Transition to High School? | ADHD Information

Thanks Diane V.  I appreciate your comments and support.  He does fit in well with his peers, he's very athletic, loves being at school, and is in the Jr Jazz band. It's the nasty busines of homework and tests that get in the way of all this fun 

 

 

Buzzz

I know this may surprise some people, but... the school board has no idea that my son was diagnosed with ADHD. 

He was having a progressively difficult time moving up to grade 3, when it all came to a head. His teacher approached us and said that she thought he should be tested. We had him tested privately, over that summer. He started taking slow release Ritalin (once per day), and he repeated Grade 3. The medication really helped him to focus better and almost immediately his work improved, aside from his difficulty with comprehension and putting thoughts and ideas down on paper.

I felt very strongly that the school not be informed.  I didn't want him to be labelled and I felt that disclosure would only be necessary if he really hit the wall and could not function with school work.  This may or may not have been the right decision, but it's the one we went with.

He has struggled, and high school has been an adjustment (as it is for the average 9'er).  He is a master avoider, as I mentioned previously, but I'm still not convinced that disclosure is necessary at this point. 

He is on a tracking system which provides accountability and so far it has helped us keep on top of the homework and assignments. 

The school he attends does not offer any type of allowances or programs(other than gifted) and I don't want them to have any excuse to say that he should transfer, due to them being unable to meet his needs, especially if his marks are in the average range. 

Trust me, some days I question this approach and feel that maybe I'm doing him a disservice.  If anyone has any thoughts--pro's/con's etc.  I'd be really interested in hearing them.

Vel

Vel if what your doing is working I think you keep doing it! My daughter is in SPED and NEEDS to be. She has other stuff going on besides ADHD. I can tell you that no matter what it's a struggle. If you thought some accomodations or modifications would hlep hiom, I'd say forget the labels and dont worry about transferring him if it's going to help him or make things easier for him to handle, but if not, then just keep on going. Especially if he's continuing to keep his grades up and he's doing well socially.

Vel, thanks so much. 

We have decided that for now, a locker will not really be something we will push him to use.  Even the best of students are having difficulties getting from class to class with little time to stop at a locker.  With mere seconds to plan what he needs, he is better off just dragging it all around with him in his backpack as he does now in the much smaller school building.

There is a 'learning center' and supposedly a tutor/case manager will be assigned to him to track his progress.

What sort of support does your son get at the HS?  Do you think he as gotten better at asking for help?  What about feedback from teachers?  Do you get any?

Having just gone through all the college search stuff with the older one, has me more worried about the grades of the ADDer.  He just doesn't seem to think they matter and unfortunately in our world, HS grades matter most!

 

Hi, I'm new, so hello everyone.

If this helps at all, I can tell you that my son actually had two of his best years of school when he started to rotate from class to class for 7&8.  I had the same concerns before he went to rotation, with a locker etc.  He did great, it seemed to help to have the break between classes, different rooms, different teachers etc.

The locker was also great, it became a dumping ground for everything, which was better than the stuff disappearing. My son always needs at least two garbage bags at the end of the year to take everything home with him.

I find that using one binder that zippers shut, with dividers for all the subjects helps with organizing and keeping track of handouts-- it's all in one spot.

My son is now in high school, in a regular academic program, it has been a challenge to say the least, but he is with his friends, he feels good about being at the school and it's an environment of motivated students. 

I believe he can do the work, which he has proven when he actually does the work... and would be using the same avoidance techniques ie:  not bringing work home, saying he did it in class, saying he didn't have any... regardless of whether he was in a school geared to vocational or special ed programs. 

Well, that's my story based on my kid, but I do know that my fear regarding what may or may not happen, when things change in his life, is usually way worse than the reality.  He surprises me all the time with his resourcefulness, it's amazing actually, and annoying because he is so smart-- I always need to be on top of my game to keep up with him.  

Good luck Buzzz

Vel

Anyone here with an 8th grader or gone thru this in the last few years?

We are taking a day at a time....Thus far, we have an IEP and it was recently reviewed and rewritten to reflect HS.

Son expressed interest in the vo/tech HS a year ago, but now wishes to attend the more rigorous public HS because most of his friends will go there.  The systems seem to be in place and this year's sped educator has had great advice (she has kids in the same school herself).

We will wing it this year and see how it goes...but wondered what words of wisdom others had? Academics are the least of my problems....using a locker, doing homework and making it the bus are the concerns I have for now!

the locker, homework, and bus issues wont change whether he goes to voc or not. If he's ot sure his "path", voc or college, IMO stay in the high school for now, you can always transfer. Some vocs have wonderful SPED programs, other do not. My daughter is only in 7th grade, but we are actually on the highg school hunt now, so I' have been doing research also. It's a tough call.My daughter has toehr LD issues so we have other considerations on our plate, but we've tought about ALL of it. You can always visit the voc (s) and talk with the SPED department and get a "feel" for them.I wish you the best and keep posting on what is going on I only have an 8 year old this way I can learn from others.

DianeV, thanks.  We have visited the vo tech and he took some after school enrichment classes there.  Welding and carpentry!  He loved it!

What he discovered then was that he didn't HAVE to go to the one HS.  Just the idea that he had a choice took lots of pressure off of him.

Strange to say, but I do have an older son in the HS now, a Senior graduating in just 8 weeks with honors.  But his experience is in no way comparable so we have to look again at the school as if it were all brand new.

Self advocacy is something I have wanted for him.  The middle school at first didn't quite seem to understand it.  The HS on the other hand preaches it a bit too much and I beginning to wonder if their method is the rather common "sink or swim" sort.

And driven home are my normal fears of HS...especially with an ADD'er who may not make the best decisions....Just Friday nite a Senior was killed in a car wreck.  And in a terrible twist of fate, the boy's mother is a SPED advocate and the leader of the towns sped parent's organization, keeper of an amazing website etc.  So sad.

 

Buzzz39544.3099189815I know, all those fears will be rpesent no matter where they go. My daughter has multiple LD's and we've decided to place her in a SPED school or a high school with a stronger SPED program. We're lucky our distrcit is willing to pay for the placement. I think it'll be a "safer" environment for her