Where do I get help for my ADHD son?

My 6 year old was just recently diagnosed with ADHD. He is in the 1st grade now, but he was referred for testing by his kindergarden teacher. I received NO help from the school and had to go to a private phycologist to get the ball rolling. Now I am stuggling with the school to get him help. I sat down with the principal and school counciler to prepare at 504 plan (they said he didn't qualify for an IEP), but the teacher is not cooperating. Beverly Elementary is supposed to be one of the best schools in TPS. My son is now so far behind that he is probably going to have to repeat the 1st grade. We have another conference next week and I am hoping that somebody knows something I don't so I can go to it with a full aresenal. His teacher has stalled any progress we could have been making all year, has failed to communicate, even when I initiate the communication. I am so lost and heartbroken, my poor baby tries so hard. There has to be more I can do.

Parent Answers to "Where do I get help for my ADHD son?"

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Medication won't solve a child's learning difficulties, but it will allow a student to focus better on what strategies the instructor is trying to use to teach them.
My son takes AdderallXR, and I can definitely tell when it's effective versus not. I would go back to the doctor, and state what you're seeing. Perhaps your son needs a different dose, or a different medication. The best site I know of for discussion about ADHD medications and school issues is www.millermom.proboards107.com ~ Please consider joining there, and if you do, please post exactly which tests the evaluator gave your child, and their scores, because we can help identify other problems, too.

Yes my son was started on Adderol XR, although i have only seen minimal improvement. He was given the whole battery of tests by the phycologist. We had to go outside the school for his testing, his teacher never submitted the evaluation forms we turned into her. She had been our main obsticle in most of this process. Thank you for the information.

dhfl143 already gave you some good information, but I have a son with ADHD (and also dyslexia and dysgraphia, which are reading and writing learning disabilities) and I have a couple of statements/questions....

As disappointing as it is, the truth of the matter is that ADHD is a medical condition, so that's why school people can't diagnose it....most school psychologists are not clinical psychologists, it's only clinical psychs and doctors who can diagnose. How is his ADHD now being treated? My son responded very well to medication, and he's now in college....

My main question to you is whether the private psychologist who evaluated your grandson did a comprehensive educational battery of testing (like an IQ and achievement test) to also look for possible learning disabilities? If not, that could explain why the school only feels your grandson is eligible for an accommodation 504Plan, and not an IEP where he would get remedication to help with the academics that he's behind on.

IF your grandson did NOT have recent testing for possible LDs (which often go together with ADHD) then you need to request, in writing, that the school do a comprehensive educational evaluation for suspected LDs now. You'll need to have documentation history, because the request starts a "formal timeclock" that the school has to do the evaluation, or tell you why they don't think it's necessary, but if they want to retain him, it will be hard for them to say it's unnecessary. Sites like www.concordspedpac.org have sample "evaluation request letters" you can use.

Since Toledo is a larger metropolitan area, I'm guessing they do have an active www.chadd.org family support chapter, and by attending their local meetings, you'll get a great deal of additional information...don't despair, there's hope!

Take heart in that you got a diagnosis so early. This give you opportunity to provide appropriate interventions in a timely fashion. It can be a bit overwhelming initially. So as not to inundate you, I am providing two web sites that might help you get up to speed quickly.

Take a look at these two web sites:

www.chadd.org
www.brightsolutions.us

I would also like to invite you to join and post at the Great School's "Learning and Attention Difficuliteis" Group here:

community.greatschools.net/groups/11554

This group is composed of parents who have had similar experience and may be able to share some insights with you that could be useful.

Best Wishes.

Any contributed content above is the subjective opinion of that member or external author, and not of GreatSchools. GreatSchools does not check for accuracy in community posts or verify the contributor’s identity. If you are searching for health-related advice we strongly suggest you seek professional medical support. View our Community Guidelines for more details.

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