Add/adhd - Houston,TX

The school is right. He needs time to adjust. Montessorri is completely different than public school and he has not had time to learn the rules and protocol.
He also needs direction and time to learn self control from you also. I would try a lot of things before I rush to meds.

We've been dealing with ADHD for a while. Here's what I can tell you:

1. You will see the signs both at school AND at home. If he's doing fine at home, then you're not dealing with ADHD.

2. Don't try to self-diagnose. You need a specialist's input to know for sure. Ask the pediatrician for a referral to a child psychiatrist. Contrary to popular myth, it isn't a quick process and no one will "rush" to diagnose. It's a thoughtful process and if it's not ADHD, they'll tell you so.

3. Write a letter to the district's psychologist and ask for an evaluation for an IEP or 504 plan. Your child is showing signs of difficulty in school and may need special accommodations to be successful. The district has to do this evaluation if you request it.

4. Don't go on info. obtained through Google. There's so much misinformation about ADHD out there. Stick with reputable sources, like CHADD and ADDitude magazine. Both can be found easily online. More importantly, listen to what the medical professionals have to say. They really know what they're talking about.

5. Normal kids don't get constant "sad faces" or bad reports from teachers. They may have occasional bad days but it's not a constant thing.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

I saw the evidence when my son was in kindergarden. When I would try to do work with him (AT HOME) to learn how to spell simple 3 letter words. He'd fidget, have to go to the bathroom, drop his pencil, very easily distracted. He'd spell a word, then go on to the next one, spell it, try to respell the first word from just 3 seconds ago and he couldn't. He just couldn't retain short term memory - (like Dory :P ) It was showing at school and at home and I worked right along with his teacher with him (he had a very large class too - a triad setup - I think if MAYBE, just MAYBE it was a smaller setting, he may have done better) but in the end, he struggled to learn and concentrate and it lead to him repeating kindergarden.

I started with his pediatrician, who referred us to a neurologist. It's a lot of meetings and testing and it took us a year to get a handle on it all between all the meetings and testings and waiting for the results and then further meetings. If the school offers the testing, like another parent mentioned - to get an IEP plan, stay on top of the school with it - like I said it takes a LOT of time. Now my son has ESE teachers, that come into his class and help him or he goes out to another class (for handwritting now). Maturity had a BIG part to play too. (he also was a YOUNG 5 - his birthday is in April)

He takes medication too - (which in the beginning I reluctant). But it was a MAJOR turn around for him and the best thing I did for him. He's on a very low dosage. He could concentrate and he started really learning and does great in school now.

I know the school says see if he adjust - which he should by the second grading period, but then you only have 2 periods left. I hope it turns around quickly for you guys! Good Luck!!

Here's the best place online to research ADHD (imho)

www.additudemag.com

Montessori is a GREAT place for ADHD kids (particularly adhd-c and adhd-i), and they often show zero to no "problems" whatsoever. It's because of the way the education system is modeled. They work on what is interesting to them and are ALLOWED to actually finish what they're working on (they can do maps every day for weeks if they're really fascinated with maps, or math, or reading, or, or, or) and they're able to choose works that are interesting to them in EVERY subject.

Not so, standard k12 schooling... where everyone has to learn the same things, and drop what they're doing (and not be allowed to come back to it) and science will be about ponds, or biology (even if you have a science kid who loves SPACE and chemistry) so they start hating entire branches of education. Sitting (and sitting in a certain way!) is required, so they aren't able to self regulate by standing or swinging their legs, or curling up.

The modern K12 schooling system could not be WORSE designed for ADHD kids. Montessori is one of the BEST (so are most gifted schools).

DO look up ADHD, but also realize that certain environments bring out the BEST in the disorder, and some bring out the WORST. Montessori brings out the best by and large, while public k12 the worst. One size fits all, just DOESN'T.

