Just Diagnosed - Next steps? | ADHD Information

As far as the school is concerned you will have to request  a Psychoeducational evaluation, in writing. Send a letter to the Special Ed director. They have 60 days to complete the eval,

The main thing is to educate yourself on the disorder. You have to be the advocate for your child. If you don't no one else will be and the child will fall between the cracks.  I can give you a number of references but the best place to start is http://www.help4adhd.org/.

This is the federally funded official information site for information on ADHD in the USA.  If you need more, please private message me.

I raised an ADHD child. It can truly be challenge but when you see your child grow up to be a healthy, well adjusted, productive ADHD adult; it very much seems worth while.

As you said, you are starting on a journey. It will not be dull, often challenging, but also with some great rewards.

Keep on plugging.

Dizfriz

 

 

 

 

As edbson says request the school eval in writing. They may not end up evaluating to until the beginning of next year, but the clock starts tickingas soon as you request, so do it now in writing and start a notebook. Keep ALL documentation. Everyhitng you've got fomr this year, report cards, notices from school, conferences, progress reports, emails, everything. The evaluation all of it. You can spne dthe next few months researching, getting a feel for what your child needs, this will all help you be better prepared when the time comes for accomodations. Everyone has different needs. wrightslaw.com has TONS of informationn school laws, IEP's, 504's accomodations.....etc.

My son is 6 and in the first grade.  Today, I received the diagnosis from the child psychologist that my son is ADHD and has Disruptive Behavior Disorder. 

A little background:  In kindergarten, my son struggled with paying attention and completing tasks on time.  He's a fidgeter and his mind is always on the run.  This year, he has struggled in school more and more.  He's received numerous detentions for disruptive behavior.  Today, he's actually got in-school suspension.  We've worked closely with his teacher all year to address the behavior and the lack of attention in class.  After spring break, I had a conference with the teacher and the guidance counselor to determine the next steps.  They talked about meetings and action plans.  When I asked "Should he be evaluated for ADHD?", they both collapsed on the table and explained that they really wanted him evaluated but were legally prevented from requesting it until the series of meetings and action plans had been completed.  My question and the appointment for my son's evaluation eliminated 2 years of footing around at the school.

As I mentioned above, I received the official diagnosis today.  I've called the school and left messages for both the teacher and the counselor to update them and request a conference.  We have only 5 weeks left in the school year.  However, I want to position all of us for a better year with second grade.

From your experience, what do I need to be asking today of the school to get an IEP? What resources do I need to put in place for my son?  We've only just had the diagnosis and need to schedule another meeting with the psychologist to discuss and evaluate the need for meds.  With the research I've been doing on ADHD, dh and I are totally open to whatever we need to do to support our son and help him succeed.

What kind of timeline should I anticipate?  As a complicating factor, our son is scheduled to spend his summer between the grandparents homes.  He's an only child and we all live in opposite corners of the country.  So it is an annual event for him to spend weeks with each set of grandparents.  We'll only have him for 3 weeks this summer.

I greatly appreciate any and all advice you can provide.  As you can tell, we're at the beginning of this journey.