Starting School | ADHD Information

Maybe it will just take him time to settle into his class....what is he, 4th or 5th grade? That is already such a hard year for any child and with that on top of the ADHD he is probably just really anxious and nervous about fitting in and all the other 'good' things that come about with pre-adolescence.

Huge {{hugs}} and I hope things pan out. My best advice is talk to the teacher as soon as you can. There are some things you can pinpoint from the very first day of school, maybe he is having some underlying issues that the teacher could help shed some light on for you.

Tina
http://momof2survivor.blogspot.com/

DD-  Ashley, 7 1/2 ADHD
DS-  Aron, 2 TODDLERitis
Anxiety and stress impact greatly on learning and ability to cope.  Holidays are so much easier for these kids.  Then school hits and they battle to understand what has to be done, to get organised and to fit in.  It is exhausting work.  It is quite understandable that he has now got to this age and finding life difficult. Often it is in this grade that the wheels begin to wobble on the wagon.  A medication change may be called for as well as some accommodations for him to cope with the increase in work load and complexity.  Have a chat with his teacher/s and doctor. Also a chat to your son about what's going on.  At the end of a school day, my son is just exhausted and cranky!!! Hang in there - these are the "exciting years".I agree with everyone else. Anxiety is a killer. It really throws them off. He may not even realize h'e sanxious so dont ask him that, just ask how he thinks this year will go and what ahs the teacher explained about homework ...etc., etc. My daughter came home on cloud NINE day 1 this year, then day 2 she was exhausted and went to bed at 7:15 (she's 13 years old). I found out the second day the teachers went over the years agenda and expectations, She got completely overwhelmed.My son is in 4th grade and also has an anxiety problem. We have a 504 plan that allows him accomodations in and out of class to accomplish what he needs. Thank God we got a GREAT teacher this year who understands the ups and dows of ADHD and NO the meds are not a cure even though it seems like it when they are on them. AS your child is in a private school, (We also looked at the Jewish private route) I am not sure what accomodations they are required to make but I would surely look into that. It might help. Good Luck.Wow. Thanks for the reality check. it's almost like you
know my son!

He is very anxious and before he went back to
school he talked about how determined he was to
do well so that he would be ready for university and
could get a good job some day. He has always
wanted to do well in school and he actually is a very
good student (he is in grade 5).

He also attends a Jewish day school with a double
curriculum of religious and regular studies, so the
work is very demanding.

I know that this may sound naive, but I actually
thought that he had been "cured" by the meds. I
guess the road is longer than I anticipated.I assume that a 504 plan is an American concept? I
live in Canada, but maybe they have something
similar.A 504 is basically a plan that is set into place in your child's classroom to help them out...my DD is about to have one put into place after our next SST meeting. We have discussed varying options, such as allowing her to stand during art time, so she can get out some of her energy, seating near the teacher to control her talking, small trips outside the classroom when she is feeling overwhelmed, etc.

And unfortunately no, meds arent the end all be all, and of course you knew that. BUT deep down inside you want to think it is, I know I did...I like to think of meds as basically putting your child onto a level playing field with other kids who do not have ADHD. Its like our kiddos start off just a bit lower- the meds bring them up to where they need to be to function. There will still be all the 'kid' stuff there but a lot of the hyperactivity and impulsiveness is curbed. Still little things will set my DD off that wouldnt set other kids off, even with her meds in place, and I know it is the ADHD.

Best of luck to your son this year, and I pray all works out for him in his 5th grade year- and beyond!

Tina

I am new to this forum and need help.

My ten year old son was diagnosed with ADHD about 2 years ago. After many tries, we seem to have found the right medication and dosage (45 mg concerta and .1 mg clonidine for sleeping purposes).

My son was like the poster child for success until he started school on Tuesday. I don't know what school itself was like, but he came home and it was like he had completely regressed. It has been like this all week, and has made home life suddenly very difficult. I have not yet had any kind of report from the teachers, since they are just settling in.

I find it hard to believe that a kid who was fine until school started suddenly needs more meds! Should I call his doctor or just wait it out for a while? Has anyone else found that a kid who is doing really well on the meds hits a bit of  "blip" for a while and then goes back to "normal"?

Thank you so much for any advice!!

He is stressed out. He is in fifth grade? I understand that the academics get a lot harder in fifth grade. Have you asked him what he thinks of his teacher and how he is getting along with his new classmates? Is he having a hard time with the teacher's style? Is someone teasing him? Does he have anxiety about the academic demands? Maybe the two of you should go out to dinner and chat.

I know my daughter is a different age but she has been doing the same thing since she started last week and I know she doesnt need her meds upped yet either. I have been keeping in mind that they are now kind of cooped up during the day they need sometime to get that energy out maybe take a run with them! It also takes some time for the new routine to get adjusted!! When they get off schedule it is very hard for them to deal with!

 

Gosh - I was just stressing about the same thing! My dd had an AWESOME summer. School started back and she was proud of herself for remembering most of the first week review material. Then, all of a sudden, she has regressed.

It took us 2 hours to get through homework tonight. Last Thursday was the same. I finally e-mailed the teacher and said that Mari tried her best, and we were turning in homework "as is" because my dd didn't understand the material.

My dd was distraught, thinking she was going to lose recess. I explained to my dd that she had done her best, and that I did not think she would get punished for not doing her homework, because she had truly tried. The next morning she was beside herself and kicked her sister HARD, wouldn't do anything that was asked of her.....

Tonight, more homework drama but at least she was better with turning it in"as is" because she remembers that the teacher did not take away recess and instead, took the time to explain the work to her.

I am very pleased that the teacher is being understanding, but I am so discouraged! I decided tonight that  I am going to try adding a short acting ritalin to get through homework time. If that doesn't work, I am going to ask for more testing to see if there is a learning disability. I can't take a whole yschool year of this!!!

 

 

 

Yes a 504 plan is an American thing but I know that even in Austrailia they have laws that govern and protect the ADHD child in the classroom. Not sure about Canada but You should surely look into it. Good Luck!