Moving...and need help! | ADHD Information
My son didn't even have a computer until last year. He could use ours for school and educational games, but he won his first game boy(age 8) in Little League by selling candy bars. We were trying to win first and get a bike, but he one second and got the Game Boy! It has been a life safer at times when he was extra hyper, but other times I could have just pitched it out the window! He got a Nintendo at 12. I'm starting to hate that darn thing!
[QUOTE=jfla2] [QUOTE=4everamom]
T Moving period is a challenge but moving a 6 yr old w/ ADHD across the country in the middle of the school year, well..... I am sure you can imagine the anxiety.
[/QUOTE]
This brought back memories of a previous move cross country.
When ds, ADHD pre med, was 6 and sibs were 3 and 9, we moved from the West Coast to East Coast mid winter. Train buff that dh is and me game for anything novel, we decided it would be great fun to travel across the country on a train. I thought it would be good for the kids to experience physically just how far we were going and all. Educational...instead of magically walking through jet doors to a new life. I must have been crazy. I was a wreck dealing with the two boys aged 3 and 6 jumping all over the place. Afterwards hubby and i decided that after they grow up maybe we will do something like that again. 
Three and a half years later we moved back to the West Coast. This time post med and on a plane. 
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I'm laughing because about 4 years ago on one of our many trips to Colorado we took the train part way. We left S. Cal on a plain to Salt Lake City, Utah, then drove to Colorado for a few days, took the Amtrak to Sacramento, and then flew back home. Well, my son was 12 at the time and I thought it would be fun to ride the train. I took about 24 hours to ride from Colorado to Sacramento. It reminded me of when I was a kid and we took long drives to Northern Calif. I loved it! Looking out the window at all the cool little towns, and the wild life. Well all my son did was stare at his stupid Game Boy!!!! I could of just screamed! It cost about 600$ to take just that part of the trip! Next time it'll be just me and my husband! Kids just don't get it. Now they're so use to being entertained all the time with there electronic gadgets.
I love looking out the window too! i agree about the electronic gadgets. They are off limits for our kids. I've encourage the kids to Be where they are.
jfla238808.55280092594everamom,
I am a little unclear about when the principal asked what was being done under the 504 Plan. If you have a formal plan in place that is a great place to start. We did not have any formal plan, but a list of educational suggestions for adders checked off by ds' last teacher which I provided to the new teacher. This list was to help so that ds and teacher would not have to go through most of the school year trying to figure out what works with him. It was intended to make it easier on her and she was happy to accept it. She was terrific and immediately used the suggestions. We met before school started, picked an ideal seat, she provided additional daily computer time to build up keyboarding skills and individual handwriting practice, had an assessment immediately done when i suggested it, when he was bored beyond tears with the math curriculum, we worked out an arrangement where he took and passed the grade level curriculum. Then we agreed that I could tutor him at home with book that was at his adv. math level, he would do assignments at school, i would correct them and turn in records at regular intervals. She did not assign homework just projects, because she believed that it interrupted family life. Twice a week he went to the gifted program which was another thing he loved. she provided daily or weekly reports while we went through med changes. This was ds' 4th school by 4th grade and it was a wonderful grounding experience. Volunteering as much as you can around the school, not necesarily in his class, makes you a familiar face for all and the staff will probably make an extra effort for your child. It also affords you opportunities to see how your ds is doing.
