Retention 1st Grade | ADHD Information

Good luck with your decision.  It is a difficult one.  If the special ed teacher indicated in November that your DD is right on target, I wonder why the other teacher feels she is so far behind now? 

Neither of my kids has been held back during the school year but both started K when they were almost 6 years old.  The oldest (DD, not ADHD) could have started school when she was 4, due to the cutoff in place at that time, but other adults discouraged us from sending her at that time.  By the time the youngest (DS, ADHD) started school, the cutoff date had been moved up (about 2 weeks ahead of his birthday), so we really had no choice with him.  Both seem to mostly have benefitted from waiting. 

My DD did have friends her age (one close friend born one week before her) that started K one year before her, but DD ended up adding classmates to her circle of friends (social butterfly).  My DS also had no trouble making friends, but has struggled tremendously academically through the years (accommodations in place), so there is no question in my mind that he is where he should be (presently 16 years old and in the 10th grade). 

Hope this helps!  Good luck to you.

I agree with Dianne.  If she struggling across the board and is already on the young side,  re-doing first grade might be very beneficial.

My oldest daughter (non adhd) also has an October birthday.  She is very bright academically and fine socially,  I seriously considered sending her early (the cut off date in our area is end of August).   Not sending her is the BEST decision I could have made for her.   There are definite advantages to being one of the older kids in the class.   She at the top of her class academically and much more mature than most of the kids in her class.  

My nephew has a June birthday.   My sister-in-law choice to send him to Kindergarten when he was 5.  In his case,  I think he would have benefited from waiting a year to start school. He's has struggle quite a bit and lags behind many of his classmates.  He was recently diagnosed with dyslexia and I also think has many of ADHD traits.   He and my youngest daughter (adhd combined type) have a lot in common.  

In my daughter's current class, she has one boy who was retained in first grade.   It's has definitely the right choice for him.   Socially, he seemed to adjust quickly and fit right in with the rest of the kids.

It seems like there is also lots of time left in the school year.  How soon do you need to decide?   Perhaps you just see how things go.   Alot can change in 5 months with kids this age.  Sometimes thing just "click" and they make a ton of progress in a short amount of time.   Ultimately,  you need to do what is best for your daughters academic success and self confidence.  Good luck with your decision.

My DSD repeated 1st grade, and it was good for her.  She's in 4th grade now, and she's still sooooooo behind...  It's so hard to watch her struggle. 

Morning all...

DD is in first grade this year, was just diagnosed with ADHD in October and put on meds.  She seemed to be doing better in school once on the meds, but still way behind the other kids.  I should also mention that she is an October baby, I put her in school when she was 4 turning 5.  Here we are 1/2 way through the school year, and though to me it seems she has made some great progress the teacher is saying she is still way behind the other children and she is just strugging to keep up on a daily basis, so she's going on the retention list.  Ultimatley its my decision whether or not she gets retained.  I don't want her to continue to struggle in school, but the way our school system works, if I retain her she stays at the current school, and all her friends including her step-sister move onto a new school.  I know thats not the biggest deal, I just conflicted over it all.  I know we still have 5 months or so left of this school year, I just am not sure if she can "catch up".   I was just wondering how many of you have held your child back a grade?  Thanks...

I have never held mine back, even when it was suggested.

Does she have an IEP or a 504? If not I would look into it, but being young, she may benefit from retention.

No IEP or 504. All she has right now is an SST.  At last evaluation in November the special education director evaluated her and said she was right on target.  This is also what leads to my confusion.My daughter was young also. Was 5 in "K", but barely, end of August baby. She struggled a LOT in Kindergarten and I did keep her back. I am very, very glad I did. She could even be another year back, but they dont do that. I think for some kids it is very, very, helpful. For otehrs not so much. If she is struggling across the board, academics and socially I would give it serious consideration. Sometimes having a year of "review" is good. Could she have a different teacher though. She may be bored with same teacher. In another class, even though it the same curriculum, it'll be run differently. Some people are very AGAINST retention, but it's not always clear cut or black and white. It really depends on the child. It's hard being younger even when you are at grade level. I feel it can be beneficail if all it does is build self confidence.

I was an October baby who started school early.  Very bright intellectually and artisically but lacked social skills.  I did fine academically up until high school graduation.  I graduated with honors.  But going into college at age 17 was too much for me.  I just wasn't ready and ended up dropping....mainly due to feeling lost socially and missing home.

I don't know what the right answer is. Maybe try pushing her to the end of this year, trying the next....if she struggles next year, hold her back....or consider home schooling.

twirly1

With an October bday and the academic struggle, I would retain. But I would hesitate if she large physically.

