What can a pediatric neurolgist do for me | ADHD Information
We see a ped neurologist and yes this is the person who confirmend our diagnosis. My son does not seem to have any other issues going on besides ADHD so this doc seems to be a perfect fit for us. Our doc knows her stuff and the meds that will help my son.a neurologist deals with the spine, and brain basically neuro problems.
Paediatric means for kids.
They just basically specialise in that specific area, and could probably find you answers there, that no ordinary dr can.
Take Care
It depends on when his birthday is. If he would be young in the class, then you could hold him back. If he's a spring bday or earlier, I'd put him in. Time cures immaturity, not ADHD.
You should probably think about whether you are serious about not taking the med route. Maybe spend more time reading about what people have to say on the board. Some people tried no meds, and then went with the meds. Their stories are pretty insightful, and some had a long journey. Vickie comes to mind. And I think chasemom79. There are others. I'm doing the no med route, but it is a time consuming and financially draining game.
Alternate placement are those schools in other locations for children who need to be removed from mainstream education for some reason. There a special day classes, usually for LD and ADHD children. And there are emotionally disturbed/behavior classes, where they often try to put ADHD children if they can.
NoTellin39149.7487962963myjeffery, Are you planning on keeping him out of the Catholic school? My son who was actually reading before Kinder lasted a total of 10 days in the Catholic school. I pulled him because I noticed him coming home with a ton of busy work. The first day in the public school was wonderful for my son who was so excited to tell me about all fo the different learning centers. Catholic school are geared toward the middle of the road kid ( with out ADHD). When I told the Kindergarted teacher that he could read, she told me " he can get a book when he is finished with his work". joemom39150.2185648148Uh...I wouldn't go making any announcements like that. Generally, they want (1) for you to medicate, or if you will not they want (2) to refer your child for alternate placement. They really don't care whether it's 1 or 2 --both solve the problem for them.
The pressure tactics used are intense, and constantly shift. They've been doing it for years, and they are good at it. I am impressed with the skilled manipulation tactics that they employ. If you really are going to resist medication, your first strategic move needs to be a careful selection when it comes to the doctor doing your evalutation. And that doctor needs to go to the school to observe him.
Thanks! We see our ped for his 5 year old check up and kindergarten shots next week. We already talked last year at his 4 year old appt about the possibility of holding him back due to his hyperactivity (although she didn't diagnose anything yet). So, after some preschool issues this year and our parents as teachers rep encouraging a ped neuro eval, I'll ask our ped about it and see where all it takes us. Frankly, even if the ped neuro or someone finally gives us a diagnosis, I'm hesitant to medicate. If my son does do half day kindergarten next year, I'm thinking it won't really be necessary yet. Heck, I've half a mind to tell all his teachers...yep he's diagnosed, but we do not plan to medicate, so deal with it. Isn't that their job? And frankly, when I see other kids out in public, I think he's no different than any of the other kids I see jumping around, being noisy, not following the directions of their parents,etc....most times I think my son does a much better job of it than what I see out there. Hmmm.Thanks for your comments sherry. So, do you feel holding him back a year didn't do any good? Maybe I'm wrong to hold him back? Maybe I should just give him meds? Gosh, can you see I'm in such turmoil here. I keep asking God to give me a sign and show me what to do. I will ask his ped about both a ped neurologist and ped neuropshcyc referral. Thanks.
What is alternate placement? I wouldn't really say that, but I definitely think it. I mean it seems to me all they want to do is get rid of whatever it is making their jobs semi-difficult. I mean "don't we all have difficult jobs?" But, the rest of us can't just send a client or customer packing. We have to deal with it and make the best of it. And, I personally think it does or should take a special person to become a teacher (not just someone who wants off at 3 and summers off). That special person should have a true desire to teach kids (and especially those that are difficult). What a sense of accomplishment they have when they succeed.
