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 Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
  
| Who has experience with a kid and obtaining testing? My son (12 years) … good kid, somewhat scattered unless it comes to something he likes - like football - he is bright and smart but scattered. For example, homework takes forever, goes into the backpack and just doesn't get turned in or turned in late. However, he can remember scores, jersey numbers, life stories of his favorite players.
I suspect he has ADD - inattentive type as opposed to hyperactivity. I've done some research, but am not sure where to turn to get him tested or evaluated. I feel stuck. I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say (or write it). I don't want to give him an excuse if he is evaluated and it does turn out that he has ADD. For example, I have a colleague who has ADHD, he is very open about it .. one of his symptoms is that he says inappropriate things for the situation and when you call him on it, he will say "oh, its 3, my meds must be wearing off". I don't want my son to say, "I forgot, I have ADD" and try to get a pass. On the other hand, if he does have ADD, both he and I really need to really learn some techniques at dealing with it. How much could be his age?
TIA
Edited by azsun 2015-03-05 1:11 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: lone star state |
http://www.adhdstrategies.com/aboutdrjerry.asp
Here is a link with lots of information. Start with your childs pediatritian they can help you begin the process. Also talk with your child's teachers they see children with ADD as well as your child and are trained to recognize learning issues. |
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 Midget Lover
 
Location: Kentucky | He sounds like a typical kid to me. |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| firewaterfuelsme - 2015-03-05 1:22 PM
http://www.adhdstrategies.com/aboutdrjerry.asp
Here is a link with lots of information. Start with your childs pediatritian they can help you begin the process. Also talk with your child's teachers they see children with ADD as well as your child and are trained to recognize learning issues.
I sent an email to his teachers and asked if they noticed anything out of the ordinary for him since he seems to have problems turning in his assignments or if they could recommend anything for me to try. His math teachers response was, "Stephen has trouble turning assignments in on time". That was the extent of her response. I was a little peeved, I know he doesn't turn his work in … I see it in the grade book, I find the assignments in his backpack … Other teachers simply responded, he seems to lose focus. Their answer is to move his seat assignment.
I'm trying essential oils right now .. I'm so thankful that spring break is next week, I need a break from homework! Thank you!!!
Edited by azsun 2015-03-05 1:40 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| I am a high school teacher and also Professor of Psychology. Your first avenue for testing should be a referral to the school or district psychologist. They will have the resources to get him tested. If they feel the diagnosis is credible then you will have some options to try to manage the condition. Diet and routine is the first line of defense. He may have a food allergy you are not aware of etc. You can always just go see a doctor but some will just prescribe a medication to treat the symptoms not the cause. Hope that helps. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1273
Location: South Dakota | My son who is now 13 was diagnosed with ADHD in the 3rd grade. I wouldn't say he was hyper either and he can concentrate on things he likes. But I would help him with his homework and he would just be blank, especially math story problems. His 3rd grade teacher was the one who got things started and then we started seeing a doctor who specialized in ADHD. There is a magazine and website www.additudemag.com That is super helpful and is easy to read. There are many different medicines. The comment our doctor and my co-worker made was that the better experiences you give your child, the better off he will be in the long run. |
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Sideways Riding Expert
Posts: 11371
Location: ND--it snows, it floods, it snows, it floods | azsun - 2015-03-05 1:32 PM firewaterfuelsme - 2015-03-05 1:22 PM http://www.adhdstrategies.com/aboutdrjerry.asp Here is a link with lots of information. Start with your childs pediatritian they can help you begin the process. Also talk with your child's teachers they see children with ADD as well as your child and are trained to recognize learning issues. I sent an email to his teachers and asked if they noticed anything out of the ordinary for him since he seems to have problems turning in his assignments or if they could recommend anything for me to try. His math teachers response was, "Stephen has trouble turning assignments in on time". That was the extent of her response. I was a little peeved, I know he doesn't turn his work in … I see it in the grade book, I find the assignments in his backpack … Other teachers simply responded, he seems to lose focus. Their answer is to move his seat assignment. I'm trying essential oils right now .. I'm so thankful that spring break is next week, I need a break from homework! Thank you!!!
