Revisiting an early ADHD diagnosis when child is in high-school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds to me maybe you are upset her grades are not better when they are excellent. What supports are you looking for? More than likely if she is doing well, you will get no help in less you doctor shop to find someone to tweak the scores to get what you need/want.

OP here. No, not upset by her grades at all. She's generally a good student. Just concerned that, while she has good organizational skills and is keeping up with schoolwork, the rigors of junior and senior-year coursework may be too much for her. The only support I can think of is extra time on tests.

You make me sick. Your child has no academic problems and you are just gaming the system. Some of our kids have actual special needs and you are doing us all a disservice by giving true SN parents a bad name.

I disagree. Good job being proactive, OP. My DD did not need medication in elementary or middle school, but worked 3 times harder keeping up than her siblings did. By the beginning of high school, it was clear she could not keep up with the volume of work, particularly reading. We retested, and started medication and got accomodations (extra time which she typically didn’t use, preferential seating in the front of the class and private testing space, which was probably the most helpful.) Things got out of hand so quickly once she started struggling, it was a huge surprise to all of us. She was overwhelmed, depressed, her self esteem plunged, several teachers really gave her a hard time because she didn’t have a 504 coming in so they assumed her inattention was behavioral - it was difficult. Even though we moved fairly quickly to get things in place to help her, I would say she never really regained her self confidence as a high school student.

None of the challenges op described would be mitigated by getting more time on a test. If she takes forever to do homework, the accommodation is less homework, not more time to take tests, which is the “only” accommodation the op can even think of. She hates reading so... she should get more time on a math test? No- If reading is weak- provide additional reading time; use "previewing" strategies; select text with less on a page; shorten amount of required reading.

All of a sudden, OPs A average student has a learning disability and she needs more time on tests. You just have to figure out if it’s worth the gamble of a couple thousand dollars to see if her cheating pays off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds to me maybe you are upset her grades are not better when they are excellent. What supports are you looking for? More than likely if she is doing well, you will get no help in less you doctor shop to find someone to tweak the scores to get what you need/want.

OP here. No, not upset by her grades at all. She's generally a good student. Just concerned that, while she has good organizational skills and is keeping up with schoolwork, the rigors of junior and senior-year coursework may be too much for her. The only support I can think of is extra time on tests.

You make me sick. Your child has no academic problems and you are just gaming the system. Some of our kids have actual special needs and you are doing us all a disservice by giving true SN parents a bad name.

I disagree. Good job being proactive, OP. My DD did not need medication in elementary or middle school, but worked 3 times harder keeping up than her siblings did. By the beginning of high school, it was clear she could not keep up with the volume of work, particularly reading. We retested, and started medication and got accommodations (extra time which she typically didn’t use, preferential seating in the front of the class and private testing space, which was probably the most helpful.) Things got out of hand so quickly once she started struggling, it was a huge surprise to all of us. She was overwhelmed, depressed, her self esteem plunged, several teachers really gave her a hard time because she didn’t have a 504 coming in so they assumed her inattention was behavioral - it was difficult. Even though we moved fairly quickly to get things in place to help her, I would say she never really regained her self confidence as a high school student.

None of the challenges op described would be mitigated by getting more time on a test. If she takes forever to do homework, the accommodation is less homework, not more time to take tests, which is the “only” accommodation the op can even think of. She hates reading so... she should get more time on a math test? No- If reading is weak- provide additional reading time; use "previewing" strategies; select text with less on a page; shorten amount of required reading.

All of a sudden, OPs A average student has a learning disability and she needs more time on tests. You just have to figure out if it’s worth the gamble of a couple thousand dollars to see if her cheating pays off.

OP's child HAS a diagnosis already. And she is clearly seeking input on what accommodations are available at her DD's educational level. We were never successful at getting reduced homework in a 504 in high school - and my understanding is that is typical. We switched to a small private high school that was willing to be more flexible with my DD and did manage reduced homework that way.

Just because someone's experience doesn't look like yours, or may seem more mild in presentation than what your DC is dealing with, does not mean they are cheating or need to be chastised when they come here looking for help.

[Anonymous]

I have a child with ADHD and school does get more difficult as they get older. We did choose to medicate and it’s been a godsend. However, I can understand why you chose not to. Yet as your child gets older, it might be a good idea to revisit that decision if you think DC is struggling. The school will require testing to get accommodations. The school can test but my experience is the school testing often misses a lot. We did testing for 2 kids at Children’s. Insurance covered a portion. The waitlist is long but we got in more quickly by asking to be placed on the cancellation list.

