Section 504 and IDEA and about No Child Left Behind act. Then you are on a level where you know what is allowed or isn't or what your child is entitled to or isn't. Also know that there are FREE advocates that will hold your hand through the entire process. Even go to the school with you for SST and IEP meetings. The schools might not like it but it is legal and they HAVE to allow anyone you chose be present for these meetings. They do require a 2-3 day warning if you are bringing your attorney so they have their attorney there as well. Also do NOT hesitate to tape the any and all meetings. You do have to let them know you are taping and be prepared, if you tape, they are legally allowed to tape as well.
It is so aggravating to be going through hell at home with your child and so frusterating that you can't "fix" them or their problems, then have to turn around and constantly argue or fight with adults at the schools. I think it a shame that not all teachers have enough education on mental illness and they don't learn all about rights etc, instead, they end up not liking the child or constantly sending them to the principals office or failing them. So not fair.
-

YankeeMary
01-21-2008, 09:22 PM
To add. The schools do not offer the FREE advocates and actually don't really want them there because they know their stuff and most schools try hard not to give IEPs etc...
I went through C.H.A.D.D years ago and they put me in touch with an advocate. I just talked with them, and never had an advocate go with me but it is an option. The advocates are mommas also wh have been there done that and know there stuff. Also NAMI.org is a great place for info.
CHADD is Chadd.org.


Can anyone guess my passion??? LOL...

hblueeyes
01-22-2008, 08:09 AM
I must admit I did not understand some of what was in these postings like IEP,SST,SIT, etc. But I got the jist of it all. How horrible for you all with these type issues. I would be running for the school board and make changes to these crappy schools. 37 years ago when I was in juunior high we had 2 crippled kids and one in a back brace, Needless to say phys ed was out of the question for them and Illinois law requires 5 days of PE and 4 years iin order to graduate highschool. Accomadations were made. Then Lynn started at our school and she was blind. All the teachers had brail cards so they could read her homework and grade her essays and such. As far as I can recall no one complained. In fact the school was thrilled to have her. She also went to the public high school. She used a cane and a buddy to help her get around. Again all the teachers graded her papers which were typed on her brail typewriter.

When my kids were in grade school they were all in the gifted program. It was more work but also more fun. This program was designed to assist those that were beyond their grade level and to help to keep them from getting bored with school. But our district has also for over 20 years allowed kids to move at their ouwn pace. If you were in 3rd grade you could do 6th grade math or 7th grade english. No problem. In fact when I was in 8th grade I was part of a pilot program that allowed us to take high school science or math and school and get high school credit. The program was a success and has been expanded to allow math, science and foreign language for 2 years. Some kids can enter high school as sophomores and when the high school has run out of classes like they did for my boys, they then took college classes and got both highschool and college credit. The number of kids would determine if the college sent a professor to the high school or not. My oldest had a college professor at high school, son number 2 had a choice of going to the college or doing it online. Since there were only 4 of them they all chose the on-line set up. It was fun for them as they met lots of other kids like them from all over the state of Illinois.

Our high school has a very strict attendance policy. Son number 2 was fast approaching the maximum number allowed. He was an A student and active in sports and extra curricular activities. When he was down to his last days I called the school and spoke with the principal. He told me it was really up to the teacher if he would be dropped or not. I told him of my sons migrain problem and offered a doctors note if necessary and that I did not want to have to sue the school if he were dropped but would have no problem doing so if need be. he has had this problem since about 5 years old so it is nothing new. Needless to say he missed more days than allowed and went on to graduate in the upper 4% of his class.

I have never heard of any problems in our district, elementary or high school where they were not willing to accomadate a student. I think part of it is that alot of the faculty and administration were/are also alum of these schools and they are quick to react on any complaint, criticisism or compliment. I called to complain about a coach (wrestling) and by 7 am Monday morning they had already had a meeting, reviewed the hall tapes and was on the phone with me letting me know what they had decided and if I was okay with it. Now that is how it should be at all schools.

Good luck to all of you.

Me

ilikefree
01-22-2008, 09:32 AM
I just made an appointment with the associate of my son's regular doctor for this afternoon. According to one of Ryan's teachers, this lady is very good at this type of situation. Hopefully it will be easier since I went to school with her and know her quite well. It's just hard for me because I chose to be a stay-at-home mom to be here for my kids. But no matter how hard I try, I still can't make this go away for him.

peaceluver
01-22-2008, 09:42 AM
This sounds so much like my nephew. He is now a 16 year old freshman with wonderful grades. His problem in school was that he was bored. He knew all the stuff they were teaching and was not being challanged. So he did nothing until Jr High when the principal took an interest in him. In our school district they pass you the second time you are in the same grade no matter what your grades. He was failing school for not doing his work but his test scores were over the top.

ilikefree
01-22-2008, 04:56 PM
Well, I took Ryan to see the doctor today. She was very nice and actually talked to him as well as me. The other doctor I took him to would only ask me questions about him. She gave him a prescription for Straterra (sp?). I asked her what form it was because he can't swallow pills. She checked and it was small caplets. I figured we'd give it a try. And try we did...we tried putting it in yogurt, ice cream, applesauce and he even tried taking it with chocolate milk. Nothing. It just wouldn't go down (we had to try 3 different pills). His original doctor called me around suppertime to say that he received my letter and was following up. I figured he just called because the new doctor called to inquire about Ryan's records at the other place. Anyway, I told him about the trouble we were having and asked him if there was any liquid or chewable medications that would do the same thing. He couldn't think of any. He asked if I tried taking the caplet apart and sprinkling it on his food. I told him that Kathy (the new doctor) said not to do that because it was a time-released caplet. He said that he thought they changed that and suggested I call the pharmacist to check for sure. So I called the pharmacy and she said that you can't take them apart. She was going to check with another pharmacy in our area to see if they could do anything, but the other pharmacy was closed already for the night. She is supposed to call me in the morning to let me know what she finds out. I really don't know what we're going to do if there isn't anything chewable or in liquid form. Ryan's grades went from decent to above average on his first report card this year to D's and F's (with a A in spelling) on the report card he just brought home this past Friday.