Neuropsych testing was worth the 00 | ADHD Information

Because I know he is not really an idiot and I have the test results to prove it.  He just acts like it sometimes!

Three weeks ago we found several books he had borrowed from a teacher six months ago.  No big deal- rubber banded them together, stuck them in his backpack, reminded him to return them.  Thought it was done with.

Last week I found the bundle of books under the couch.

So I emailed the teacher to let her know to expect him (and asked her to let me know when he did return them) and told my son he could have his electronics back when Ms. Williams got her books back. 

It took him an entire week of daily reminders and no electronics to return the darn books.  And this teacher's classroom is only two doors down from the one he's in this year!

In addition to that he lied about turning in a permission slip and check for band and hid it so I wouldn't find out.  Of course he just folded it in half and stuck it behind the other papers in his homework folder- which I go through every evening!  And he didn't turn in a paper he had to write for his language arts class that he had initially lied and told me that it was just a couple sentences he had to write in his journal (until I stumbled across the assignment and grading rubric in the bottom of his backpack), then threw a fit about writing but it eventually got done.  He didn't even make an effort to hide this one- just lied and told me he did turn it in when I asked him why he didn't.  Then he tells me his teacher didn't ask him for it.  And the next day when I asked why it was still in his folder he said it was because he didn't have that class again until Friday.  Except that he has this teacher every day!!!!!!! 

What on earth makes him think I won't find out about this stuff?

And to top it off- this child threw a fit about his math homework and had the nerve to tell me that it was going to be my fault if he failed 5th grade because I wouldn't tell him what 8 x 4 was!

BUT. . . I have this neuropsych testing that shows he has high-average intelligence.  So I know he's not stupid- it makes me wonder if he think I am.

I am at a total loss about what to do about the schoolwork.  The homework is actually getting written down but only one teacher is check his agenda to make sure it right.  The other teacher is just trying to make it through the day- she just graduated from college in May and is having a hard time with the "extra" stuff.  I'm actually very understanding of that because I've been there myself, but. . . it doesn't change the fact that he needs the extra stuff. 

Part of me thinks I should just ignore the fact that I know I'm being lied to and let him get away with not doing the work and then he can fail for the quarter and face the consequences.  That part of me also wonders if the school would give him some real help if he failed.  The other part of me can't let that happen.

Thanks for letting me vent.  Any suggestions would be great! 
That's great to have the insights of testing that complete...and so young!  I wasn't tested and enlightened until I was "over the hill"!John D- he had the full educational battery as well.  We were looking at the possibility of adhd, ld, and/or mood disorder.  His official dx is adhd- combined type and dysgraphia. Unfortunately, the school seems to disagree about the extent to which the dysgraphia affects his learning.  Up until now his grades haven't fallen below a C average, so they wouldn't consider giving him services.  Unfortunately, NCLB has caused the administration to try to keep the number of kids receiving services down below a certain percentage so that they won't have another subgroup in which they must make "adequate yearly progress."  rosalie68- I am also a firm believer in meds.  When we first broached the subject of adhd with his therapist a few years back she explained to us about brain function and the things that would help it and then reffered us to the neuropsych.  He's been on Focalin XR for almost two years- we have an appt. next week to discuss an adjustment/change as it seems to have been slowly losing it's effectiveness over the past few months.  I know that's part of the problem.

BPQW- I love the idea of a weekly list.  I've always thought it was a lot for them to have to rememeber to check his agenda, especially at the end of the day.  Last year we didn't have as much of a problem with it because there was an aide in the class for a girl who is physically disabled and the aide would help my son as well. 

I'm also considering having another meeting to discuss more/different accomodations.  His difficulty with writing is really starting to hurt him now that they're doing so much more of it.  It also seems like good timing because the asst. principal just got in trouble for stonewalling a friend of mine who just got custody of her developmentally delayed neice and nephew.  It doesn't really say much for the woman's intelligence because my friend is the spec. ed department chair at a local school and knew exactly what she was doing and who to call.  Now the asst. principal is being closely supervised by the office of spec. ed. so it might be a good time to try to get him more help.

My oldest is like your son.  Doesn't like to write.  He is making a great effort this year as a freshman in high school has really stepped up to the plate and I am glad.  I would ask your school if they have any computer programs like dragonspeak they can train him to use.  He could use it at school and at home and he doesn't need to write everything.  My son has in his iep access to peer and teacher notes, can give the teachers an answer verbally if he doesn't want to write it down, and can type.  I thought this might give you a couple ideas for your son.

jaderock:

Bright kids can have learning disabilities too...  neuropyschological testing isn't designed to uncover possible learning disorders the way neuroeducational testing is.  LD is more probable with ADD kids than non-ADD kids.

John D39719.710150463

i dont know if u have considered meds or not and wouldnt try to push them at u pr anything. i will say that my ds is 7 and extremely smart. but he does not focus to do his work cant sit still forgets things all the time he is very hyper and very impulsive. that was until he had meds. now im not the only one that can see how smart he is. last yr in kindergarten it got soooo bad that we had to homeschool him. this yr in 1st grade with meds i have not gotten one phone call home. he finishes his work and he rarely forgets to turn things in or forgets where he has put things. i have known my son has had adhd for a few yrs but i was a parent that was totally against meds and was hoping he would grow out if this. last yr i saw how bad his self esteem was being affected by the way ppl treated him. no one wanted to play with him and kids picked on him and the teachers couldnt handle him. he could do his work one on one but not in a classroom setting with all the distractions of the other kids and noises around him so it made it look as if he wasnt as smart. i have thought about getting him tested to see if he is gifted or what his IQ is b/c sometimes he just amazes me. anyways i finally gave in to trying meds as a last resort and in hopes to help him so he wasnt feeling down on him self and wow did i see a huge difference!! they actually help him. he has turned around in every problem area that he was having and he is a very well behaved child and very smart. he can actually pay attention and sit still and think before he does something. he is not hyper. he also is not a zombie. thats how i thought meds would be. he is actually the same little boy just without the distacting behavoir. we did have to try a few diff meds at 1st to get the right med and dose and we are still working out some minor kinks but overall i would say this yr is 100% better! good luck to u with whatever u decide. i feel like with adhd u can remind them over and over and its like they forget what we tell them. i started feeling bad for yelling at my son all the time for not listening to me and repeating the same bad behavoirs that we have tried to get him to stop. i felt like it was a lost cause. i started to feel like i had failed as a parent and i had tried everything that i knew and even other ppls suggestions on ways to get him to do the right thing. i really hope no matter what u do that some way u can get through to him. i know how frustrating it is when u have to keep telling them over and over!

kim 

< =text/>_popupControl(); I have total sympathy for you about the agenda/homework issue. My non-adhder was horrible about this (though oddly my adhder is very good about it). All I can offer is to send a general e-mail to all of his teachers (copy them all in so that they see that they all got the same e-mail...keeps things transparent) requesting that they send a syllabus or weekly assignment list to you so that you can check up "knowing that they sometimes have too much to do to check his agenda." If you pose it as a way of taking some of the weight from them, there really isn't a reason they would decline.

My oldest also would "forget" or refuse to turn some work in. This went on until I threatened to come to school with him for a week and go from class to class with him if he failed to turn in another assignment that I knew he'd done.