I read a book not too long ago called "From Difficult to Delightful in 30 days" and one of the themes throughout the book was many of the problems in today's schools are the teachers themselves. They don't want to learn the techniques we as parents must in order to obtain compliance. They want you to medicate or threaten expulsion. How sad is that? Obtaining compliance in my son is oftentimes all about approach. If the person on the other end isn't willing to learn these techniques, it will only alienate and cause more poor behavior. We gave a 2 page list of things we do with him to his current preschool teacher (which she welcomed) and they have worked like a charm for her. But, she cares. I know I won't always have a caring teacher, and I truly think teachers who don't care and really don't want to reach ALL the kids, should quit.
Also, my problem is the only other person I know who has a kid w/adhd medicates. I don't know who to go to other than who my ped recommends and who my insurance will allow. I did find a pediatric neuropyschologist in an article on the main section of this board in St. Louis (3-4 hour drive for me) utilized transcendental mediation (whatever that is), but it seemed clear to me, he didn't believe in medicating either. I would love to get someone like that on my side.
I should also say I really don't have it in for teachers. I just had a bad experience with my son's first preschool teacher at the Catholic School my daughter attends. She'd talk like he was a crazy child "what is wrong with him?" "In my 30 years of teaching, I've never had a child act like this." She'd ask what we did with him at home, and at that time, we truly weren't having the problems she was. We had no idea what the heck she was talking about. Since she acted like she wanted advice on how to handle him, I researched some articles on parentcenter.com re: the issues she had. All of them had great suggestions and things we found we actually utilized with all our children. I printed them off and gave them to her. Well, she couldnt' have been more put off by that. She pretended to want our advice, but when we gave her the tips, she acted like it wasn't her job to have to do anything. He should just mind period. And, we should be doing something at home to get him to mind. He was with her all day 8-3.
He came home saying things like "I've had enough of you." to our dog. Wonder where he heard that. He's also always had what I call a loving fetish with ears. When he sits in my lap, he reaches up and holds on to my ears and rubs them. He's done that since I can remember. He does it to me, my dh, and anyone he's close with. Well, one day after her class, he started to flick my daughter's ears. Something he'd never done before. Surely he'd learned it from someone because he's had such a special affection for ears. I asked him where he learned it, and he said "HIS TEACHER!" Did she flick him? I don't know. I raised it at a meeting we had with her that he had started that and hadn't ever done it before and wondered where he'd picked it up. She said he had done it in her class and HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD EVER DONE IT!!! I still wonder where he learned it. I can't say she is lying or he was. But, I can say that since we pulled him out last sept, he hasn't done it since.
WE still see this old battleaxe in car line when we pick up our daughter. Our daughter never went to this preschool teacher, but has went to this school in k and 1st grades. Our daughter has even mentioned that this teacher walks through the lunch room with her whistle and yells at the kids. She doesn't like her at all and is glad she never had her. I guess this one teacher has me worried about my son and whether he could ever succeed at that school. I really wanted to pull my daughter, but she absolutely loves it there, so how could I do that to her?
All in all, I haven't had a lot of experience with teachers yet. I'm more than a little worried about it. The teacher my son had is nearing retirement and clearly had no patience whatsoever for him. She shouldn't be teaching anymore. The school system did send me a survey asking me tons of questions about why I pulled him. I filled it out telling the truth, but hesitated to send it for fear of repurcussions with my daughter. Kind of decided I didn't want to burn any bridges. I get along with the principal and actually donate quite a bit of $ to the school (its a new catholic school that is forming and my daughter is in the oldest class...they are adding a grade each year until they get to 8th...right now they only have preschool, k and 1st) When I pulled my son, the principal said "it just doesn't seem like he's ready for the structure yet." She also said what great parents we were to realize that and not force it. She encouraged us to try again next year. But, I'm still on the fence on that one.