No personal expierence here but I know my nephew who is 16 now had issues turning in homework and what not....he doesn't have ADD he was just being a kid. His parents cracked down on some extra curricular activities and once he got his grades back up and homework turned in he was able to participate again. Look at it this way, if he wants to play football in highschool he will nee to keep his grades up...that might be a motivator for him. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Murphy - 2015-03-05 1:23 PM He sounds like a typical kid to me.
That's what I was thinking. My 10 year old gets bored with school and not only "forgets" to do work, but gets in trouble for daydreaming or sneak reading in class and totally tuning out the teacher. Consequences at home for his actions have helped. He was grounded for a month last fall because he "forgot" a 200 point history assignment. I have his teachers text me if he doesn't get his work done, and we deal with it appropriately. |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| FLITASTIC - 2015-03-05 1:42 PM I am a high school teacher and also Professor of Psychology. Your first avenue for testing should be a referral to the school or district psychologist. They will have the resources to get him tested. If they feel the diagnosis is credible then you will have some options to try to manage the condition. Diet and routine is the first line of defense. He may have a food allergy you are not aware of etc. You can always just go see a doctor but some will just prescribe a medication to treat the symptoms not the cause. Hope that helps.
This is my concern. |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| You all are awesome … thank you! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | FLITASTIC - 2015-03-05 1:42 PM I am a high school teacher and also Professor of Psychology. Your first avenue for testing should be a referral to the school or district psychologist. They will have the resources to get him tested. If they feel the diagnosis is credible then you will have some options to try to manage the condition. Diet and routine is the first line of defense. He may have a food allergy you are not aware of etc. You can always just go see a doctor but some will just prescribe a medication to treat the symptoms not the cause. Hope that helps.
^^^ This!
I'm a first grade teacher and I have seen and filled out surveys on several with possible ADHD and one with ADD. The school cannot diagnose your child but they can help the doctor to get a better picture of what's going on. The school psychologist will have you and your child's teachers fill out forms and then will do some testing with your child. They'll take all of that and present their findings to you in a meeting and then you can take that information to your child's pediatrician who can help you decide where to go from there. If you just go straight to the doctor some will automatically put your child on meds and others will require the school testing and/or forms to be filled out first. School testing can take a while to complete depending on how booked up the psychologist is, so if you get the ball rolling soon they should be able to have it finished before the end of the year. Good luck! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | Three 4 Luck - 2015-03-05 2:32 PM Murphy - 2015-03-05 1:23 PM He sounds like a typical kid to me. That's what I was thinking. My 10 year old gets bored with school and not only "forgets" to do work, but gets in trouble for daydreaming or sneak reading in class and totally tuning out the teacher. Consequences at home for his actions have helped. He was grounded for a month last fall because he "forgot" a 200 point history assignment. I have his teachers text me if he doesn't get his work done, and we deal with it appropriately.
Edited by KatieMac88 2015-03-05 5:47 PM
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 Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Do you have time to sit with him and help him with his assignments at all? Or can you help him with a schedule so he can learn to apply himself to his assignments? I don't have kids, so I really don't know anything.
I do however have ADD/ADHD to the extreme. Probably what you would call a severe case. Anybody that actually spends enough time around me knows it without even having to ask, and thats with medication. In middle/high school the last thing I ever wanted to do was homework, and I never did half the time. However, I was smart enough and witty enough to get it done in homeroom and the teachers never knew the difference. That and what little bit never got turned in I made up for by acing exams. HOWEVER....that experience also helped me fail out of college....I was used to grades counting....I wasn't used to professors having the ability to fail you even if you aced exams, based on not completing every assignment.
