MCPS and ADHD

[Anonymous]

My seven-year-old son is showing signs of ADHD, and we are in the process of having him evaluated. I am concerned about how the school will accommodate him once we share the test results. I want to ensure he receives the appropriate support to succeed, but I also worry that he might receive accommodations without being encouraged to put in effort himself. I would appreciate any insights or experiences with MCPS schools regarding this balance.

Thank you

[Anonymous]

You better *hope* you have a GOOD counselor and Assistant Principal

[Anonymous]

Work with your kid's fabulous teacher(s)

[Anonymous]

You have some say in the accommodations and services (if he gets services). Don’t accept those that you think won’t promote growth.

Personally my least favorite was extended time for assignments. Tests, fine. Chunking assignments, excellent. But extra time for assignments, no. I felt like it prevented growth in the area of time management and led to a backup of too much stuff due at the end. So we worked on time management at
Home.

Also if my kids are any indication, there are a lot of study and life skills you will need to work on at home in addition to the support you get in school.

[Anonymous]

Thank you this is helpful, I was not aware that we can choose some of the accommodations given to us.

Anonymous wrote:You have some say in the accommodations and services (if he gets services). Don’t accept those that you think won’t promote growth.

Personally my least favorite was extended time for assignments. Tests, fine. Chunking assignments, excellent. But extra time for assignments, no. I felt like it prevented growth in the area of time management and led to a backup of too much stuff due at the end. So we worked on time management at
Home.

Also if my kids are any indication, there are a lot of study and life skills you will need to work on at home in addition to the support you get in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Thank you this is helpful, I was not aware that we can choose some of the accommodations given to us.

Anonymous wrote:You have some say in the accommodations and services (if he gets services). Don’t accept those that you think won’t promote growth.

Personally my least favorite was extended time for assignments. Tests, fine. Chunking assignments, excellent. But extra time for assignments, no. I felt like it prevented growth in the area of time management and led to a backup of too much stuff due at the end. So we worked on time management at
Home.

Also if my kids are any indication, there are a lot of study and life skills you will need to work on at home in addition to the support you get in school.

Yes, you are part of the team. Ask questions. Give your opinion. Share what
You think is working and what isn’t.

[Anonymous]

Whether it's a 504 plan or an IEP the accommodations should be tailored to what your kid needs to help them manage their attention/behavior. Kids who are hyper might need different seating or the permission to stand at their desk while working, or to pace in the back of the room while listening to a lesson. A kid who has more trouble with distractibility might need individual reminders and check ins to make sure they know the directions and are on task. If they get special ed support then they could get extra services to teach them executive functioning skills too. Don't just accept the boilerplate list for any kid with ADHD. Think about what they specifically need.

[Anonymous]

Do research now on suitable accommodations.
MCPS will have some but like a PP said the go to seems to be extra time. My kid doesnt need extra time because she rushes everything. I’ve asked for verbal reminders to sliw down before any quiz or test. And verbally ask her if she understands the instructions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do research now on suitable accommodations.
MCPS will have some but like a PP said the go to seems to be extra time. My kid doesnt need extra time because she rushes everything. I’ve asked for verbal reminders to sliw down before any quiz or test. And verbally ask her if she understands the instructions.

+1 You have to advocate for your kid. ADHD is very common and most schools won't go out of their way to give any accomodations unless you can demonstrate the impact ADHD has on your kid academically.

[Anonymous]

What accommodations are recommended by the provider who did your neuropsych exam? Those were the ones we used as the basis for my DD who has ADHD on her 504 plan.

Separately, as the parent of an ADHD child who also has ADHD, please don’t deny your child accommodations. I struggled mightily in school to get good grades because I didn’t get diagnosed til adulthood. Graduated with a 3.9 GPA but had to overwork to do that because it took me twice as long as classmates to do the work. My life could have looked very different had I known my diagnosis and gotten accommodations like extra help, sentences started, more reminders and check in’s, shortened assignments and extended time for tests, which I always ran out of time on.