I don't know. I'm just so confused.
myjeffrey39149.5187962963My son is 6 and his birthday is in May. He is extremely hyper and impulsive and can be very difficult. When we went to test to start kindergarten he had alot of problems focusing on what he was being asked to do. He was easily distracted and it took a long time to get him through testing. He is a very smart child but can not pay attention. I talked with the principal and decided to hold him back a year in hopes that he would grow out of it. At this time I just thought it was his age and it would get better. He went a half day of pre-k that year. Then the time came to start kindergarten. It was HORRIBLE! He was always in trouble. He was taken out of his class and had to do his work in the office because he was distracting the class. They asked me the 4th day of school to get him checked for ADHD. I put it off until I realized how bad it was effecting him. We tried Adderral and Ritalin and hated them. He is now on Focalin and it had been great. He is doing so much better. He lilkes his medicine. He is fustrated without it.
My son actually has a neurologist that he sees for seizures. His neurologist is not the person that prescribes or diagnoses ADHD. I talked to him about it and he said that ADHD is more of a psychiatric disorder and reffered me to a neuropsych. We just handle his ADHD through his pediatrician.
Jeffrey bday is feb 28, so he just turned 5...middle of the road yearwise. But, like I said somewhere else, if I held him back, he'd turn 16 during his freshman year of high school and 19 during his senior year. I hate to do that, but I just don't know if he can make it all day.
I think we do have an alternative school here, but it is only for high school, so I wonder what they would do with the youngsters....just kick them out?
As for avoiding the med route, I am serious, but already weary from a battle that really hasn't yet begun. I guess I'm already worrying about the opposition I know I will get from the school. We've had the same parents as teachers rep since my dd7 was a baby and know her well. She basically said that if I want to see him succeed I really need to keep an open mind about meds. Maybe part of the manipulation you speak of...catching me before he's actually in school? She also said we should probably hold him back and/or see a neurologist because he was bouncing off the walls at her recent 1 hour visit. He kept grabbing into her bag and taking things. I had to put him in time out twice while she was there. He also kept jumping on the furniture, which he knows is a big no no. But, he wouldn't calm down. That is one of his bigger problems. He can be just fine with us...but someone new comes over or we go out in public and he EXPLODES into someone else!!!
As for the Catholic School thing, well, I'm still undecided. My daughter does great there. All the teachers love her (she's sooo sweet they all say). She cares so much about the other kids (her teacher even told me how she was helping a friend learn to read better). I've mentioned public to her and she is adamant that she wants to go to school with God! Ha ha. Its so cute. I couldn't take that from her just because I'm mad at the way they have handled my son.
As for him, well, frankly I don't know. Next year they are going to have both a half day and a full day option for kindergarten. The half day teacher will be the same teacher that taught my daughter. My daughter loved her. I like her alot, but I don't think she's capable of handling my son. She was going to retire until the 1/2 day option came open. And, her class room is right next door to the preschool teacher who he really had problems with. His preschool teacher said "everyone knows him and not in a good way". Also, we had an adult dinner/dance fundraiser function a couple weeks ago and I, along with some other parents, were talking to the k teacher. Since this is a small school, we've become quite good friends with the other parents. I've confided in a few the problems I had with the pre-school teacher and found that many parents have complained about her to no avail. But, our friends all are pushing us to bring him back next year because we're tight knit and they want our kids to be friends and go to school together too.....BUT when one of the parents mentioned that in front of the kindergarten teacher, I got this big blank stare. I definitely got the impression she wouldn't welcome my son back. She loved my daughter, but I don't think she wants to deal with my son. One thing is for sure, if, and that is a big IF, I wanted to try it, I'd have to have a long talk with her first.
So, frankly odds are against going there for 1/2 day. I don't know who the full day teacher will be yet. But there are several baptist churches that have 1/2 day option as well. I checked one out last week and liked it very much. The teachers seemed young and energetic (I'm not sure why but he seems to respond better to younger teachers). Our public school is big. It is k-4th with about 600 kids. I'm afraid he'll get lost in the crowd there, and with the way he acts in big groups, I just don't know.
Is it legal for you to hold back a child who will be 6 in Feb? I don't think it's legal in my state. If the child will be 6 at any time during the school year, he must be in school or his is truant.
The parent teacher rep's recommendation to hold an academically on-target child back is based on ignorance of ADHD. Behavior is not a reason to hold back a child.
