Had a phone consult with the specialist. Interestingly enough he said he always has felt that our daughter was hiding her anxiety. He said she was too much like a robot - I call it not having any personality! I know that sounds harsh but she has been such a good kid and worked extremely hard. Never one to be "naughty" - always doing the expected thing. She does have her little 16 year old girl fits but that is to be expected. Some days I could just scream at her to get an opinion on anything!!!!
So on Monday we are flying down to have a memory test off and then on medication. Must be some reason why she flunked these simple tests. So he is thinking anxiety. He also talked about the concerta not being as effective after the 3 years. But, there is no way I can put her pack on quick release medication. This means every 3 hours at school which is too hard for a 16 year old girl. Going to the school nurse is not on.
Zoloft may be the answer
What other options do you have for time release meds in Australia? Is ritalin LA available? Adderall XR? The ritalin LA does not last as long as concerta, but does last Chase the whole school day (8-4) I am not sure how much after that it is working, but he does his homework w/o tears and redirection, where before that was not possible...he generally gets to homework around 6:30PM. She may need to add something for homework if it is not effective for that long, but hopefully it will last the school day...
Perhaps adding something for the anxiety will help the concerta to continue working?
I would definitely discuss it with the doctor if the teachers are noticing differences in focus. How long has she been at this dosage? It could just be time for a dose change or perhaps a med change....and I am sure that the anxiety is not helping, but could be from the fact that the meds are not as effective as they once were and she feels it.
Have you asked her if the med feels like it works as well as it once did? Chase could tell that it was not helping him as much as in the beginning.....
hmmm -
is she hurrying through her tests?
You of course know this is totally out of my realm as acedemically challenged as i are . lol
so here goes me now
i wonder if the concerned teachers would allow her to retake the test.
no , not for a new grade, but to help her evaluate her test taking methods .
give her plenty of time and no pressure and see if she focuses more carefully on taking a test as taskn in and of itself.
not the subject im talking test taking skills here.
perhaps her previous successes were easier to complete and she's used to completing her tests handing them in first or early. see if she makes use of her time to review her tests very carefully with self scrutiny when shes finished , making use of the time remaing before handing them in when times up and pencils are to be down.
i know i always make a note on scratch paper which Qs are the brain twisters. i skip em if thier the wieght in score is equal to T&F or multi's , and go through the simple ones first. less stress on the big one, if its the last one to do . then i review the simple ones again. typically imho the easy Qs skirt the brain twisters.
me tellin you about taking exams its laughable . anyway im add-i but i swear by my highly saccadic eyes , taking a test under pressure is like ants crawling up my leg and ive only got so much time , before i go nuts .
see if the teacher can evaluate her test taking skills , sometimes a simple gesture to a class to make use of the rest of the time left to review thier test before handing them in . it can make the difference between hurried and well thought out answers . I make dashes next the numbers of Qs im know im unsure of, and review them first. sort of like holding down my pencil on the paperon the Question's number ready answer or dashmark for review . instead of biting my pencil while i read or tapping it neverously as i freak over my clueless resposes as i read . it takes time to read , tap , and freak out and look around . rather than looking at a test as a summary of the material. review the test aka summary . and then review the questions . if im really stumped i ask to use the bathroom and ask for more time . eating chili can win/ demand sympathy when used correctly to gain more time thinking about a problem. further it can complicate the enviroment for other students taking the test if the grades are on a curve , butt be consistently offensive . use the ole tests make me gasy excuse with an embaressed frown . i ve found it to be like free pass to go ponder questions . once i cheated unbelivable i know but i did with future on the line i pulled out a summary of of the materal on one side and all the review questions on the otherside on a 5x7 index card pulled out from my underware..hey its a dog eat dog worldand what i do in the jhon is my business.
well i think i got more from preparing the cheat sheet than actually using it to cheat. i told some buddies of minewhile i was trying to compete for the highest mark in biology that they wouldnt tell us we can use or cheat sheets until the test was about to start. damn if they didnt do exactly that only mine was in my shorts. also we all compared thought later and they too said they were so focused on studying to create thier cheat sheets that really didnt use them that much anyway .
a gesture on your part that you know she is smart and will do well if she keeps in mind thats she's ADHD even while taking tests . and to slow down and understad the Q's.
i read some of your posts
i think youre a great mom kudos and well wishes
i know without a doubt being ADD i have cogn noggin issues so i always find mistakes while reviewing everything else in my entire life .
is that the her goal - to do well in school or in life ?
i think shes borderline excellent in both according to your posts - which is terrific . help her to understand that these tests will also be things she will have do with a career someday . with hundreds of thousands of $ i dont khow what yall use lol.
with hundreds of thousands of monies on the line someday on some great job working at some prestigeous firm she would probably review it pretty thouroghly befor preposing it to boss or client.
well in fact the university she gets accepted to will determine how many hundreds of thousands of monies she will earn in her life time SO SLOW DOWN AND REVIEW COLLEGE BOUND SCORES BEFORE YOU TURN THEM IN- FOR ST. FRANCIS'S SAKE.
