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[quote=Anonymous]That C in 8th grade can be a blessing in disguise -- awake up call for him. Past performance is not relevant because puberty and completely different level of executive function and mental needs for academics in 8th and on.

First -- our kid had Cs in high school and got into great colleges by showing improvement over time and doing well on the SATs. Teachers wrote about resiliance in the face of challenges and willingness to take on challenges even when working harder than others. So, don't lose it over a C because you fear this.

It takes more mental effort for these kids to do well, and so the second half of the year is always going to be really hard to push through, especially from 8th on. Teachers relaize they are behind and start piling on more, don't coordinate with each other like grade school teachers do, and your kid is already mentally exhausted and feeling the typical Spring fever.

Acknowledge that, acknowledge that school is going to be harder from now on, and start to work on a strategy to manage it next year. Help him to do the work to figure out where the bumps were that lead to a C (in a constructive way). When he is the one to figure this out, it helps drive the point home.

Help him make a plan. Be on his team and acknowledge that it is hard, or the attitude and refusal will get worse. When you work twice as hard for worse results and get in trouble as if no one understands you, the "what's the point of trying" bug is real and very hard to get rid of.

Pointing out and punishing a disappointing result is rubbing salt in the obvious wound. It truly does not help with an ADHD kid (as opposed to a kid who blows of school to party or other trouble). What helps long term is working on the scaffolding of executive function skills. Do not expect him to figure this out alone; it is the very nature of this disability that he can't.  Help him or get him a coach.

I know it is hard; good luck.[/quote]

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