Looking for the right fit relocating a child in 6th grade to Colorado Springs?

My family is relocating to Colorado Springs with one child to attend Pine Creek High School. My other child will be entering 6th grade, doesn't enjoy school, so we have a difficult time motivating her. Needless to say, homework becomes a chore (if it even finds it's way home!). She is scheduled to attend Challenger Middle School but I am open to other options that might be a better fit. We had put her in a private school for one year to get her caught up but overall, it didn't help her self esteem as she felt like she couldn't measure up.
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Parent Answers to "Looking for the right fit relocating a child in 6th grade to Colorado Springs?"

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Thanks for the help, I will look into this. My 18 yr old son (who is a senior now) at the time of his diagnosis, went through a series of blind tests to determine whether he needed medication for ADHD. As a result, he was put on a small dose for several years with good results. He has been off for about 3 yrs (by choice) and is managing himself very well through high school.
Thanks for the good advice!

kamloops, my thought with your daughter, if ADHD is involved, is more the ADHD-inattentive variety. There's a book "Understanding Girls with AD/HD" by Kathleen Nadeau that many people recommend, since it tends to look much different than in hyperactive boys.

P.S. My ADHD son is also 18....is yours finishing H.S., or already in college? You might also be interested in joining us in the "College and Beyond" Group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11551

Those are very good points. The school evaluation would be very helpful. I do have an older biological child (18) who was diagnosed with ADD by 5th grade so we are familiar with that road. My soon to be sixth grader (adopted) who I was asking about doesn't appear to have the same challenges but it is worth looking into anyhow.
She is highly competitive and is passive aggressive (these traits are quite normal I understand for a child who has spent time in an orphanage-birth to almost 3 years). When she feels she's not doing well with something she totally shuts down or wants to write it off as if it's not important. I have a feeling it may be more of a LD. Thanks so much for the good advice, I will look into both soon. We won't be moving until this summer.

Has your daughter ever been evaluated for learning or attentional difficulties? I'm not a doctor, but I am the parent of an older teen with ADHD and some LDs, and it sounds to me as if your daughter could be dealing with something similar.

I realize you're in the midst of a move, but I'd strongly encourage you to request a comprehensive educational evaluation from the public school asap. In fact, because the diagnosis of ADHD is often based on rating sheets of teachers/parents/other adults who know your child, I'd really encourage you to consider seeing her current doctor NOW, so that you might get feedback from teachers at her current school and adults that already know her. The LD portion can be probably wait until you get settled in your new location, if it's going to be soon.

For more information, you might want to look at sites like www.help4adhd.org, and join us in the Learning and Attention Difficulties Group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11554
to network with more parents who understand what you're dealing with.

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