Reply to Shall I disregard what teacher says and let DS read his books in the class? Advise please.

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Reply to "Shall I disregard what teacher says and let DS read his books in the class? Advise please."

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
My 5th grader has struggled with this for years. He was recently diagnosed with severe ADHD, which was simply a confirmation, for school purposes, of what we had already suspected. Since he has always had trouble with inattention, we knew the book reading thing was just one consequence of his disorder. It's an impulse problem, OP, for children who like to read, and who are probably well ahead of their classmates. They can't resist the temptation.

First, he cannot read while the teacher is talking. That's just rude, plus he has to "try" to pay attention. Despite his obvious intelligence, he might also miss important facts! he can absolutely read when he's finished his work, although you need to tell the teacher he might need help putting his book away when another lesson starts! My son is oblivious to anything going on around him when he reads.

Second, you have to discuss with the teacher what acceleration or differentiation he could use. Is he already in the highest reading group/spelling group/math group, whatever? How can he be more challenged?

Third, if you think that both school and home life are negatively impacted by his inattention and/or processing speed and/or impulsivity and/or socialization, which can all be affected in children with ADHD, then it may be time to have him evaluated. If there is a diagnosis, the school can offer free services and accommodations for him, instead of making him feel guilty that he can't pay attention properly.
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OP here. I appreciate your input and agree with them all. DS is a smart and super sweet boy, despite that he does have impulsivity and socialization issues. I am hesitated to have him evaluated because I don’t know what’s the impact it will bring to him. He just wants to be a normal boy. [/quote]

I'm the PP you responded to. 
Why does he want to be a normal boy? Is it because he feels different? My son knew at 4 that he was different, and having a diagnosis and a very detailed scientific explanation of how ADHD impacts his brain was an IMMENSE relief. He was feeling so guilty for not being able to pay attention like the rest of the class. There are many students with ADHD in schools nowadays, many of whom receive subtle or not so subtle help from paraeducators in class. And kids without services ask help from paras as well, so they end up walking around the class, and no one cares who has the official accommodations or not.

Since my son has severe ADHD, things only got significantly better with meds. But the accommodations, such as frequent subtle reminders to stay on task, regular check-ins with the para or teacher, preferential seating, extra time on tests, and in his case, free speech therapy at school etc, were extremely useful to him until 4th grade, when school expectations increased and we were forced to conclude he needed meds. The difference was night and day, OP. He had started to get depressed and has lost his friends in 4th grade, his grades had plummeted and the teacher even suggested he needed remedial math. When he was medicated, he started smiling again, struck up new friendships, was bumped up to all the highest groups, and received top grades. I'm telling you this so that you keep the long-view. What your son needs now might not be what he needs a few years from now, or as a teen, or as an adult. You can only do the best you can for the child he is now. I highly recommend the Stixrud group for their very thorough neuro-psychological evaluation, they are professional and extremely knowledgeable, including about how best to present medical information to schools in order to receive services.

Good luck.[/quote]

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