To find your elementary alternate school, go to your county's special education website. No, they don't kick them out, that's illegal, unles you are referring to Catholic schools. Private schools have no alternate locations, and can kick children out.
Public schools have max class sizes and they are small for K-2. To my knowledge, private schools have no such requirement and generally have large classes.
Catholic school does not have to accommodate his needs. Public school does, and they can provide A LOT of services that catholic school will not provide. You might want to reconsider the public school. I would call up and ask when parent observation days are--they are coming up very soon. IMHO, the idea of having these friends / closeknit circle is far outweighed by the services available in the public schools. But if you do want to medicate, he might be fine at Catholic school -- so you probably need to figure that out first.
NoTellin39150.4446643519Our parents as teacher's rep suggested we take our son to a pediatric neurologist. What will he do? What kinds of tests? Do they diagnose adhd? Do they prescribe meds? What tests should I insist on before giving the meds to my son?
I suggest that you call the office and ask how long the parent interview is, whether the child is present during that interview, how long the testing will take (in terms of hours), and a list of the tests that will be performed. Also ask if the report will include a list of classroom recommendations.
The title doesn't seem to mean much (neurologist, pediatric behaviorist, psychologist, neuro-psychologist) from what I've seen on this board. You need to do some investigating so that you know exactly what you are getting, and don't waste your time or your money.
Look the letters after the name if you want to know whether they can prescribe meds. If you see "MD" the answer is yes. If you see anything else, the answer in no.
Ok, we had my son's 5 year old pediatrician visit. Poor boy cried through his shots. I hate that...we basically had to hold him down and pull his pants off him because he wasn't doing shots, no way no how. But, we made up for it with a free coupon for a DQ ice cream cone, which cured all his tears. Just not mine. 
Anyway, my pediatrician said she didn't think we needed to see a pediatric neurologist as all they will do is give me meds. She said that is what they do. Prescribe. She indicated if a child is adhd, she likes to wait until about 3rd grade to do meds. She said she is very very cautious and doesn't want to see a child on meds who may end up just having maturity issues; particularly because of the heart problems and suicidal/depression side effects of these medications. Since my son has a tendency to do better for certain people (one of his sunday school teachers says she has no problems/the other one does; his previous catholic school teacher complained nonstop about him/his current one has problems about once a week; he seems to get more out of control when we go in public versus at home; etc...), she really encouraged us to hold him back and just keep him where he's at for another year; i.e. preschoool. She did give us some snap parent/teacher survey forms for us and his preschool teacher to fill out, but she said even if he came back with the criteria of adhd, she would absolutely, positively not recommend medicating at this time. She wants to wait and see how he does in school to see if for sure its adhd versus maturity.
I'm certainly glad she's not on the bandwagon with the whole "lets get him on meds" scenario. It will be nice to have her in my corner if his teachers try to push it any sooner than 3rd grade as she mentioned (I'm going to hold her to that!!!) But, I'm not sure I'm on board with keep him in preschool thing. He will see those kids leave in August, and to have to be the only one who stays in the same class and the younger kids move up, I don't think that would be a good thing. But, I really don't think he's ready for full day kindergarten either. I'm thinking of enrolling him in public school and letting him try out the 2 week summer program with "his" teacher to see how that goes. Kind of a test run. Since public school is all day, we'll see. We'll also see how he interacts with "his" teacher. As a back up plan, I think I may enroll him in the half day class at the baptist church. I met those teachers, and they were young & energetic & seemed to have alot of patience. When talking with them, they said many parents come to them with their boys who they don't think can make it through all day, so they are used to that. Whew!
I'm fairly certain Catholic School is out for him for kindergarten. Although my daughter's k teacher was great with her, she is old, and was going to retire until they came up with this 1/2 day thing. I don't think she has patience for my son, and actually saw how she rolled her eyes at another boy in my daughter's class who was a problem child. He moved to another state to live with his dad when his Mom went to IRAQ, and sad to say, they all seemed glad to not have to deal with him anymore. Now, if my son truly straightens out this next year (i.e. it really was just a maturity issue), then I may reconsider. But, if we still have issues with tantrums, defiance, etc...then no way will he go back to Catholic School.