So if you have time to help him more, help him come up with a schedule, make it a good experience, that's the ONE thing I wish someone would have done with me at that age...... |
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Member
Posts: 14
| Have them test the child for accommodative or convergence insufficiencies. These are eyesight issues that cause children to not be able to focus due to poor eye strength. Our 9 year old was diagnosed with this issue. In research, we learned that the state of CA requires youth to be tested prior to issuing ADD medication as they carry 80% of the same traits. Research vision therapy. After 20 hours of therapy, our daughter jumped a whole reading level and is in the top half of her class. She had focusing issues and needed to test in alternative rooms where there were no distractions. Her brain was learning to read an alternative way to compensate for the vision issues. It has been amazing. Her self-confidence has sky-rocketed. A simple eye exam by a professional rather than a reading chart caught this issue. She has 20-20 vision but could not focus at a close range which made studying difficult. Just an FYI to all teachers and parents. It has changed our lives.  |
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Expert
Posts: 3300
| I am add to the max. I wouldn't recomend going through the school/district.. When I was in elementary school the district psychologist tested me and said I was fine! Wrong!.. My mom took me to an outside dr to get evaluated and he was the one who diagnosed me.. I have never been on medication for it, plus there are other ways to treat it. I did a research project In psychology on alternative ways of treating add. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| You could ask at school for the school psych to evaluate your child. You could ask the teachers to tell you what they see. BUT Teachers are not doctors. We just get used to seeing the symptoms day in and day out, so we get pretty good at being able to tell. The school psych may or may not be helpful. Some of ours observe one day and make a statement, some actually work with the kids, observe over several settings etc. Depends on who you get.
Have your son's teacher write up a little synopsis of what she sees your child doing (or not doing).
The things that are helpful for kids with ADHD/ADD is having a schedule. Sometimes, even a visual schedule that helps them see what's coming. It helps them process whats going on around them in a busy world. Color code notebooks and folders to specific subjects to help with organization, and use a binder (trapper keeper type) if they are allowed in your school. Have the folders labeled on the inside with "Work to do" and "Turn in". Have a separate folder for "take home, graded" work.
I have not been officially diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure I am ADHD. But through great teachers and parents I got through it. Now I teach special education with ADHD and Autistic kids. :) |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| You all are so helpful. Thank you for the tips.
His vision is great .. so no issue there - he gets tested yearly and while my vision changes, his is really good.
We have binders, color coded folder, one side is to turn in and the other to do. etc .. What ends up happening is he shoves everything into "a folder" … any folder … not necessarily the right folder or in the right spot. I'm trying not to "hover" and put his stuff away for him, since I'm not in class with him and as I tell him, "I already did my work in 6th grade". The only homework I can't help him with is math. I had to hire him a tutor - since my math methods are "outdated" in the eyes of his school with their common core method of teaching. (what's funny is I will show him how I learned and he gets that). The tutor who was an advanced math teacher and now is a youth pastor says he has no problem and is quite impressed with him.
In working with him at home, there is no sense of urgency, he spends a lot of time doing homework, so much so that he doesn't really get to play with friends. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | azsun - 2015-03-06 9:53 AM You all are so helpful. Thank you for the tips. His vision is great .. so no issue there - he gets tested yearly and while my vision changes, his is really good. We have binders, color coded folder, one side is to turn in and the other to do. etc .. What ends up happening is he shoves everything into "a folder" … any folder … not necessarily the right folder or in the right spot. I'm trying not to "hover" and put his stuff away for him, since I'm not in class with him and as I tell him, "I already did my work in 6th grade". The only homework I can't help him with is math. I had to hire him a tutor - since my math methods are "outdated" in the eyes of his school with their common core method of teaching. (what's funny is I will show him how I learned and he gets that). The tutor who was an advanced math teacher and now is a youth pastor says he has no problem and is quite impressed with him. In working with him at home, there is no sense of urgency, he spends a lot of time doing homework, so much so that he doesn't really get to play with friends.
On the math methods thing, I would be stepping in and arranging for my kid to use the method that works best for him. All these alternatives are there to suit different learning styles, the teacher IS NOT supposed to enforce a specific method. And "being required" for the standardized test is BS. Opt him out if it's a problem. You are his education advocate, and it's up to you to make sure he learns what he needs. Teachers are there to facilitate that. |
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Expert
Posts: 1273
Location: South Dakota | Nateracer - 2015-03-06 7:31 AM You could ask at school for the school psych to evaluate your child. You could ask the teachers to tell you what they see. BUT Teachers are not doctors. We just get used to seeing the symptoms day in and day out, so we get pretty good at being able to tell. The school psych may or may not be helpful. Some of ours observe one day and make a statement, some actually work with the kids, observe over several settings etc. Depends on who you get.