Do also look into other schooling options. Our area has 3 k12 montessori schools. 1 private and 2 public. The public options only have 40 spots and over 1000 kids ADDED to the 'waiting list' every year. There's also one gifted school. Both the private options are waaaay out of our pricerange (15k per year) but there might be more accessible options in your area.

We (after an increasingly disastrous first year in public school) decided to try homeschooling before making the major sacrifices it would take to pay for private montessori or gifted school. That was 4 years ago.

My son has ADHD and I can say his symptoms would be noticeable whether he was in public school, Montessori school, or in a jungle! :) If you are not seeing any signs at home and he was successfully attending to his chosen tasks at Montessori, this sounds like more of an issue of the new environment than something organic about your son.

Can you stay on task if it is something HE chooses? Can he get all the way through a task at home like dressing or setting the table without help? Can he sit through a meal? How does he do with friends? Can he control his impulses well enough to make and maintain friends?

If he's successful at those things, give him time to learn to be successful at school.

HTH
T.

I would look at diet also as so many parents have seen a huge improvement in their kids when they took away all the food with additives. Our kids have learned to crave only unhealthy foods.

Have there been other changes in his life as well? Does he like his school? Does he enjoy your praise when he has done well at school? I would check into everything possible before letting anyone drug my kid which seems to be the easy answer to ADD/ADHD.

I agree that only a psychologist can diagnose (or psychiatrist) but I'm pretty sure I started showing signs in kindergarten. I was super smart but wouldn't sit in my seat so they didn't put me in the G&T classes (which thank god because I love the person I turned out to be). Sadly I wasn't officially diagnosed until my freshman year of college when the classes actually required me to pay attention and study and I just couldn't.. your school counselor may be able to help you a little bit (they do have masters in psychology after all). I'd start there and if she doesn't have any concerns then I'd wait to see if it got better, if it gets worse def see a doctor..

The only way my daughter was diagnosed was by parents and teachers filled out a long questionaire that was given to us by a psychologist. It is all based on the answers that are given by both parties. They analized all of them and drew the conclusion that she did in fact have ADD. That was in first grade, she is now in 5th grade and doing good. She is still on 20mg of Vyvanse which has done wonders for her. We tried to take her off of her meds this year, but SHE decided she wanted to start taking them again.

ADD and ADHD is an "across the board" diagnosis. If a child is having trouble adjusting to school or is having a learning problem, they may deal with it in different ways. That's not necessarily ADD or ADHD. It's hard to focus on work that you don't understand. It's hard to stand in line when you are excited about going outside--or maybe you're just not used to standing in line!

My daughter's first grade teacher hinted at ADHD because she couldn't focus in school, she was in trouble a lot and didn't follow directions. The issue--she's a slow learner and she needs LOTS of visual clues. She couldn't focus on her work because she didn't understand it. Give her work she can understand, she focuses just fine. She also is strong-willed. You combine that with not understanding her work and you get a troublemaker. She wanted to be the center of attention and she didn't feel like trying her work (that she didn't understand).

A combination of stricter discipline and lots of help with her work and she doesn't misbehave anymore. She also was not an "across the board" problem. She could focus at home--when something interested her. She's a model student in her classes she enjoys.

Your child is six. That's typical behavior for a six-year old, especially one from a Montessori school. I wouldn't worry.

We homeschool now because public school was not for my child. I use a curriculum that uses lots of visual learning techniques. It's amazing how quickly she learns when something is presented in her learning style. She's social, plays with her homeshool friends and takes other types of classes.

Public school might not be for your child--or maybe he flowers in a different type of learning environment like Montessori. Give him some time. And check out alternatives as well.

Mom's gut feelings are always the best indicator of issues! Find a good pediatric neurologist and have him tested, or ask your pediatrician how to go about getting him tested. If he does have ADD/ADHD then the earlier you intervene the better. My son, now a UT Austin grad, had early intervention for his ADD and has been very successful with lots of backup from the school district, especially in the earlier years. Don't take no for an answer if you really see issues.
Good luck!