Directory of Legal and Advocacy Resources
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Where/how do I find an advocate? His first psych. came to a couple of meetings & that was really helpful, but we have switched ins. & have had to start all over with a new psych.My advice would be to get yourself an advocate to take to the meetings. Usually, just the mention that you asre getting an advocate makes the school nervous enough to be sure they are doing things right.
Thank you all!
The teachers complain about the hyperness, the distractions - sometimes he will make noises when he is trying to concentrate really hard - like humming - , they say he likes to interject himself in other's play time if he thinks they aren't doing something the right way.
We do have meetings on his IEP & the teachers & counselors all seem to talk above us & they are always rushed to get on to the next meeting. It's just frustrating & I know I'm not saying anything new, but I don't have people that understand when I try to vent.
Thanks for listening & letting me vent!!
Hi! Sounds like you have a great little boy![QUOTE=Misty22]Hi! Sounds like you have a great little boy!
I am wondering, what are the issues the teachers complain about in school? Is he hyper , disrupting class, etc, or just inattentive, distractible?
My daughter is inattentive type & not on meds & I have told the school outright that she will NOT Be on meds. By the way, we tried Strattera in the beginning & my daughter had the same reactions.
As for the IEP, you have the right to call a meeting of the team at any time if you think its not being followed. Once its in the IEP, its the LAW that they follow it. I was so relieved when we finally got one for my daughter; she started really learning then!
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wow, you did not leave me room to say much, I agree with you 100%. i'd call an ard meeting right away so the modifications he needs will be available to him. My son is 8 and we know how hard it is. With the Strattera, we had the same problem and we stopped it. Now he's on Adderall. Thank Goodness it works for him. You might want to check out the alt med board on here, they have a lot of different ideas. I do worry about the wetting him self. But, my son never did that. Talk to his teacher on a regular basis to keep tabs and to stay on the same page. Welcome to the board!
I apologize in advance for any misspelled words - the spell check isn't working!
I am new to this - so please be patient Funny - a parent of an ADHD child asking other ADHD parents, etc. to be patient. I think we have hopefully mastered the art of that!
My son is 8, was dx with ADHD when he was 5. We have tried Ritalin LA with disasterous emotional issues & appetite suppressant issues, we did Adderall, the teachers said that didn't have any affect on him at all, we did Straterra until talks of suicide came around & now we are back to Ritalin that he takes 2x's a day. Regardless of what he is on, the teachers are never happy & just want us to up the meds & turn him into a zombie. We have expressed over & over & over that we will not do this, that we don't even want him on the meds in the first place. He is such an awesome kid, so creative, so caring & sympathetic & just down right funny. He comes up with some of the craziest things & has the facial expressions to match. Why would anyone want to hinder that??? Of course he has his moments where he just drives you over the edge, can be defiant, determined, aloof, frustrated, etc.
In addition to the ADHD related things. He has problems with peeing his pants. Not just at night, but in the middle of the day, playing, etc. We have had him checked out by our doc., & they can't find anything wrong. I understand the night time thing & that he may not wake up. But what I don't get is why he waits so long & then ultimately has an accident. We tell him all the time to stop & go to the potty & he ALWAYS says he doesn't have to. Then, he has either had an accident or he is running so fast to get the bathroom.... When he does have an accident, day or not, he doesn't tell us & it isn't until we pick up clothes, or get ready for bed that we find out. I don't know what else to do to make him understand that this isn't acceptable & that eventually people will notice that he smells & they wont' want to be around him.
For the summer, we took him off the meds. The first thing we notice is that the boy can EAT! He is always asking for more & at dinner is begging to eat what is left on his sister's plate, my plate, his dad's, etc. That is so awesome to see. Another thing we notice is that he doesn't cry as easily. Regardless of the meds he was on, they all seemed to encourage easier crying moments in him. He still has moments where he will cry - he is VERY sensitive about alot of things. I think he is a worrier.
Now school will be staring & we are faced with do we put him back on meds or don't we & just ride it out until the school starts calling again? I am so concerned for him. I'm anxious about if he will make friends, how he will adjust to being back in school, what kind of teacher will he have, etc.
He seems to make friends easily, I know with the kids in the neighborhood, they play, they fight, etc., but I also remember doing that as a kid, & no, I do not have ADHD. So how can I judge if these issues stem from the ADHD or if it is kids being kids? But at school, there iare more kids, kids that know each other better & see each other more, etc. In the past I have felt that some of this kids may have picked up on his sensitivity & have used it against him. Especially the one kid in his class who is also ADHD, but tends to be more aggressive than my kid & this other boy has played my kid against some other kids. Man I hope they aren't in the same class again.
Then there is the struggle with the teachers. He is on an IEP & to be honest, I don't understand what that is all about. They tell me it's to cater to his learning style, etc., but I don't see how or where they have actually impleneted it. He does go with a teacher a couple times during the day to read, write & work on math, & she has helped. She is a phenominal aide to him & we thank God for her! But when he gets back to class, things are different & I don't think his "regular" teacher works within the IEP. I hope thenew year brings better results.
I hate seeing him struggle & I hurt for him, I just want to make it better.
Thanks for letting me ramble & thanks for all the little tidbits I've picked up on these other posts.