adhd and HGCs
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| How do students with adhd, add, executive functioning difficulties do at the HGCs? I know there is a 2E program but obviously for logistical and other reasons, such as the child shows signs but has not yet diagnosed, there could be reasons the 2E program is not an option. DC shows signs of adhd, inattentive type, and anxiety, and has trouble staying focused and getting organized (including organizing thoughts on paper) - but teachers consistently say they can't tell if it is a "problem" yet, which I've heard is very common with bright kids because they can compensate in the younger grades. I am starting to worry if admitted to the HGC will it become an anxiety inducer given DC's other struggles. Thanks for sharing any experiences - preferably first hand ones but I'd also appreciate your observations of such kids in the HGC program even if they are not your own. |
Anonymous
|
Sorry for gate-crashing your post, OP, I'm interested as well.
In the perhaps improbable scenario where DS is accepted to an HGC, I'm afraid his diagnosed ADD and executive dysfunction will hinder him. Are there classroom aides and do they willingly give accommodations to HGC students? To OP, my son has an IEP at school and receives speech therapy, particular attention from the classroom aide, as well as a front seat in the class and typing help. A private evaluation for ADHD was the trigger for all these accommodations he receives. If you are worried about impact on academic progress, I would first ask your ped for references to evaluate your son. Then go from there with the school. |
Anonymous
|
ADHD/ADD are simply common issues for children. They aren't really especially common in bright children - it just makes parents feel better to think that.
If you child has these issues, they may well hinder his achievement in school without help and guidance (an IEP perhaps). It would make sense that the issues would hinder a child more in a program that is more rigorous. Signed, An MD |
Anonymous
A doctor with reading comprehension problems, apparently. I am not OP, but she wasn't saying ADHD is especially common in bright children. She was saying that teachers being unsure whether or not it is causing problems is common with bright children, because bright children can compensate with other skills for longer than average children. |
Anonymous
| No there is a common "myth" out there among parents that their kid with ADHD/ADD is actually very bright. It makes parents feel better about the diagnosis. That was the underlying implication in op's question (as evidenced by the asking about how HGC's handle these issues). Parents need to deal with ADHA/ADD and then determine whether their kid is smart, average or in need of remedial help. |
Anonymous
|
OP might have better luck posting topic in the special needs forum.
Have you asked to see the teacher questionnaire about your child? It is after all an educational record of your child and you do have a right to see it under the FERPA Act. I saw a copy several years ago and it basically would exclude a child exhibiting ADHD symptoms from the HGC program. |
Anonymous
This is very true and was an issue with my daughter. She had reading issues related to ADHD (had to do with attention, tracking, etc.) and used many many tricks to make sure no one knew that she really wasn't reading well. She got her friends to tell her plots of books, which she memorized so that she could answer reading comprehension etc. She scored super high on standardized tests because they were short paragrapsh so her scanning issues weren't a big problem, and the computer was easier for her to read on than print books. Basically she used her very good memory and smarts to hide that she was a poor reader. She did this until 5th grade, when the texts in class got long/complex enough that it began to show. it was only through neuropsychological testing that we got down to what was really going on. So whie ADHD and intellgience don't go together, necessarily, ADHD can be masked in bright kids who are anxious to do well and don't want people to know what's going on. It's also absolutely true that ADHD and anxiety are co-morbid. |
Anonymous
|
HGCs are wonderful for students who enjoy writing, projects and are self motivated/can stay on task work independently. The HGCs don't do much math acceleration. I have one HGC child and 1 ADHD child. My ADHD child struggles with writing even though he understands the concepts, have great ideas and knows the answer. He just can not write it down in a timely manner. He also compensated early on but the ADHD was obvious from the level of hyper activity.
This completely knocks him out of the candidate pool for HGC even though his IQ is higher than his HGC older sibling. He would struggle with the writing output requirements and need an aide to keep him on task with independent work. MCPS really fails bright kids with learning disabilities. MCPS is perfectly happy for the child to produce no work and stay at the same level year after year as long as they don't fall below the bottom bar. Its VERY hard to get accommodations enforced in MCPS. I hope that the burden of proof legislation passes because there is a horrible arrogance in MCPS that we don't have to provide the accommodations we agreed to in the IEP or 504 because they are NEVER required to document that they did this. Unless this changes, your child will have a roller coaster in MCPS. Some years you'll get a great teacher who takes it on herself to provide accommodation and your kid will soar. The next year you'll get a teacher who ignores them and your child will end the year no farther than when he started. |
Anonymous
+ 1000 - AMEN poster. |
Anonymous
| My DC has ADHD (mild). He has no 504 or IEP. We were worried about this first year at the HGC, but I can tell you without hesitation that it is his best school year ever. The teachers are wonderful at helping the kids prioritize and tackle long-term projects in steps. Something about the pace and rigor helps my son stay on task much better. He is learning for the first time how to work hard. The only time we've had tears all year is when DC has had to do any sort of art assignment to go along with a writing assignment. We never hear complaints about being bored. He is writing has improved immensely. Things aren't perfect - handwriting is still messy, punctuation and capitalization are still problems but dc does lots of work on the computer and that helps a lot. Good luck. |
Anonymous
An imposter. You are no MD ...signed MD |
Anonymous
I'm 21:09 with the ADD child who already has an IEP. I'm so glad it is working out for your son! Posters who issue blanket statements about ADHD really do not grasp the fact that it is such a vast territory, and that some ADHD children might thrive in an HGC setting while others will not (and whether any in these two categories pass the entrance hurdles is another question entirely). My son has improved wonderfully in writing output recently, but writing was very problematic at the beginning at the year, which probably sunk him for the teacher questionnaire. I just wondered where the HGC classrooms had aides to help in general but also to oversee accommodations for those children who need them. |
Anonymous
| Op here. Thanks for the responses, especially poster 16:34 who got to the heart of my question. I obviously do not know if my DC will be admitted, but he is a strong candidate based on his teacher's comments in 2nd and 3rd grades, his standardized test scores to date, and private WISC testing we had done last year in anticipation of applying to private schools (which we did not do). DC also shows many indicators that he may have adhd and he definitely struggles with anxiety, but he holds himself together pretty well in school via compensating techniques - that was my point about bright kids, not that all kids with adhd are bright, but that kids with adhd can often compensate for/mask their lack of attention/focus in younger grades, especially those with inattentive type adhd - his teachers say this to me each year, that they recognize there are flags but he is still one of the students who needs and so far handles the more challenging concepts. So I don't think he'd be excluded from HGC consideration due to the issues I am concerned about, but I know him much better than his teachers and the administrators in the HGC program and I don't want to set him up for failure or more anxiety. Anyway, thanks for all of the replies - once we even see if he gets in we'll have lots to think about! |
Anonymous
|
[, but he is a strong candidate based on his teacher's comments in 2nd and 3rd grades, his standardized test scores to date, and private WISC testing we had done last year in anticipation of applying to private schools (which we did not do).
that's not what gets someone into the HGC - admission is mainly based on result of the test they take when they apply. |
Anonymous
Which you would assume someone who has done well on standardized tests and the WISC would also do very well on. |