To the poster mocking ADHD, please realize there are many significant morbidities with ADHD, including suicide, alcoholism, car accidents, and substance abuse, and also a 10 year shorter lifespan. As a family with a strong genetic history of ADHD, I’ve lost at least 2 family members directly due to untreated ADHD. For many of us, stimulants offer a benefit of allowing us to function in a society that is not setup for how how our brains and bodies function.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What accommodations are recommended by the provider who did your neuropsych exam? Those were the ones we used as the basis for my DD who has ADHD on her 504 plan.

Separately, as the parent of an ADHD child who also has ADHD, please don’t deny your child accommodations. I struggled mightily in school to get good grades because I didn’t get diagnosed til adulthood. Graduated with a 3.9 GPA but had to overwork to do that because it took me twice as long as classmates to do the work. My life could have looked very different had I known my diagnosis and gotten accommodations like extra help, sentences started, more reminders and check in’s, shortened assignments and extended time for tests, which I always ran out of time on.

To the poster mocking ADHD, please realize there are many significant morbidities with ADHD, including suicide, alcoholism, car accidents, and substance abuse, and also a 10 year shorter lifespan. As a family with a strong genetic history of ADHD, I’ve lost at least 2 family members directly due to untreated ADHD. For many of us, stimulants offer a benefit of allowing us to function in a society that is not setup for how how our brains and bodies function.

+1 It's not entirely accurate to say you can choose accommodations. Ideally the medical professional who diagnosed/is treating your kid puts in writing what accommodations they believe are appropriate, something you would discuss with that professional, and you give that to the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Thank you this is helpful, I was not aware that we can choose some of the accommodations given to us.

Anonymous wrote:You have some say in the accommodations and services (if he gets services). Don’t accept those that you think won’t promote growth.

Personally my least favorite was extended time for assignments. Tests, fine. Chunking assignments, excellent. But extra time for assignments, no. I felt like it prevented growth in the area of time management and led to a backup of too much stuff due at the end. So we worked on time management at
Home.

Also if my kids are any indication, there are a lot of study and life skills you will need to work on at home in addition to the support you get in school.

You might want to ask more about the process and potential accomodations in the Special Needs forum, lots of good advice there (not all MCPS-specific but a lot of this is common across school districts and there are plenty of MCPS parents there who can give specific MCPS advice as well.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My seven-year-old son is showing signs of ADHD, and we are in the process of having him evaluated. I am concerned about how the school will accommodate him once we share the test results. I want to ensure he receives the appropriate support to succeed, but I also worry that he might receive accommodations without being encouraged to put in effort himself. I would appreciate any insights or experiences with MCPS schools regarding this balance.

Thank you

Been down this road with my son who was diagnosed around the same age. Not sure what kind of evaluation you are doing. There are two ways to go with that:
1. Expensive likely partially or fully out of pocket evaluation
2. Vanderbilt scales and take to pediatrician
First option will give you a lot more insight into your kids issues. Second option is enough to get accommodations and yes (horrors) medication. My son has been on Adderall since third grade and it was life changing. Did it solve everything, no. But he went from 70 to 80% on testing to 99%. Told me it made his mind quiet so he could concentrate. Please don't understand the damage that constantly being in trouble for not sitting and/or paying attention can do to your kids self esteem.

On accommodations... research what the options are ahead of any school meeting and make sure everything is specific. For example, if there is extra time, how much... who is responsible for doing what... that kind of thing. Accommodations won't discourage your kid from trying their best. Sadly most teachers are stretched so thin that meeting accommodations is difficult and does not happen more often than it does. The accommodations are helpful though since when there is an issue you can point to them.

Good luck. It's not an easy road. In our case hyperactivity turned into more of inattention and inability to turn in work in MS/HS.

[Anonymous]

Include the extra time on tests in the 504 because the college board will reference the 504 when deciding whether to give more time to take the SATs. We initially declined the offer of extra time, and it was a lot of work to get it added back in later for SAT extra time qualification.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Include the extra time on tests in the 504 because the college board will reference the 504 when deciding whether to give more time to take the SATs. We initially declined the offer of extra time, and it was a lot of work to get it added back in later for SAT extra time qualification.

Yes. Like a PP my ADHD kid typically rushes through things but the extra time on SAT was helpful with diagnosis of slow processing speed