DD failing all her classes not sure what type of help to get

[Anonymous]

You need to sit down with her now and help her make a plan to hand in work before the end of the year. Is this public school? If so, they will take late work without penalty. Not so much in private school. Sounds like she just started HS so did she not have this issue before now? Is it a lot of work? My DS has ADHD and the workload increased starting in 6th grade when he switched from public to private school. I had to help him learn how to prioritize his work. He had an EF tutor in 7th grade which helped too. I know Study Pro has EF classes. That might be something to work on this summer in addition to making an appointment for an evaluation. My DS went to Kennedy Krieger for his. Talk to the pediatrician first.

https://thestudypro.com/study-skills-coaching-2/

https://thestudypro.com/study-skills-course/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Executive functioning coach.

But if it has always been an issue, it sounds like undiagnosed ADHD.

Is an executive functioning coach a therapist?

Not quite. they're someone who helps people learn how hone their executive functioning skills, and for students who need this type of support it's focusing on things like prioritizing, organizing, time management, breaking down assignments into manageable chunks, learning how to prepare for quizzes/tests, plan ahead for longer term assignments. All life long skills that will also help beyond school. We are using one for our DD who will be entering 7th next year. OP, I'd suggest having your daughter evaluated for ADHD, but it sounds like she may benefit from executive functioning help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Executive functioning coach.

But if it has always been an issue, it sounds like undiagnosed ADHD.

Is an executive functioning coach a therapist?

Not quite. they're someone who helps people learn how hone their executive functioning skills, and for students who need this type of support it's focusing on things like prioritizing, organizing, time management, breaking down assignments into manageable chunks, learning how to prepare for quizzes/tests, plan ahead for longer term assignments. All life long skills that will also help beyond school. We are using one for our DD who will be entering 7th next year. OP, I'd suggest having your daughter evaluated for ADHD, but it sounds like she may benefit from executive functioning help.

NP. I agree. If your DD is in FCPS, they have a class for kids (starting in MS and available all through HS) called Strategies for Success that explicitly teaches organization and study skills. It doesn't take the place of an executive function coach but it is a resource available to all students (meaning you don't have to have an IEP or 504 to be in it).

I would also look into an evaluation to see if ADHD/anxiety/depression are also at work. I wouldn't schedule one with Stixrud (it's overkill at this point) but with Children's, Kennedy Krieger, etc. Knowing more about what's going on with your DD will help you determine next steps. If you post over in the Kids with SN forum, you can get more recommendations.

Think about signing up your DD for summer school. FCPS offers free summer school (including transportation from hubs to the school site) for kids who have failed (ask me how I know this). A logical consequence of not passing is to take the class again. I'd start with any courses required for graduation. If it's not required for graduation, let it slide and focus on next year. A lot of kids have struggled this year and while a bad year may prevent her from getting into an Ivy League school, it's not a college-killer. There are a lot of option for all students seeking an education and your highest priority should be your DD's mental health.

If you're looking for an executive/study coach, Educational Connections has been good for us https://ectutoring.com/about-us-2. Again, feel free to post over on the Kids with SN forum. There are a lot of resources there.

[Anonymous]

Likely inattentive adhd exacerbated by remote learning. My dd has adhd, and it only become apparent when she started high school. We monitored her school work like a hawk, but she still couldn't get stuff turned in.
So that insurance covers it, bring her to pediatrician asap, tell dr.her symptoms and get referral to psychologist and/or therapist. Then get diagnosis from psychologist and probably meds, and get written order for school evaluation for IEP and/or 504 plan.
Do it immediately, because it only gets worse

[Anonymous]

No offense but you are just figuring out this now. A lot of blame has to be put on yourself

[Anonymous]

This is us too. First year in HS for DS. He got mostly As in middle school, an occasional B. He was in AAP and he managed to do very well. This year he only took two honors classes and his grades are all Cs. Same thing as your child, mostly unfinished assignments, doesn't know when his tests are, it's awful. It is like he is in class online, but his mind is not really there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to sit down with her now and help her make a plan to hand in work before the end of the year. Is this public school? If so, they will take late work without penalty. Not so much in private school. Sounds like she just started HS so did she not have this issue before now? Is it a lot of work? My DS has ADHD and the workload increased starting in 6th grade when he switched from public to private school. I had to help him learn how to prioritize his work. He had an EF tutor in 7th grade which helped too. I know Study Pro has EF classes. That might be something to work on this summer in addition to making an appointment for an evaluation. My DS went to Kennedy Krieger for his. Talk to the pediatrician first.

https://thestudypro.com/study-skills-coaching-2/

https://thestudypro.com/study-skills-course/

Our public schools do not accept late work without a penalty nor do they accept it from a previous quarter.