jfla2
We have a 504 Plan in place but it's not being maximized and is not working. My son was tested in Math b/c I stated some of his calling out in class could be due to he is advanced in Math. The private school he came from really pushed the kids and naturally he is methodical. Well he tested above grade level. And he was a couple of years above in Computers. But the school said they do not have a special program for advanced kids and I forced the issue of teaching at his level and all they did was put him one on one w/ a teacher that did the same grade level work w/ him. And she yelled @ him when he refused to do his work or went ahead b/c he was bored. (Yelling was stated as an absolutele no in the 504 but she has done it anyway). Also they gave him a language arts teacher when he has always gotten 100% on all spelling tests(go figure) & all she did is go over the words a week in advance and constantly confused everyone (me included) by sending home other words in addition to the spelling words. So its been hard to keep up with what to study. The communication log that comes home daily is nothing but a complaint book about the ADHD symptoms such as being fidgety, not completing snack on time, calling out or getting out of his seat, and not responding to socail clues of others. And, of course acting on impulsivity. They complain (without suggestions) as if the ADHD does not exist. No one in the school has been proactive to help him my son. In fact, they rely on my for all the suggestions. They wanted him classified but I said no due to their lack of knowledge and support (and, b/c they are known for taking parents to court when they want a kid pushed out of their school & put into the special ed school, which academically they have agreed my son is too advanced for, but behaviorly they would still consider (uhh no)). 
Even though I said no to the classification I offered to meet to revise the 504 and when we did, the panel of 9 stated they had absolutely no suggestions...none! Not the principal, social worker, spec. ed. coord., teachers... no one. When I suggested a behavior chart that I made they actually said that the teacher circling 6 items would be too time consuming over the 1 page wrting that she was doing daily. 
Since they had nothing to offer I made sure they used the chart. So...sorry for being so long here but, we have not had support or success but it sounds like you have. 
Congrats! Wish us luck in the new school.
After we arrived in September, I found out that the district had just adopted a new math curriculum and they were not advancing kids. Ds actually would physically cry after school because he hated doing math at school. So I went to the middle school and asked to borrow a 6th grade math book form them and began tutoring him. I contacted the math curriculum specialist in the district, explained the situation (the previous district had hired a teacher for the 12 advanced kids in ds' math group). He was allowed to take a final test for the 4th grade curriculum and the teacher and I arranged the tutoring situation that I described above. The following year we did n't have the same situation in school. I still tutored him at home, enrolled him in a Johns Hopkins distance learning course and told him to put up with at school. The following yearwhen he entered middle school, they advanced him three years, beyond his peers and he has been happy since.
I just realized he has probably learned this kind of self advocacy, because last spring when he saw that the high school does not have any math courses to offer him beyond Calc., he got enough students to sign a petition and talked to math teachers to get an AP Statistics class started. He has already taken care of setting up an independent study for next year with the support of a teacher and a non credentialed teacher.
Reviewing all of your experience of what a school or district should not do, hopefully the next will work out much better. I noticed a big difference between expectations of conformity and acceptance of individual differences in the districts we have been in on the East and West Coast. I sometimes wonder if it is cultural or happenstance.
Hi Tiffany!
I just met someone that recently moved from Florida to Seattle this week! Could it be you? or just a coincidence?
I will PM you shortly!
Welcome!
I also have a 6 year-old ADHD and we moved here to MN from Atlanta about a year and a half ago. For my boy who was 5 at the time, he found it quite exciting and enjoyed the adventure. It wasn't too difficult for him to leave the neighbor friends as they all thought he was "out there" anyway and probably grew tired of all the search parties they had to embark on over the years. The fallout seemed to come months later.
I found a good support group and have attended many seminars. I might be able to help you more it you tell me where in MN.
Good luck - I hate moving!
P.S. No shores here but lots of lakes.good luck w/your move! i am in nj & can definately relate w/the schools!
Our family just moved from Miami to Seattle and we are having a very hard time with the new school. I tried to keep things as calm and normal as possible and things are just hard. New school is not into helping as much as old school. We have done 5 schools in 4 years now and before leaving Miami found an ok school with a great teacher but found a great house and wanted to get out of the craziness of Miami and back home, I am from here. I have had something come home everyday from this new teacher, a phone call or e-mail with some sort of incident. He was lost 2 days ago and I almost lost my mind, they seemed uninterested and I was on the verge of hysteria(it ended up he walked home and did not wait for his sister). We have only been in school here for 3 weeks. I actually have a meeting with the home school center tomorrow.
I say good luck with your move and I wish someone had had some words of wisdom for me. I wish I had some for you too. Tons of contact with the new school before your child even gets registered would be good. And physically go down to the school and prepare them and see who the teacher will be and brief them on the entire story would be beneficial. As well as see if his new teacher knows ANYTHING about ADHD. I gave ours a book.
