Taking ADHD Meds at Private School

[Anonymous]

I'm purposely putting this in the private school forum because I think it is more of a school issue.

What does your school do to support your ADHD student in remembering to take prescribed medication? What do you as the parent do to help the child remember? In this case, it is an ADHD booster. Kid is in 8th grade. Kid says the booster helps and wants to take it. It is kid's responsibility to remember to go in at the appointed time (after 2 pm per doctor. School stops administering meds at 3:30, but child can take it as late as 4.) She remembers about once a week. I've given her a non-smart watch with a timer that goes off at 3 pm each day. That worked for about two weeks. It is written in her planner (never helped). It is sometimes written on her hand (seldom helps). School will not page the child or go find her. Child does not have her phone until 330 and does not have a computer/device at all during the day. Doc has authorized self carry, but school says absolutely not.

Short of pulling her out of sports to come home and take a booster, what other tricks are there to remind this kid to take her meds?? We don't really want to adjust the morning dose to be shorter acting because the wheels would really come off if she forgets to take a lunchtime dose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm purposely putting this in the private school forum because I think it is more of a school issue.

What does your school do to support your ADHD student in remembering to take prescribed medication? What do you as the parent do to help the child remember? In this case, it is an ADHD booster. Kid is in 8th grade. Kid says the booster helps and wants to take it. It is kid's responsibility to remember to go in at the appointed time (after 2 pm per doctor. School stops administering meds at 3:30, but child can take it as late as 4.) She remembers about once a week. I've given her a non-smart watch with a timer that goes off at 3 pm each day. That worked for about two weeks. It is written in her planner (never helped). It is sometimes written on her hand (seldom helps). School will not page the child or go find her. Child does not have her phone until 330 and does not have a computer/device at all during the day. Doc has authorized self carry, but school says absolutely not.

Short of pulling her out of sports to come home and take a booster, what other tricks are there to remind this kid to take her meds?? We don't really want to adjust the morning dose to be shorter acting because the wheels would really come off if she forgets to take a lunchtime dose.

Are you asking what the schools responsibility is or how much you can expect to ask of the school. Wouldn’t you have to request a medical accommodation or have an IEP in place?

[Anonymous]

Alarm needs to go off during a transition time so she goes between classes, not at 3:00.

[Anonymous]

You need to make it part of a routine. What time is dismissal? Where is their last class in relation to the nurse's office and wherever they go after school lets out? What other tasks are part of dismissal that can be paired with getting meds?

[Anonymous]

School sends my kiddo to the nurse's office to get their meds at lunchtime.

Isn't this the way most schools do it? When we were touring private schools, every school gave us this response when we asked.

[Anonymous]

Last class ends at 3. There is no nurse, but another staff member that administers meds. Kid transitions to a club period at that time. School says that if kid does not remember, she obviously does not want to take the meds.

I can do all sorts of things from home the night before and morning of. But I have absolutely no way to communicate with my child before the meds window closes.

Kid has been in tears tonight finishing work because she missed the meds, but I am at my wits end trying to get them into her.

We are leaving for HS. I just need to get her thru this year.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, OP in last post and here! My kid takes a long acting med and needs a booster at 3. School will not send them for meds or find them ever. It is kid’s responsibility. They okayed the non-smart watch alarm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to make it part of a routine. What time is dismissal? Where is their last class in relation to the nurse's office and wherever they go after school lets out? What other tasks are part of dismissal that can be paired with getting meds?

Classes vary by day. Most days meds are a floor above and sometimes on the other side of the building/campus. I’ve tried to say, last class then meds then clubs. Not sinking in.

[Anonymous]

My friend’s older teen struggles to remember to take her adhd booster. This school’s statement that if she doesn’t go on her own then she doesn’t want it is ridiculous. She has adhd which by definition makes it harder to remember to do things when they need to be done and harder to stick to routines. Does your child have an IEP/education plan (might be called something else - private schools use different names)? Does the school have a counselor or other admin point of contact for kids with learning differences, special needs, and accommodations? If so, start there and explain how this is impacting your child (in tears in the evenings, etc) and that a 13 year old with adhd shouldn’t be expected to reliably remember to go out of her way to get her meds without a reminder. It’s bizarre that they are unwilling to provide assistance with this. Is it the timing? Would they be able to call her to the appropriate office if she took the meds at lunch?

[Anonymous]

I have a lower schooler who takes his afternoon dose at school. The nurse, learning specialist and homework teacher worked together to find a space in his schedule that was within the timeframe recommended by his doctor. He has to walk to another building to get to the nurse’s office and it’s generally his responsibility to remember, but his home room teacher (who he is with at that time - it’s within a few minutes of dismissal) ensures that it happens each day. The school and staff didn’t blink an eye at accommodating it.

[Anonymous]

In this extreme (and extremely unhelpful school instance) I would have her self carry and self administer.

One a day, in a combination lock pill dispenser so another student can't get to it even if they went through her things and found it. I found a pouch on amazon with a three dial code lock you can program, like a luggage lock.

I wouldn't send more than one a day and I wouldn't send in a regular script bottle so if someone were to get ahold of it, they couldn't take it thereby reducing that risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In this extreme (and extremely unhelpful school instance) I would have her self carry and self administer.

One a day, in a combination lock pill dispenser so another student can't get to it even if they went through her things and found it. I found a pouch on amazon with a three dial code lock you can program, like a luggage lock.

I wouldn't send more than one a day and I wouldn't send in a regular script bottle so if someone were to get ahold of it, they couldn't take it thereby reducing that risk.

NP. If she’s caught doing this by the school it could be a very serious offense. Most schools won’t even let middle schoolers carry Tylenol on their own, much less controlled substances and prescription meds. I don’t think I’d risk it, at least not without trying absolutely everything else first.

[Anonymous]

My kid is a senior in HS and still forgets booster most days. School will not help, kid must remember. Coach will ask if taken sometimes but by then nurse is gone. Moral of the story is nothing I could do beyond harass my kid which did not work. I feel your pain. But college will be the same and will kid take morning dose then (kid does do this at home and seems to remember to take it on their own but I do monitor it so would they without me doing so I have no idea)? Ultimately the kid has to own it which is hard given the diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Can the medication be given to the Teacher of the last class of the day in a locked medicine bottle for distribution? Put a big note in the folder for the last class of the day that says “See your Teacher when class ends” and have the watch chime off at dismissal time as reminders. Kid brings the lockable medicine pouch on Monday and gives it to the Teacher, takes it home of Fridays for refills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a senior in HS and still forgets booster most days. School will not help, kid must remember. Coach will ask if taken sometimes but by then nurse is gone. Moral of the story is nothing I could do beyond harass my kid which did not work. I feel your pain. But college will be the same and will kid take morning dose then (kid does do this at home and seems to remember to take it on their own but I do monitor it so would they without me doing so I have no idea)? Ultimately the kid has to own it which is hard given the diagnosis.

I'm 50 and forget my booster some days. This is what ADHD is. A shame that the school can't make a bit of effort here.