Adhd

[dizzy65]

Forgive me if this is already posted in here as I did not scroll through. Yesterday my son went to his very first Pediatrician appointment, The speculate he has ADHD, so they have given us a bunch of Questionairs to fill out for people who are close to him, and his next appointment is December 5th and we will go from there. I am just wondering what other peoples experiances are dealing with kids with ADHD, as you can imagine it is not easy.. He has a lot of major Behavioral issues, and he gets sent home from School every other day. He is 6 years old. and His School has a hard time coping with him. He will also be getting tested for Autism, so we have a long road ahead of us for sure! Just looking for advice and support from people who have ADHD Children and how do you cope when they have there bad days. Any tips and tricks to deal with it? Thanks

 

[Reid]

My wee boy isn't adhd but is diagnosed with autism. Autism and adhd have similarities and can come together. Fire away if there's anything you want to ask from the autism point of view my son did start off in mainstream nursery and I was phoned every time he was in to go and get him early they even said to me that I had to stay with him at that point I pulled him out. I was very lucky that I got him a place in a specialist nursery and the different was night and day he's now in school which is a specialist school to
My advice is get in touch with an educational psychologist they can help map out how to support your son in his school environment
They were very influential with getting my son his support xx

 

[krissie328]

Where do you live? In the US he can be put on a 504 or IEP in the school. As a rule of thumb being sent home except in very extreme situations should be avoided and as a parent I would advocate for better supports from them to keep him in school. Prevention is key and there should be a plan of sorts to keep him and other safe.

In terms of managing his behavior consistency and routine will be very important for both adhd and autism. Possibly create a picture schedule (the school should too) that goes through his day so he knows what to expect. Warn him of changes far in advace, maybe a day or so. Also, look at dietary changes. Many of the fake dyes are known to escalate symptoms. I have also been reading more about gluten and it's relationship with both of those. Many people report a complete switch in their children by removing it from their diets.

 

[dizzy65]

I have tried to reason with the school saying that sending him home is not solving any of the issues. The last time i went to get him he even said he wanted to stay so I talked to the teacher and she said no because he had a attitude, The Pediatrician we had said they were going to call the school and get a IEP put into place for him, and he was really surpised that we are now into grade one and he has not had a IEP put into place yet, it should of been done last year. and that he should only be sending him home as a last resort. They just can not handle his temper tantrums and it is understandable but they should really have resources available for helping him. My heart breaks for him knowing he does not have the support there and that he may not even pass this year because his teachers do not no how to handle him and the thing is he can be really sweet but when he gets over whelmed he tends to act out and get the way he does

I am in Canada

 

[krissie328]

I am in the US and am a school psychologist here so I can only speak from our side. But I know school psych training is the same so there could be some similarities.

I would request special education testing. Send a written request to the school administration and copy it to the special education teacher. It sounds like he should be on an iep. I hate to say it but the doctors have very little pull, but you have a lot. If they don't get testing rolling within a few weeks go higher, contact who ever is in charge of special programs stating you have requested testing for your child.

Talk to the administrator and let her know he cannot keep coming home. I'm sure you are willing to help them come up with a plan while testing is going on so put that out there. But as it stands he has a right to be in school and they have the responsibility to do everything they can to keep him there. Maybe a teacher change should be initiated as it sounds like his current one has bad history and is unwilling to make each day or even hour a new one.

 

[krissie328]

Look up special education parent rights for your Provence. That will help you know your rights and your son's rights in special education.

 

[dizzy65]

Yes absolutely that sounds great, I need to do what I can to help better my son. I can tell he is not happy there too, they just get very frustrated dealing with him and it is so heart breaking. I will look into doing that than I will go and talk to the School about doing that for him. There was a point a few weeks ago when I talked to the Principle who said they were not even teaching Academics because he refused to sit and do them so they just gave up, it is like seriously why is he even going to School when they arent teaching him anything. But from what I have seen now they are back to teaching him school, they have described him as being Defiant and hard to handle, My poor boy

 

[krissie328]

I am so sorry he is facing this. It breaks my heart because he truly has no control over it.

I will tell you we try to approach our more difficult kids with the attitude that we teach them readiness skills to learn. So how to attend, follow directions, ect. Then work on academics once he is able to. It sounds like he needs that specialized instruction in how to be a student and self manage some of his behaviors before academic learning can really occur.

 

[dizzy65]

Yes I so agree. He does great in a one on one approach as well, the class room setting some times is a bit much for him. we speculate that he has a sensory issue as well. and when he gets over whelmed he shows it with agression, I have been trying to help him work through it, I am wanting the school to step up and help him out with it to, with out getting frustrated and just kicking him out. he has a TA that he works with daily but he really needs one that specializes in dealing with childern like him, because she can not handle his fits. This school district here is really a joke and it breaks my heart for my son and for kids like my son, they don't get the help and attention that they need.

 

[krissie328]

If you can get him evaluated for an occupational therapy sensory assessment they can tell you a lot about his needs. Some of the things we do for our sensory seeking students is weighted blankets, weighted vests, rice packs over the neck/shoulders, sensory breaks so things like carrying a heavy load (usually books) to the library or office, or going to the resource room (special education) to decompress in the corner and let his sensory needs balance. Also, something you might consider is having him have a break card that he can use to indicate that he is getting overwhelmed and needs a break. Also, the incredible 5-pt scale is good for helping students know when they need a break. (Which honestly your school should know but are clearly not implementing or trying!!)

Also, search internet autism modules. There is a section for parents as well as teachers that can give a ton of ideas. Not only for kiddos on the spectrum but also other low incident disabilities like ADHD.

 

[dizzy65]

We had a parent teacher interview yesterday which went surprisingly well. She said that he has to take quiet a few brain breaks during high activity times when there is lots of noise and lots to focus on, he leaves the room and he goes to another room where him and kids like him go to power down, it is for kids with Scensory issues. there is a trampoline to bounce on, a rocking chair and other activites, and once he seems more relaxed he is brought back into the room. They also take him for walks around the school every half hour or so.. Ive told him to let the teacher know when he is getting over whelmed but I get the feeling he does not know when it is about to happen, just all of a sudden it is to much and he freaks out. They have a quiet room for him too that when his tantrum esculates to a un safe level, they can safely get him into this room for him to calm down and then he comes out and he can re join the class.

 

[krissie328]

Those all sound like positive things!! I would recommend the 5 point scale to help him learn when he is feeling out of control. It is not an expensive book, maybe 20 US dollars on Amazon. Definitely worth checking out for school and home if you're seeing similar behaviors.