I also plan to enroll my daughter in public summer school this year to see how she likes it in comparison to Catholic School and see how it compares; is she up to speed; ahead or behind? Our Catholic Schools statistics printouts seem to say in every category, our kids score better on the MAP and ACT/SAT than the public schools in our town & 95% of the kids went to college, most of them with scholarships. So, it sounds like they are on top, but since my daughter's Catholic School is new, I want a little more comparison there. Thanks for listening to my story as I figure all this out.
That's interesting about the 1/2 day vs full day. In my case, the academics were spread throughout the day.Thanks NoTellin. The pediatrician did talk about the boredom factor a little bit and encouraged us to do some extra things at home to alleviate that. But, we haven't totally decided to hold him back. That is why we were hesitant to just keep him in preschool as she suggested as that would make it a foregone conclusion. I figured if we enrolled him in the 1/2 day kindergarten if he was truly ready to move on to 1st grade and/or was mature enough, we would do so. But, if not, then full day kindergarten the next year....somewhere else, most likely public school by that time. My understanding at the baptist program is that the morning part of kindergarten is the same whether in the 1/2 day or full day...afternoon part is more enrichment or just building on what they learned in the morning. The neat thing was they told me many boys started out in 1/2 day and by jan session were ready for full day so we could change at that time if we felt it was appropriate & he was ready. I kind of really liked the flexibility they seemed to have there.
I don't know. Maybe its wishful thinking but I keep hoping its just a maturity thing. It seems I've given all the drs. & psychologists I've went to the opportunity to diagnose him w/adhd, but noone has. (We'll see after we all fill out those parent/teacher surveys though) They seem to not want to pigeonhole him yet and see. So, I guess I wait and pray he matures. The temper tantrums is what gets me. I mean he's 5 now. That should be over with.
myjeffrey39153.6123611111In my case, the doctors were also very resistent to meds. But they won't get involved with the school; that is my battle alone.
You might want to do some research on that issue of holding an ADHD child back I think that a bored child (b/c he'll be academically advanced by then) makes the ADHD symptoms worse. I've seen great posts on that topic on this board.
I'm not sure about picking the teacher who appears most capable of managing him....they all wear down after about 5 months...even the flexible young high-energy ones. You need an environment where you have leverage to get him services that relieve the teacher. You will probably need to advocate for services to take the burden off the teacher's shoulders. That's how you respond to the pressure to medicate. I understand where you are coming from though, because I did the same thing that you are doing--checking out different programs. I selected a full day program because the pace was slower. They had a garden and went on field trips, did lots of art, had more breaks and a longer lunch. The pressure to perform wasn't so intense as in the 1/2 class.
Thanks for your comments NoTellin. Its always good to get all perspectives to think about as I go through this process.
I did look up our school district website and discovered compulsory attendance isn't required in my state until age 7, so I'm safe there.
As for the parent as teacher's rep, you may be right there. I've read that there is no reason to hold back an adhd child as there might be for a child who just hasn't evolved with maturity yet. And, that may be why she suggested that since we still don't technically have a diagnosis yet. Which is why I guess she suggested a pediatric neurologist.
As far as comparison of public/christian schools, I am doing exactly what you suggest. Open house for public school is next monday March 19, so I plan to attend with my list of questions. I also hope to meet the kindergarten teachers so I can assess whether or not I think they'll be able to successfully handle/teach/encourage and be patient with my son. We have 4 elementary Catholic Schools, and I've toured 3 of them. The one my daughter attends is the only one with a half day program. I also toured a Baptist Church kindergarten that I liked very much. We have many other Church based kindergartens in our town (bible belt USA here), as well as several Christian based private schools. I love keeping christianity in my children's school life, but it may not be possible with my son, as you note, due to accessiblity to programs and willingness to help kids with adhd. (An oxymoron if you ask me...why wouldn't a christian based school want to help those most in need?)
