Immersion and adhd

[Anonymous]

I could really use the thoughts of some strangers tonight. My 1st grader is recently diagnosed with adhd, very inattentive. He is in a partial immersion school, just got a 504 to help. I am going to consider something I never wanted to do, medication as soon as we can get another appointment. He is really behind in the classes in the foreign language, not learning the language or the academic subjects like math and science. I speak some of the language at home, but he is really not picking it up after almost 2 years at this school. Not enough to understand basics.

So, I am considering taking him out of immersion and putting him in our local county school. The immersion environment is very supportive and wants to help, but he knows almost none of the language and even the teachers are concerned. I know he will struggle in both languages, but the other kids are starting to pick up the language, he is not because he isn't paying attention. Not even the very basics that have been used in the class for over a year. It kills me to admit defeat, but his education is just too important and he is only barely on grade level because the teachers give Nima lot of one-on-one time. The added wrinkle is that the local school is not a well regarded school, high poverty and title I.

Would appreciate thoughts.

[Anonymous]

I would not move until you try medication. My child jumped from remedial to on-grade level reading quickly after starting meds. It could make a big difference. If it doesn't, you can switch over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not move until you try medication. My child jumped from remedial to on-grade level reading quickly after starting meds. It could make a big difference. If it doesn't, you can switch over the summer.

+1. I would see what happens with meds for at least a yr/grade before changing schools.

[Anonymous]

Change! Immersion is a nice to have, but not critical! Yr child is alrady behind. Dont delay just because youve bought into the trend! I say this as someone with two kids in immersion. If i saw they were struggling and had an iep, i would move in a heartbeat to a program that ciuld offer more individualized support in english!

[Anonymous]

Oh, I know your struggle. I went through it with my DS in 2nd grade. What made it even more poignant is that my DH and his family are native speakers of the immersion language. We made the difficult decision to pull DS from the program because special ed services were not offered in the target language. I know NOW that they were required to provide them in the target language but I was new to every thing. My DS actually didn't care one way or another whether he was in the program. He's a social kid, the teachers were great and he was oblivious as to how far behind he was.

We sought advice from a number of professionals and while they all stated that it wasn't the ADHD/inattentive that would be hurdle, it was the associated language delays that were concerning. He wasn't just behind in math but also in reading. We felt he had enough challenges that it would be in his best interest to reduce stress/challenge where we could and that meant pulling him from the immersion program. DS is now in high school and, in hindsight, it was the absolute right decision for him.

His younger sister is in 6th grade and is in the immersion program (she started in K). She doesn't have ADHD or any LDs. She's done really well in the program and we kept her in it even though she qualified for AAP. I'm not as gung ho on immersion as I was when my kids started. Maybe in another 7 years my thoughts will change again but it's really not what I had hoped it would be. I don't regret my DD being in it, one of the unexpected benefits is that she's been with the same 35 kids (2 classes) since K. I think the kids are kinder and more accepting of each other and I've got a list of parents I can call on if my DD needs a ride to something (and vice versa). My DD would have done well in just about any environment.

I've also got a 3rd grader with ADHD/inattentive and LDs. Again, it isn't the ADHD that's the problem. It's the related language issues that interfere with his learning. We didn't even bother trying immersion. FWIW, we've also seen a lot of kids drop out because of learning/anxiety issues. There will always be someone who comes on and says how great their kid with ASD/ADHD/LD/etc. does in immersion and I have no doubt their kid is doing great. But, it wasn't the right choice for two of my kids. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

10:23 again - I forgot to mention that we're at a minority majority/Title 1 school that many in DCUM land would refuse to send their kids to. We love it. It's been great for my kids! There's not as much parent involvement in the school but the teachers are fantastic, the kids are lovely and we know we're making a big impact with our PTA and classroom involvement. Middle school is awesome, high school (again) is one that gets bashed here but we've really liked it.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for seeing after medication. My ADHD DS is medicated and he's in an immersion program. I actually love it for him - a lot of school is boring but a new language is never boring and he's really taken to the challenge. He's doing well (not to say he still doesn't do ADHD forgetful stuff or be disorganized but immersion is terrific for him)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for seeing after medication. My ADHD DS is medicated and he's in an immersion program. I actually love it for him - a lot of school is boring but a new language is never boring and he's really taken to the challenge. He's doing well (not to say he still doesn't do ADHD forgetful stuff or be disorganized but immersion is terrific for him)

+1 and another vote. My son has ASD/ADHD - medicated and in his 5th yr at an immersion school. Worth seeing if the medication helps before switching schools.

[Anonymous]

I wish I could remove DC (inattentive and medicated) from immersion. Can't. The English-only track performs so much lower on math and reading, it would put him at a disadvantage in those fundamental areas. He loves learning, and basically puts up with the language in order to access the information they provide on interesting subjects (like geography and history). At home, he relays the fun of the topic IN ENGLISH and doesn't appear to grasp the vocabulary it's meant to bolster.

DC2 has taken to the language easily. DC1...he puts up with it, but I wonder how much better he would do overall if that were removed. It's no longer a matter of "can he?" The value of the language is the question for us now. He's gotten all of the neurological benefit of early language enrichment, and he'll no doubt gain functional literacy in high school. The opportunity cost is the question. How much more could he be doing with his time and effort? For example, he LOVES coding. We make room for it, but what if this could be his second language instead?