I say all this cause you are saying that she is infact absorbing the material - but other than seeing her doing the work are you sure she's getting it understood.
does she have a tudor that can spot her skill levels of studing , listening , testing AND EVAULTE HOW SHE TAKES TESTS.
i know with my add-i i had to force myself to learn listening techniques . like hearing two people talk at the same time . more importantly know when im having a listening problem , and interject a command to be more clear or manage the environment better. getting two motor mouth teachers in earshot of eachother ti simply stager thier lectures is almost like getting two reviews ,rather than a cancaphany of words. it is possible to listen to only one and you can choose which one . i didnt know how to do that until my dad made listen to DYNAMICS OF EFFECTIVE LISTENING know i tune everybody out but that person with my eyes shut . and my head turned to the person i want to hear with my hand over my ear thats nearest to the distracting voice.
im babbling agian . going to bed . good luck
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ok thats what i had to say above
but what actually I dew ACTUALLY dofor myself
and i dont recommend this too anyone
i get a great well planned sleep with nyquill two days before the test so i wake up monday 7am well ready to absord class and sit through a class/ review quize session 9am . an take the class agian later 12pm if its being taught during a study hall . what teacher would say no to reviewing the class twice. then i go home and study with confidence that this will work , i rewrite the entire material in summary form . i nibble all day no huge meals . i cram this way all night into the next day. at 9am using caffine soda drinks to be alert
i have accumilated 2 in class review sessions , studied the material in standard methods. and rewrote the book with an addition hour of pre test review in the hallway while i pick the brains of the other test takers all with out slumbering into forgetfulville for 8hrs prior to the test.
a full 24 cram session with right meds fatigue is not an issue for an add like me
im always tired!
its a no brainer
especially if i have two tests to take that day . A CLASS i study ardently all year everyday then a week before the exam i do the samcramsisco method and class b the thursday and friday24 period before . so i get this method twice most importantly for me is im still alert on same day material albeit 24hous in and long , but its still freash in my mind same as day it was was reviewed.
oh and i use a mind map as text outlines to keep me narrowly focussed to create my summaries.
thing is using the mind maps actually helps me review all year and indefinatly.
so if i cant retain my studies well over time then i can review exponetially both narrow and whole scope focusing,
actually i do that with most of the posts here so i can see the many facets, issues, and circumstances. im amazed that no one around this sitetalks about software they use to stay focused and organized it dumfounds me . but hey maybe im the only one who uses software to feeblely expodite and/or exposition my life.
do ya see what happens when i look words up i put to many sililar looking words in my cancaphanyies sp
uhh yea ok im really going to bed this time.
i swear someone is is going behind me and making my spelling errors worse. especially the ones are like no -not do don't is - isn't i mean i have enough trouble staying on topic let alone , someone loging in as me and reversing some of my sentences.
i changing my password again!
side note my mother says i never get the credit i deserve .
because she says even though i can complete valiant efforts.
if i wait to get started i cant make repairs quick enough and with frustration people give up on me when im past the deadline .though i would of made good impressions if i were on time with my tasks.
also i heard a consultant once say , kids who complete thier studies immediatly after class in libraries , feel very confifdent about there knowledge and dont stress out all evening worrying if they'll have enough to time to study before bedtime. when it come closer to the last minute not only are they stressed out and under pressure while studying, but sometimes just go to community parties or events. they dont even enjoy the events as they continue to overstress on thier failure even make enforce a simple priority upon themselves. By immediatly doing what thier supposed to be doing until it is finished they then reap the rewards of knowing thier tasks will be well done and enjoy thier free time amongst thier peers.
Sammo39188.5252430556My 16 year old is in 2nd last year last year of high school (we are in Australia). This year they have begun a two year block of doing subjects leading them towards a university degree. The work becomes She was dux last year topping 3 subjects and in the top few for the rest. Now her A's have turned into b's c's and some d's. In fact she has failed both physics and chemistry. She is an intelligent little ting very self sufficent. We sent her to boarding school last year - this is her second year and loves it. She has her own room, lots of friends and a great routine. She is a real grown up. She comes home each weekend and works hard.
At present she is on 54mg concerta morning and 15mg ritalin at night to study. Everyone of her teachers are saying the same thing - not showing the same focussed and the the unusual test results!!! Failing miserably in multiple choice for physics and chemistry but doing okay in aplication problems. So what is going on????? She's becoming run down - a recent blood test indicated hemachromatosis - excess iron levels. Maybe this is having an effect.
No boys, no drugs (not illegal), no drink, good study habits - she seems very anxious and indecisive. 5 years ago she was on zoloft. Maybe this would help.
Question - Could the increase in intensity and difficulty of work be causing her present problems? Any ideas??????
Thanks
She has been on this level of medication for 3 years. Maybe it is time to look into this.
Her blood results have me very concerned. Her tranferrin Saturation level is 63% Acceptable range is 16-50.
I took her shopping the other day for 5 hours and she was a white as a ghost when we got home, had a huge head ache and vomited. She's lost weight and is just not her happy self! The doctor said that the tiredness and purple toes and fingers (poor circulation) wouldn't be due to haemochromotosis - I am unsure!!
Time for a second opinion!!