[Anonymous]

NP. Executive function coaches cost over $100 an hour. We can’t afford that. Children’s told us 15-18 months before my kid can be seen. All other testers don’t take insurance. Only rich people deserve to be helped.

I am trying to help my kid with executive function type tips and strategies. It’s exhausting and demoralizing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to sit down with her now and help her make a plan to hand in work before the end of the year. Is this public school? If so, they will take late work without penalty. Not so much in private school. Sounds like she just started HS so did she not have this issue before now? Is it a lot of work? My DS has ADHD and the workload increased starting in 6th grade when he switched from public to private school. I had to help him learn how to prioritize his work. He had an EF tutor in 7th grade which helped too. I know Study Pro has EF classes. That might be something to work on this summer in addition to making an appointment for an evaluation. My DS went to Kennedy Krieger for his. Talk to the pediatrician first.

https://thestudypro.com/study-skills-coaching-2/

https://thestudypro.com/study-skills-course/

Our public schools do not accept late work without a penalty nor do they accept it from a previous quarter.

Must not be in this area. I have friends who teach in most districts in this area and they are all accepting late work without penalty. Some of my friends are basically begging students to hand work in.

[Anonymous]

One of the most useful tips my son learned from an EF coach is a priorities matrix. He's a visual person like me so this really helped.

https://aproductiveperson.com/eisenhower-matrix-for-students-how-to-be-more-productive/


He completed one for each week for a month or two and it helped him see everything and prioritize the most important stuff.

[Anonymous]

We have this issue. Our solutions have been to have a specialist meet with him once a week and go through assignments in every class and make them up, and we try and check on weekends and remind him about big projects, also the teachers sometimes email when he falls behind. He still falls behind but not as much, also my kid is getting relatively better as he ages and realizes that grades and effort matter a little more. Grades are not failing usually.

If the school wasn't on board to help, I'd use an after-school homework program like StudyPro or a private tutor and have the kid go several times a week so they can walk them through the homework and make sure they get it turned in.

We've had a very expensive EF Coach and thought it was a waste of money, my kid didn't care about how his brain worked, he just needed to do his homework.

[Anonymous]

OP - just to reassure you, you are not alone this year. I am a HS teacher and I have a lot of students with this problem, and my own 15 year old has been slowly sinking all year. I attribute a lot of it to the developmental age of young teens and the fact that they have been working alone all year, rather than surrounded by peers and being monitored by an adult other than their parents.

In normal times, if I gave an explanation of a task in class and then set kids loose to work on it, about 1/4 would have been paying attention and gotten started. Then slowly there would be a ripple across the room or within groups of "oh, we are doing something" and "what are we doing?" and "how do we do this?" until there are just a handful of students not working. Then the teacher is circulating and can prompt students with "why haven't you started yet?" and address individual problems. When everyone is working on a thing, it is easier for students to keep working on the thing (because clearly, now is the time to do the thing.) They get positive social feedback from doing the same thing as everyone, they can get support from peers if they need it, and they can support others (boosting their own self-confidence).

This year, that whole process is broken. Kids are left on their own to provide their own executive functioning and positive feedback system. They can't glance around at peers and get a clue about something they need help with. They definitely don't want to call attention to themselves by asking an actual question of the teacher. Sometimes they actually do know what is going on, but they are doubting themselves and don't get feedback that they are on the right track, so they stop. Some students may have fallen into a negative feedback loop - where efforts in earlier quarters didn't pay off with top grades, so they doubt themselves and second guess themselves and don't turn in work, which makes worse grades, which makes them freeze even more. Adult brains think it is a simple problem to solve (just do the thing), but smushy teen brains which are trying to figure out who they are and which don't have fully functioning prefrontal cortexes yet, just can't do it on their own.