As far as student/teacher ratios go though, our local k-4th public school website says they are 1:20 (I don't know if that includes an aide or not, but plan to ask at the open house). Catholic School can take up to 26 kids in full day kindergarten, but the class has a teacher and an aide(who is also a certified teacher), so ratio is 1:13. The 1/2 day class planned is going to be 16 kids with one teacher. I don't know if my daughter's school will reach this capacity, however, since it is the newest one in our town. Her class never did...1st grade they'll take up to 30, so with teacher/aide its 1:15 ratio. Her class is currently only 23 kids however with a teacher and aide (who is also certified teacher). The Baptist school I toured is 16 kids in both half day and full day program, but this year due to smaller # of kids they combined the classes for 18 kids and 2 teachers, which is 1:9 ratio.
The ratio is important to me, but also important, is the quality of teacher my son will get. I know I can't hand pick (boy I wish I could). But, I probably will select his kindergarten based on who I think will have the most energy and patience for him. More on this in the next post.
myjeffrey39153.4665509259MyJeffrey, I understand what you are going through and this is very challenging. My experience with this is that my son was diagnosed in kindergarten. The school was extremely supportive (public) and is a very small school with graduating classes of anywhere from 30-40. My son had twelve other students in his class with a teacher and an aide. We did decide to medicate because we felt it was what my son needed. His problems started before kindergarten but we waited it out to see how he would do in kindergarten. His behaviors exceeded what I hear you saying about your son, including aggressive behaviors, running away from school etc. He is now in 6th grade, still taking medication (adderall, clonidine, lexapro) and diagnosed with ADHD, mild depressive disorder, and extreme impulsiveness. He is performing very well, is well liked, participates in sports etc. Besides being a parent, I am a special education teacher. I teach a classroom of "behavioral adjustment" children in a public school (larger than where my children go to school.) I teach Kindergarten through third grade in a self-contained environment. I understand your frustration with teachers at times, and many times their frustration comes from lack of experience and understanding. I mainstream students from my class into the regular education programs and we are housed in the same school as they would otherwise attend. Most of my students are diagnosed ADHD, and I have a couple with bipolar. Some of these students are on medication and some are not. I always recommend to parents that they speak to their pediatrician about medication if I feel it would make a substantial difference. I do not force them to do so, and couldn't even if I wanted to. Being a parent who has had to make that difficult decision, I would never make that for them. I assist them in making sure they research all the positives and negatives of both. As far as being in a regular classroom and whether the teacher can "handle" it or not, isn't always a matter of the teacher just wanting to give up. I was a regular education teacher prior to teaching special ed. I had a second grade class. With my experience, and my special ed degree, there was one little boy I really didn't feel should be in that classroom. I can't recommend medication...it is against the law. I can tell you that if I had him in a smaller classroom or with an aide, I could have done it. Sometimes with the large group of children and the variety of needs there, it isn't fair to that child or the other children in the class. I couldn't possible provide him with the attention or support that he needed in that setting. Thus, I felt like I was failing him as a teacher and failing his family. He was very capable of learning, just wasn't doing it in that environment. I don't consider myself a teacher that "gives up" or throws the towel in or stereotypes etc. I think I do a pretty good job at what I do, but with all the new state regulations put on teachers, the ever growing tests that are being given to children etc....it can be overwhelming. Having said this, I want you to know that I do understand that your experience sounds to be with a teacher who did not take the necessary steps to help your child. There is a very long list of what should be tried prior to looking at alternative placement. It isn't until this list is exhausted that it should be considered. I work with teachers who all too frequently want children placed in my program, and I battle with them because I don't feel they have taken the necessary steps. I will often consult with them to assist them prior to making any placement change. These are things that need to be done. If your teacher recommends alternative placement, don't just agree. In my state their disability has to be negatively impacting their learning in order to move them. Therefore, if your child is performing average in the academic realm, and he isn't hurting others, placement change should not be considered. Hope this helps some and sorry for the rambling.Well, we had open house/registration at our public school yesterday. I registered him, talked with the principal, and got some of my answers. Normally, they have 5 kindergarten classes with a minimum of 20 kids each (no aide) so 1:20 ratio. If they go above that, they'll go up to 26 kids and then add an aide at that point, which brings ratio back down to 1:13. This year they only had enough kids for 4 classes and 1 has only 17 kids. No Jump Start summer program at this school because it doesn't have a/c. Ugh! I was hoping for the 2 week program like our old district had so we could test it out over the summer with his teacher to see if we wanted him to go there or not. I talked with the principal a little bit about some of his behavior problems (may have been a mistake) as I got this weird vibe...like "oh great...problem kid...what was his name again?"
