Okay I had a parent teacher conference a week ago and the teacher was telling me that my son shows symptoms of A.D.D. I was all no I dont think he does my nephew on the other hand was diagnosed with it and these two are completely like night and day. My son when he is bored with something it hard to keep his attention and this teacher i just wanted to ring her neck.
Well I got pissed at the teacher we went to his regular check up and talked to his doc and she was all "Well what school is he going to and she told me HALF the kids that has come to see her in the last month or so the teachers from this school are telling the parents that the kids may have A.D.D. I have an appoinment today to go speak with the principal What since they cant keep the child focused oh lets dope them up NO I DONT THINK SO. I think that is horrible.
Im sorry I needed to vent before I go. thank you
I understand where you are coming from, I do. And teachers should never attempt to diagnose their students.
However, my son is ADD and takes medication, and it really does help him function. His grades improved dramatically, and so did his feelings about himself and his abilities. So there are times when medication is appropriate and helpful. Do keep that in mind.
My son was in high school, and came to me, after watching those commercials that used to be on for adult ADD medications, and he said to me that that was what it was like for him! I was stunned! I worked with special ed students as a teaching assistant in the elementary school, and felt I would know what to look for - but I was wrong. I was confusing ADD with ADHD. My son was never hyperactive, so it never occurred to me.
I think you should "call" the school on this jump to recommending medication. It's not their place. BUT I think you also need to hear what they are saying about your child. Something has raised a red flag, and you need to figure out what is going on. It can be many, many things, hearing, vision, fatigue, being overwhelmed, etc. that is making it hard for your son.
Really explore the issue, and keep exploring it. Talk with him and find out how he feels about what he is learning in school right now, is he finding it difficult? Perhaps some extra time with you explaining things to him in a different way than the teacher does is all he needs.
This parenting thing really is an adventure and it ain't for sissies is it? Just when I think I have things figured out and going smoothly, something new pops up to address and resolve. I guess that will continue as long as I'm a mom and they're my kids.
Good luck to you. Hope you can get the answers you need.
Karen
Looking back at my school days in hindsight, had this type diagnosis been around, I prob wouold have been addhd whatever....I daydreamed a lot, didn't get great grades, had trouble with tests,,,how ever as it turned out, I was 85percent deaf in one ear, and because in our small school system everyone was seated in class according to last name, hence I was in last seat in last row of all classes, so I was bound to miss out on a lot that was said by the teacher and others in class...now I do have a 130 IQ, went into the navy in a very skilled job, and in spite of many life probs along the way, feel about as normal as anyone.....I think too much is given to the school to figure out about peoples kids, and too much is expected of kids also....hang in there with your kid and if necessary get other opions and maybe another school, where they actually know the kids and what they need....good luck and god blessTo get to this point has been a struggle. We have been through numerous medications and what works best for him is just plain focaline. We have tried the long acting drugs and the side effects are too much. With plan focaline it allows us to have more control over the amount of medication he is receiving. He takes 7mgs in the morning w/breakfast, and 5 mgs at school which typically carries him through his homework and allows him to eat a good dinner.
So many times when people hear ADD/ADHD they focus on the ADHD which is attention deficit hyper activity when in fact you can have one or both. The teacher may not know what she is talking about or she might be right. The only real way of finding out is having him evaluated by a qualified doctor; notable found at a Children's Hospital. To say that there is a blood test that will determine whether he is or isn't there isn't, that is why you need to have him evaluated by a qualified doctor who has experience diagnosing ADD/ADHD children.
I wish you well on your journey. It is a difficult decision to medicate your child. I know, I struggled with it for a long time. As one person put it to me, "If your child needed glasses to read the board would you deny him of glasses or would you at least get his eyes checked."
You can always do what I did,process of elimination. SO the teacher is bringing it to your attention, take this as a good thing. Have him evaluated and go from there. Keep your Pediatrician/GP up to date and make certain you have tried every avenue.
My daughte ris currently off all ADD meds due to the pregnancy and is awaiting confirmation from her OB whether or not t o take it, she is reluctant and does not want to take the risk with the meds. SHe and I cna tell the difference. IT is a personal choice whether or not to tak ethe meds. SHe did much better in focusing and managing her life when on the meds.
THe teacher should have SUGGESTED that ADD/ADHD might be affecting your son's behavior an dlearning patterns and also the ability to learn. He does not have to have that much trouble in school. Medication is one option, others have also used diet and supplements to help. You have choices and options now whereas years ago you did not.
Good luck, it is a challenging dx.
jode
I was clinically diagnosed with ADHD when I was 40. I wish I had known
Slowmoving,
It's a shame but in todays world children have to fall with-in such a small catagory to be qualified as normal. If a child is high energy, the child has a bad gene somewhere that needs to be corrected by some drug. Some time ago, we brought Buster, a 6 month old male chocolate lab out to the farm to be a companion to Jesse, a 6 year old female (can be extremely mean) german shepard. They enjoyed each others company but buster bears many scars from Jesse that he received after Jess was done playing and rambunctious Buster was still ready to bite on Jess's tail or leg. When I was young, Mom kicked us out of the house pretty early in the morning and we went all day and into the evening and had to be made to come in the house. I know I am rambling when I could make the point in a couple of lines and I think that I did in the first line. It is so normal for a child's mind to wander. Anybody that thinks that a normal childs mind was meant to focus on what they are told to focus on is totally brainwashed and belong in that world where everyone wears the same clothes, lives in the same houses, listens to the same music and has that constant hum running thru their minds. Buy a farm and home school. The world is not going to get better. We will all have to become more and more able to live with-in the very small catagory that "they" call normal, who-ever "they" are, could be aliens from another planet. I am not making light of your/our dilema, just not much we can do about it. My sympathies go out to you.
LEV
Well... I am just waiting for the day when a teacher tells me my daughter might possibly be ADHD. Then I can tell them she is bored. Which the girl is. She is a grade behind because of her move from private to public school. She was 3 letters (x, y, & Z) shy of, sounding out and read correctly, being able to go into the grade she was to be in.
I have tried to get them to move her up a grade but they will not as they said they rather for her to succeed than to flounder.
When she is bored she talks. And so far this year she has had 2 paddling for excessive talking.
She is a straight A student, but she does not try to do her work that she knows she knows and makes careless mistakes. The end of the first 9 weeks she made an 88 in reading because I did not sign her reading log, but she did read... I just could not hold a pen in the morning time to write. Hubby was signing it, but he has not since the 2nd week of school
Anyways... my fault daughter will not get her All A's trophy this year
But yeah... No wonder I hated school.
Didn't mean to take over your post. Just our experience. Boys can be a handful and some teachers are so quick to jump to conclusions. I was a cub master for 22 boys and we had one boy who had ADD and he was a terror and full of energy but he was a good kid. Don't worry but get him cked. Either way things will be fine.
I'm sorry to hear that this has been presented to you this way. My