Above posters are correct about needing to update testing. Our son doesn’t have ADHD but does have other disabilities and he was denied accommodations by the CB because his testing was out of date. The CB is especially suspicious of kids who don’t have a history of accommodations so test sooner rather than later and get the 504 in place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds to me maybe you are upset her grades are not better when they are excellent. What supports are you looking for? More than likely if she is doing well, you will get no help in less you doctor shop to find someone to tweak the scores to get what you need/want.

OP here. No, not upset by her grades at all. She's generally a good student. Just concerned that, while she has good organizational skills and is keeping up with schoolwork, the rigors of junior and senior-year coursework may be too much for her. The only support I can think of is extra time on tests.

You make me sick. Your child has no academic problems and you are just gaming the system. Some of our kids have actual special needs and you are doing us all a disservice by giving true SN parents a bad name.

Puh-lease. Dramatic much? OP is not looking to game the system. She is asking if she should have her DD's medical diagnosis of ADHD revisited in order to better understand her DD's development. It's not any different than a kid in ES being evaluated even though there's not (yet) a demonstrable learning impact. OP's DD is entering an important period where she will decide what she's going to do after HS. Having knowledge of her strengths/weaknesses/challenges is important

You need to recognize there is a continuum of special needs. Someone being on the more mild end doesn't mean it's not a 'true' SN. It's people like you that inhibit discussion and shut down conversations. Take that chip off your shoulder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds to me maybe you are upset her grades are not better when they are excellent. What supports are you looking for? More than likely if she is doing well, you will get no help in less you doctor shop to find someone to tweak the scores to get what you need/want.

OP here. No, not upset by her grades at all. She's generally a good student. Just concerned that, while she has good organizational skills and is keeping up with schoolwork, the rigors of junior and senior-year coursework may be too much for her. The only support I can think of is extra time on tests.

You make me sick. Your child has no academic problems and you are just gaming the system. Some of our kids have actual special needs and you are doing us all a disservice by giving true SN parents a bad name.

Puh-lease. Dramatic much? OP is not looking to game the system. She is asking if she should have her DD's medical diagnosis of ADHD revisited in order to better understand her DD's development. It's not any different than a kid in ES being evaluated even though there's not (yet) a demonstrable learning impact. OP's DD is entering an important period where she will decide what she's going to do after HS. Having knowledge of her strengths/weaknesses/challenges is important

You need to recognize there is a continuum of special needs. Someone being on the more mild end doesn't mean it's not a 'true' SN. It's people like you that inhibit discussion and shut down conversations. Take that chip off your shoulder.

NP. Actually, OP is not saying the bolded. She said things are fine right now, but they might get worse later when things get harder and she wants access to accommodations. Personally, I think she's likely to spend money but not get accommodations because her daughter clearly doesn't need them. If a problem arises, deal with it then. You can't really be preemptive and get accommodations 'just in case' you need them later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds to me maybe you are upset her grades are not better when they are excellent. What supports are you looking for? More than likely if she is doing well, you will get no help in less you doctor shop to find someone to tweak the scores to get what you need/want.

OP here. No, not upset by her grades at all. She's generally a good student. Just concerned that, while she has good organizational skills and is keeping up with schoolwork, the rigors of junior and senior-year coursework may be too much for her. The only support I can think of is extra time on tests.

You make me sick. Your child has no academic problems and you are just gaming the system. Some of our kids have actual special needs and you are doing us all a disservice by giving true SN parents a bad name.

Puh-lease. Dramatic much? OP is not looking to game the system. She is asking if she should have her DD's medical diagnosis of ADHD revisited in order to better understand her DD's development. It's not any different than a kid in ES being evaluated even though there's not (yet) a demonstrable learning impact. OP's DD is entering an important period where she will decide what she's going to do after HS. Having knowledge of her strengths/weaknesses/challenges is important

You need to recognize there is a continuum of special needs. Someone being on the more mild end doesn't mean it's not a 'true' SN. It's people like you that inhibit discussion and shut down conversations. Take that chip off your shoulder.

NP. Actually, OP is not saying the bolded. She said things are fine right now, but they might get worse later when things get harder and she wants access to accommodations. Personally, I think she's likely to spend money but not get accommodations because her daughter clearly doesn't need them. If a problem arises, deal with it then. You can't really be preemptive and get accommodations 'just in case' you need them later.

It took us a full school year to get an appointment for testing and get the report back so we could send it to the school. It is much smarter to be proactive when you already know she has the diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds to me maybe you are upset her grades are not better when they are excellent. What supports are you looking for? More than likely if she is doing well, you will get no help in less you doctor shop to find someone to tweak the scores to get what you need/want.

OP here. No, not upset by her grades at all. She's generally a good student. Just concerned that, while she has good organizational skills and is keeping up with schoolwork, the rigors of junior and senior-year coursework may be too much for her. The only support I can think of is extra time on tests.