I think that things will get better for everyone next year, in person. But I also think that this year has exposed some anxiety and ADD/ADHD issues for some students that they may have been able to work around in normal times, but now they need more support to get back on track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - just to reassure you, you are not alone this year. I am a HS teacher and I have a lot of students with this problem, and my own 15 year old has been slowly sinking all year. I attribute a lot of it to the developmental age of young teens and the fact that they have been working alone all year, rather than surrounded by peers and being monitored by an adult other than their parents.

In normal times, if I gave an explanation of a task in class and then set kids loose to work on it, about 1/4 would have been paying attention and gotten started. Then slowly there would be a ripple across the room or within groups of "oh, we are doing something" and "what are we doing?" and "how do we do this?" until there are just a handful of students not working. Then the teacher is circulating and can prompt students with "why haven't you started yet?" and address individual problems. When everyone is working on a thing, it is easier for students to keep working on the thing (because clearly, now is the time to do the thing.) They get positive social feedback from doing the same thing as everyone, they can get support from peers if they need it, and they can support others (boosting their own self-confidence).

This year, that whole process is broken. Kids are left on their own to provide their own executive functioning and positive feedback system. They can't glance around at peers and get a clue about something they need help with. They definitely don't want to call attention to themselves by asking an actual question of the teacher. Sometimes they actually do know what is going on, but they are doubting themselves and don't get feedback that they are on the right track, so they stop. Some students may have fallen into a negative feedback loop - where efforts in earlier quarters didn't pay off with top grades, so they doubt themselves and second guess themselves and don't turn in work, which makes worse grades, which makes them freeze even more. Adult brains think it is a simple problem to solve (just do the thing), but smushy teen brains which are trying to figure out who they are and which don't have fully functioning prefrontal cortexes yet, just can't do it on their own.

I think that things will get better for everyone next year, in person. But I also think that this year has exposed some anxiety and ADD/ADHD issues for some students that they may have been able to work around in normal times, but now they need more support to get back on track.

Professor here and man if this isn't spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No offense but you are just figuring out this now. A lot of blame has to be put on yourself

?
Let kids grow up by themselves.
If she doesn't do it herself, have her repeat the school year. Tiger parenting is useless

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - just to reassure you, you are not alone this year. I am a HS teacher and I have a lot of students with this problem, and my own 15 year old has been slowly sinking all year. I attribute a lot of it to the developmental age of young teens and the fact that they have been working alone all year, rather than surrounded by peers and being monitored by an adult other than their parents.

In normal times, if I gave an explanation of a task in class and then set kids loose to work on it, about 1/4 would have been paying attention and gotten started. Then slowly there would be a ripple across the room or within groups of "oh, we are doing something" and "what are we doing?" and "how do we do this?" until there are just a handful of students not working. Then the teacher is circulating and can prompt students with "why haven't you started yet?" and address individual problems. When everyone is working on a thing, it is easier for students to keep working on the thing (because clearly, now is the time to do the thing.) They get positive social feedback from doing the same thing as everyone, they can get support from peers if they need it, and they can support others (boosting their own self-confidence).

This year, that whole process is broken. Kids are left on their own to provide their own executive functioning and positive feedback system. They can't glance around at peers and get a clue about something they need help with. They definitely don't want to call attention to themselves by asking an actual question of the teacher. Sometimes they actually do know what is going on, but they are doubting themselves and don't get feedback that they are on the right track, so they stop. Some students may have fallen into a negative feedback loop - where efforts in earlier quarters didn't pay off with top grades, so they doubt themselves and second guess themselves and don't turn in work, which makes worse grades, which makes them freeze even more. Adult brains think it is a simple problem to solve (just do the thing), but smushy teen brains which are trying to figure out who they are and which don't have fully functioning prefrontal cortexes yet, just can't do it on their own.

I think that things will get better for everyone next year, in person. But I also think that this year has exposed some anxiety and ADD/ADHD issues for some students that they may have been able to work around in normal times, but now they need more support to get back on track.

THANK YOU for explaining what has been going on so well. This is exactly my kids problem I think. I hadn't been able to pinpoint it exactly beyond "loss of learning community" but this is exactly it. And thank you for noting that mom trying to help at home is NOT a substitute for a teacher/peers. I hope next year is better for everyone.