GOOD LUCK!!!
Tiffany
NichosMom38806.4215625
Well it's good to be back! I haven't posted in a while but I need all your expertise. We are moving from NJ to MN and I need any suggestions that you can give. As far a schools, Dr's, health food stores, support groups, theraphy, playgroups...you name it we need it!
My 6 year old ADHD son will need a positive start as we are leaving NJ on a bad note with the school system. They have completely stopped supporting us and he basically pushed us out of the school. Since we have family in MN we are moving. Why else would I leave the Jersey shore for the snow 
?
So anyone who has moved please shed please fill me in on how you got through the process. Those from MN or living there...your words of wisdom would be great! After losing numerous battles with the school we are ready for some positive info. Since I am pretty much burned out over the whole school experience I need some input. And I know you guys and gals are the true experts.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
When we moved cross country we had many of the same challenges. We got hooked up with the "guru of adhd" in the area. (that's what they call him) He was recommended by a member of the office staff at the elementary school we enrolled in. Two of her three children have adhd/add. I heard him speak at a CHADD meeting and then I made an appointment.I also spoke with the principal of the new school before we even moved. When we arrived I had a meeting with the principal and asked him to select teachers for my boys that would be sensitive to each of their needs and benefit them the most. He was terrific. Actually the principal reminded everyone of Mr. Rogers! I can't say enough wonderful things about him. If you can visit schools where you may live to help make your decision, that would be great. Talk to local parents.
One thing that helped me make a decision on where to live (I wanted a supportive,family oriented neighborhood with a sense of community) was to go to the nearby park of the house we were interested in and talk to the moms there. That was the best thing I could do. I decided I would like to have neighbors like these and it turned out that we ended up being back neighbors.
jfla238805.8635763889
Thanks so much for the reply! The local park (on a good day in MN) is a gret idea! It sounds like you had a great transition. I am only hoping for your success. Have you faced any challenges? Moving period is a challenge but moving a 6 yr old w/ ADHD across the country in the milddle of the school year, well..... I am sure you can imagine the anxiety. So thanks for the positive info! It does help.
I know folks are reading the post so please feel free to give your input! Any suggestions would help.
Thanks!
[QUOTE=4everamom]
T Moving period is a challenge but moving a 6 yr old w/ ADHD across the country in the milddle of the school year, well..... I am sure you can imagine the anxiety.
This brought back memories of a previous move cross country.
When ds, ADHD pre med, was 6 and sibs were 3 and 9, we moved from the West Coast to East Coast mid winter. Train buff that dh is and me game for anything novel, we decided it would be great fun to travel across the country on a train. I thought it would be good for the kids to experience physically just how far we were going and all. Educational...instead of magically walking through jet doors to a new life. I must have been crazy. I was a wreck dealing with the two boys aged 3 and 6 jumping all over the place. Afterwards hubby and i decided that after they grow up maybe we will do something like that again.
Three and a half years later we moved back to the West Coast. This time post med and on a plane.
jfla238805.8449305556
Thanks ladies!
Well I spoke to the Principal where my son would go to public school and boy was that an eye opener! There are over 400 children in the school and it only goes from K to 2nd grade! class size is about 21- 24 children what a shock! So, Tiffany I agree that speaking to the school before the actaul move would be helpful! I will go and have a tour and meet with the principal and possibly look @ the private schools as well. They seem to be open and accepting to spec. ed...but I am still a little anxious until I see for myself. Also, I know the file coming from the school he is in now is filled with nothing but negativity so I will have a lot of explaining to do!!! When the principal asked what was being done under the 504 Plan I did not have a straight forward answer. truthfully they aren't doing anything! SO again, I will have to explain and work though the process. Andrea we will be moving to Richfield which is a little suburb just outside of Minneapolis. Please fill me in on the goods!!! jfla2 - we are certainly flying! Please let me know how the schools have tried to help your child.