Is the SST team comparing her to the class, or to state averages, or other SE students, or to herself in the past? My son's SST team tends to be a silo, comparing him to himself. I don't know that it matters if they see focus as a problem or not. About being the oldest, that may not be true. It's getting pretty common to hold fall babies back! You would be surprised.

keep in mind also that she will mature by leaps and bounds in the next year or so! I wouldn't retain. That's the easy way out for the schools.

I didn't hold my granddaughter back in first grade and it was a huge

mistake ....we should have.....even with no failing grades.......

We worked and worked with her to keep up with

the class but as second came  and then third.......it is getting harder to keep pace with the school

class for each year it is more difficult work.......   Now in 3rd grade and really struggling....and can no longer keep up.

This year is when we had

to medicate and go for the IEP....The work load is too much to handle

 anymore....

If she is struggling  and her teacher recommends holding her back........... it

 would be in her best interest in the long run.

 

She does sound young to me.  that being said has she been tested at school to see why she is having difficulty.  it is possible that she is just too young and retention would do her a service, or are there any possible learning issues.  if you retain her and don't find out if there is a LD she might be in the same boat repeating the grade next year.  i would as the school for an education evaluation before you make up your mind.Thank you everyone for your responses, though I still honestly have no idea what I am going to do!!    The ritalin seemed to be doing a good job right through Christmas Break, best I had ever seen or do.  When she went back to school after the holiday, I noticied the work that was coming home was all wrong and she wasn't doing that well at all.  It made me start to wonder if I needed to up her dose of ritalin (we are still on the lowest dose 5mg in am 5 mg in afternoon).  Well I emailed the teacher to ask her opinion and she tells me that she isn't having focus issues, she just can't keep up and she would do  better in first grade "next year", (though I should mention this has been her stance ever since DD started the 1st grade..  So the ultimate problem is I am getting conficiting reports.  Teacher says that she needs to stay back, while the head of her SST says she evauluated her and is doing fine, right on track.  I know it wouldn't hurt to hold her back in the first grade since she is young, but I don't want to it I don't have to.  Poor kid, she's either going to be the youngest in her class or the oldest.  Though socially she is fine, its all academics at this point.  I think what I may do is have the SST evaluate her again and see if they see a focus problem..  Thanks again for all your responses.I think SST teams always think in comparison to the child themselves. Seems silly...........but I guess I sort of understand why. We are asking for individual education, but then we want them evaluated compared to peers. Be careful SST teams will talk you in circles. Figure out what "feels right". Forget her age if you can and focus on where she is at academically and socially. You want her comfortable. You need BOTH to be the most succesful.

Retention is not all bad.  I'm a teacher of first graders and I retained a student last year and will probably advocate it again this year for another.  You can't in good conscience send a child to the rigors of second grade if they aren't ready.  It's detrimental to self-esteem and the farther it goes, the more striking the differences will become.  At our school retention is taken very seriously and every effort is made to bring that child to success.  It's not an easy way out.  It's often in the best interests of the child who simply needs more time to process information, especially in the foundational years.  You don't get those back.  I'm also speaking from the heart as I held back my adhd son in kindergarten.  It was the best decision we ever made.

The school wanted to hold my son back in 1st grade.  He's a March baby.  He was struggling with his reading. His speed was behind, he struggled with comprehension and phonics.  He was diagnosed ADHD in 1st grade. At the end of the year the teacher recommended holding him back. He was making passing grades.  We talked with the teacher, principal (she was a former reading coach) and family and other teachers.  We decided to send him on to 2nd grade.

In 2nd grade his struggles continued.  He had a very good teacher that worked extra hard to help.  At the end of the year, she recommended retention.  He had passing grades, just struggling with reading.  We decided that 3rd grade would just be to hard for him this year, and held him back.  He kept the same teacher (per our request) but has a different teacher for phonics (she uses a different program). His grades have improved.  He had 1 A and 3 B's on his report card this time.  His reading speed has improved. At the beginning of the year it was 57wpm now its 85 wpm (needs to be 90-110 by year end).  Also in 3rd grade they have to pass the CRCT at the end of the year.

He had an SST, and I finally got the school to test him during the summer.  It basically said what we already knew.  He also has computer lab time everyday for phonics practice using Earobics and something else. 

We change schools at 3rd grade, so he got left behind.  I think that it might have been a good thing, since he doesn't see old friends everyday.  He has made a few friends this year.

Best of luck in your decision.  I know its a difficult one, we had to make it twice. Hopefully things will begin to pick up, and she'll be fine.  The school told us, that they didn't need a final decision until just before school started back.