Have your son's teacher write up a little synopsis of what she sees your child doing (or not doing).
The things that are helpful for kids with ADHD/ADD is having a schedule. Sometimes, even a visual schedule that helps them see what's coming. It helps them process whats going on around them in a busy world. Color code notebooks and folders to specific subjects to help with organization, and use a binder (trapper keeper type) if they are allowed in your school. Have the folders labeled on the inside with "Work to do" and "Turn in". Have a separate folder for "take home, graded" work.
I have not been officially diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure I am ADHD. But through great teachers and parents I got through it. Now I teach special education with ADHD and Autistic kids. :)
Good advice. |
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | azsun - 2015-03-05 1:32 PM firewaterfuelsme - 2015-03-05 1:22 PM http://www.adhdstrategies.com/aboutdrjerry.asp Here is a link with lots of information. Start with your childs pediatritian they can help you begin the process. Also talk with your child's teachers they see children with ADD as well as your child and are trained to recognize learning issues. I sent an email to his teachers and asked if they noticed anything out of the ordinary for him since he seems to have problems turning in his assignments or if they could recommend anything for me to try. His math teachers response was, "Stephen has trouble turning assignments in on time". That was the extent of her response. I was a little peeved, I know he doesn't turn his work in … I see it in the grade book, I find the assignments in his backpack … Other teachers simply responded, he seems to lose focus. Their answer is to move his seat assignment. I'm trying essential oils right now .. I'm so thankful that spring break is next week, I need a break from homework! Thank you!!!
The teachers can not "diagnose" ADD or suggest medication, they can get in bigtime trouble for that. Especially if they are responding to you in writing, they just have to be very careful what they say. You may get more insight if you talk to them face to face, but they still have to be super careful not to diagnose or suggest medication.
I would talk to your doctor but be very aware that some doctors are quick to prescribe meds when they are really not needed. Honestly, he sounds like a normal 12 year old boy. I would look more at diet and exercise before meds. My son is 11 and I have to keep after him about homework and chores but he is much better with lots of outside work and playtime, plus he sleeps better and that helps more than anything. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1960
Location: NW Arkansas | Barnmom - 2015-03-06 9:46 AM azsun - 2015-03-05 1:32 PM firewaterfuelsme - 2015-03-05 1:22 PM http://www.adhdstrategies.com/aboutdrjerry.asp Here is a link with lots of information. Start with your childs pediatritian they can help you begin the process. Also talk with your child's teachers they see children with ADD as well as your child and are trained to recognize learning issues. I sent an email to his teachers and asked if they noticed anything out of the ordinary for him since he seems to have problems turning in his assignments or if they could recommend anything for me to try. His math teachers response was, "Stephen has trouble turning assignments in on time". That was the extent of her response. I was a little peeved, I know he doesn't turn his work in … I see it in the grade book, I find the assignments in his backpack … Other teachers simply responded, he seems to lose focus. Their answer is to move his seat assignment. I'm trying essential oils right now .. I'm so thankful that spring break is next week, I need a break from homework! Thank you!!!
I would talk to your doctor but be very aware that some doctors are quick to prescribe meds when they are really not needed. Honestly, he sounds like a normal 12 year old boy. I would look more at diet and exercise before meds. My son is 11 and I have to keep after him about homework and chores but he is much better with lots of outside work and playtime, plus he sleeps better and that helps more than anything.
Teachers in Arkansas are not allowed to tell you they think your child is ADD or ADHD. I would suggest you find a pediatric psychiatrist and make an appointment. Tell the doctor your concerns and go from there. Even if the school psych examiner tells you your child has ADD or ADHD tendencies you will still have to have a medical diagnosis- meaning they will tell you to take him to a doctor and get an actual diagnosis. You can then determine what is the best treatment for him. Some parents try medication and some go with behavior modification and some try a combination of both. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | I had that problem when I was a kid... Take a tip from me... If you EVER hear the word "Ritalin".. grab your kid and RUN!!!!!!! |
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ADD/ADHD … OT