Any feedback on Deal for kids with ADHD?

[Anonymous]

I know this past year has been completely atypical, but does anyone have feedback on how Deal has been for their ADHD child? In terms of supports, class sizes, etc.? Would be interested in hearin perspectives from the past few years, esp pre-pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this past year has been completely atypical, but does anyone have feedback on how Deal has been for their ADHD child? In terms of supports, class sizes, etc.? Would be interested in hearin perspectives from the past few years, esp pre-pandemic.

Homeroom classes tend to be large. They’re around 30 kids. Other classes are often in the 20-25 range.

[Anonymous]

It is hit or miss.

6th grade was hard, 7th grade solid, 8th grade a mess.

8th grade issues:
Science class had 30 kids in it - really hard to be successful in that environment if your child is not self advocation (and science teacher didn't "get" ADHD). Example - when there are limited resources (like tablets to do an assignment), my son would not be one to run over and grab it 1st - so by the time he got it after someone was done, the class was on to the next thing and he was still figuring out part A. We asked multiple times - went on deaf ears.

8th grade -there are some major long term assignments. These were really hard to navigate for a child who has executive functioning challenges. It was really hard to watch - because as we learned what the end goal was, there were many ways things could have been structured differently - but weren't. Example - the school requires 8th graders to do the National History Day program. If you have a teacher who is less tenured, they may not fully understand how best to facilitate the students getting from point A to the end. For students who have a teacher who gets it - it can be a great learning experience. Once again - very teacher dependent.

If your child has any executive functioning challenges with ADHD - start now finding a coach to help in this area.

[Anonymous]

Those 8th grade challenges sound like they would negatively impact the majority of kids. It's the rare child that can learn one step behind, organize a long term assignment in 8th grade, etc.

[Anonymous]

My student had adhd, but not diagnosed, so I can’t talk about official accommodations.

However, in sixth and seventh, most teachers offered after school office hours, to go over work, and give support in terms of writing and
exam review. Again, this not part of a 504 process, so teacher dependent. A couple of the teachers weren’t able to do better explaining material one on one than in the classroom. This was a small minority, but I want to temper your expectations. Also, a couple of teachers put the accent on organizing the notebook, which was graded. This would be good, in principle. But DC always got low grades for that, bc DC never caught on to the teacher’s system. Actually, DC is incredibly strong when decides to organize a notebook, but very rigid about how it should be done.

Another factor is the team to which your student is assIgned. The team leader I think is in charge of communication, and we got a weekly Newsletter that highlighted coming attractions, tests, major assignments, sometimes broken down day to day. Now, that was helpful.

The main problem, in retrospect, is that Deal is a big school with so many students. If your DC is the child who is apt to be distracted by social drama, they’re going to be devoting considerable bandwidth to all and sundry on a daily basis.

Again, no direct experience with special education support, but for a time, DC did an activity led by special ed teachers or counselors, and was very impressed. The guidance counselor assigned to DC’s class was very kind, and school leadership was very wise and supportive.

[Anonymous]

Another point I want to add...under distance learning, most Wilson teachers are posting all Assignments in Canvas, with explicit instructions. I imagine Deal teachers are doing the same? No idea.

But although I don’t like Canvas, and on-line teaching tools generally, I’m hoping this practice of posting assignments survives the pandemic. And that teachers adopt an even more uniform system. I think it must be easier for student to keep track of assignments, and for parents (or an executive planning coaches) to help.

[Anonymous]

OP here - This is so helpful. Thank you for the insights and advice. We will definitely have to focus on getting supports in place, because it sounds like it can be hit or miss and some of the projects require a high level of executive functioning..