Even though I registered him, I think we are leaning strongly in favor of the Baptist Church's 1/2 day kindergarten. It is a 1:16 ratio unless they combine 1/2 day and full day again, which will bring it down. I liked the teachers I met there. They bring Christianity into their daily routine. He can change to full day at any time if we feel he is ready for that. And, if we decide at the end of the year not to put him in 1st grade, we can do full day kindergarten either at our public school or one of the other Catholic Schools in our district. I can hold off that decision until then. In the meantime, I plan to fill out and have his preschool teacher fill out the snap survey forms our pediatrician gave us to find out her opinion of his current behavior.
Don't interpret my message wrong either, you should always ask questions to your child's teacher and meet with them regularly to discuss your feelings and to discover theirs. Unfortunately, there are many teachers who don't know what is best for children with special needs!! I understand the daughter thing, my daughter is 8 and we have seen behaviors similar to my DS because she deals with it all the time. We have both of them in seperate counseling to address these situations!!Oh no Iganio, I wasn't taking it as a negative response. I think teachers have a very hard job, and unfortunately our gov't is telling them to teach more and more while increasing the # of students per class and barely increasing salaries to cover cost of living. I feel for teachers. I really do. They have a very important job in teaching our young children...our children are our future, you'd think we'd invest more in the teachers who teach them. I know I couldn't do it in a classroom full of non adhd kids!!!
Luckily, my son's preschool teacher is open minded, encouraging, and receptive. We do have regular talks with her to help keep him on the right track. I'm just worried about the type of teacher we had before who isn't receptive to anything...she was like you all need to do something at home to make him mind here...i.e. its not my job. I agree it is the parents job to instill those basic tenets in their children, and for the most part, he does mind us. (perhaps I should just forget about what could be and just face what is)
Well, even as a person in the school every day, I worry at the end of every year when my ds transitions to a new teacher. I wanted his fourth grade teacher to follow him right up the ladder...unfortunately she wouldn't!! (Though he still goes to visit her and she adores him.) He is going into JR. high next year so my fears are already starting. And to make it worse, Friday is his teachers last day as she is leaving on Maternity leave and he will have a sub for the rest of the year. He has met her and already doesn't like her...ahhhhhhhhh!!Thanks for your perspective Iganio. I probably shouldn't have generalized or presumed too much about teachers I do not yet know. I guess I just worry that we'll end up in the same situation as before. Her only response was "come get him" like people can just do that every day when they work.
Academics aside, I also worry that he's too impatient/impulsive to make and keep friends. Just yesterday we went up to our subdivision playground. A neighbor has 2 kids ages 6 and 8. My daughter is 6. The kids were taking turns sliding down a curly q slide while the neighbor threw them a tennis ball and they were attempting to catch it. My son couldn't wait his turn and started pushing/shoving ahead of my daughter. He got pulled aside and consequences explained if he did it again. Of course he did. So timeout ensued. Then, rather than play with the other kids, he just went off on his own over to the basketball courts. My daughter complained on the way home that she didn't like to play with her brother because he always wants to fight, which is somewhat true. She startes things occasionally but he is a big instigator. I'm trying to teach her how to deal with him as well because she gets so mad at the way he treats her...take deep breaths, walk away, talk it out, and sometimes give in yourself etc...because I just can't get into the middle of every single dispute.