You make me sick. Your child has no academic problems and you are just gaming the system. Some of our kids have actual special needs and you are doing us all a disservice by giving true SN parents a bad name.

Puh-lease. Dramatic much? OP is not looking to game the system. She is asking if she should have her DD's medical diagnosis of ADHD revisited in order to better understand her DD's development. It's not any different than a kid in ES being evaluated even though there's not (yet) a demonstrable learning impact. OP's DD is entering an important period where she will decide what she's going to do after HS. Having knowledge of her strengths/weaknesses/challenges is important

You need to recognize there is a continuum of special needs. Someone being on the more mild end doesn't mean it's not a 'true' SN. It's people like you that inhibit discussion and shut down conversations. Take that chip off your shoulder.

Yes a continuum. Her kid is on the extremely mild end of the continuum and a high performing student. The op came here asking about extra test time. She even said that was the only accommodation she could think of, despite that accommodation not being germane to her daughter’s struggle with homework and reading. I assume the op has access to the internet. There are dozens of accommodations that are more appropriate for those issues. Sorry but when the thrust of your question is “do you think my high-performing and academically excelling child might be able to get more time for tests if I spend the money” then I have a chip on my shoulder about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It took us a full school year to get an appointment for testing and get the report back so we could send it to the school. It is much smarter to be proactive when you already know she has the diagnosis.

If she's trying to get accommodations, she needs to go through the school for testing (at a minimum). It won't matter what the outside report says (for accommodation purposes) if there is no academic impact. Which at this point, there isn't.

[Anonymous]

“Sorry but when the thrust of your question is “do you think my high-performing and academically excelling child might be able to get more time for tests if I spend the money” then I have a chip on my shoulder about that.”

As a mom to a 2E kid, I think you sound like a complete and utter a-hole. All of our kids are entitled to be understood, supported, and provided with an appropriate education. Spending far more time than others on schoolwork is a completely common symptom of a bright kid who doesn’t have the appropriate support in place for her LDs/ADHD.

OP, my understanding is that a neuropsych needs to occur after the 16th birthday in order to be used for both college testing and accommodations. I’d check on this before spending the money on an updated test. But we had federal BCBS cover a portion of the cost of an updated test a few years back (maybe $800 of $2200?).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Sorry but when the thrust of your question is “do you think my high-performing and academically excelling child might be able to get more time for tests if I spend the money” then I have a chip on my shoulder about that.”

As a mom to a 2E kid, I think you sound like a complete and utter a-hole. All of our kids are entitled to be understood, supported, and provided with an appropriate education. Spending far more time than others on schoolwork is a completely common symptom of a bright kid who doesn’t have the appropriate support in place for her LDs/ADHD.

OP, my understanding is that a neuropsych needs to occur after the 16th birthday in order to be used for both college testing and accommodations. I’d check on this before spending the money on an updated test. But we had federal BCBS cover a portion of the cost of an updated test a few years back (maybe $800 of $2200?).

Please tell me how getting more time on her SATs is going to help the op’s child with homework. I’ll save you the effort. It’s NOT. Yet that’s the ONLY accommodation OP can come up with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Sorry but when the thrust of your question is “do you think my high-performing and academically excelling child might be able to get more time for tests if I spend the money” then I have a chip on my shoulder about that.”

As a mom to a 2E kid, I think you sound like a complete and utter a-hole. All of our kids are entitled to be understood, supported, and provided with an appropriate education. Spending far more time than others on schoolwork is a completely common symptom of a bright kid who doesn’t have the appropriate support in place for her LDs/ADHD.

OP, my understanding is that a neuropsych needs to occur after the 16th birthday in order to be used for both college testing and accommodations. I’d check on this before spending the money on an updated test. But we had federal BCBS cover a portion of the cost of an updated test a few years back (maybe $800 of $2200?).

Please tell me how getting more time on her SATs is going to help the op’s child with homework. I’ll save you the effort. It’s NOT. Yet that’s the ONLY accommodation OP can come up with.

From the OP's original post

"Is it worth revisiting the issue in HS to figure out what, if any, extra support she needs? Although she's organized and usually gets her work done on time, she still says she's bored out of her mind at school (no, I'm not suggesting she's gifted), takes much longer to do homework than others her age and, according to her, hates to read and wants to avoid any class that involves reading anything longer than a few paragraphs. These things sound to me like there are still some ADHD symptoms at play. And I say this as someone who has struggled with ADD all my life. "

Her kid has never HAD accommodations so she doesn't know what accommodations are available in high school. Extra time is the one everybody knows about. Probably not the appropriate accommodation for her DD, but none of us know that until she gets re-tested. She's looking for suggestions on revisiting the diagnosis.

Can. you. just. lay. off.