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And now, 2 months later, my son is an obvious basket case. Seriously, I'll say it again. With the inordinate amount of disorders my child suffers from, it's nothing short of amazing that he can even get out of bed and get to school at all! <Insert sarcasm>
Without getting into each and every little point, just keep in mind that ultimately you are the one who gets to decide if anything needs to be done with your child. Even if you do take them to the doctor and they also feel something is out of sorts, you still don't have to act, or you can choose to act in ways other than medicating. Or, if you do take them and the doctor feels it's just a phase, or situational, you've followed up diligently and can rest assured that you haven't just ignored symptoms that might be something, or might be nothing.
I would take this conference as a sign that some things are happening in the classroom that shouldn't be. No, purposeful farting is not the end of the world, nor is it unusual for a 10 year old boy. On the other hand? It's also not exactly a charming way to behave, and it's not a behavior I would want to encourage or ignore. You'll be doing them no favors. While I would not be so quick to lock my child in a dungeon or request their ped give them a Ritalin IV drip, I would address the behaviors.
It's clear you hate the teacher. Fine. It is what it is. I'm sure she despises you too. You think she's crazy and she thinks you're crazy. You think she's the most incompetent buffoon on the planet and she thinks you're the most idiotic blowhard who has ever lived. It is what it is. BUT! The year is almost over. Do not allow your feelings for her to influence what may or may not need to happen with your son (I'm not saying disorder-wise, but more discipline-wise.) She will be nothing but a memory in two months time. If you turn a blind eye and indulge his behavior problems out of spite and a dislike for her, it is your son you do the greatest disservice to in the end.
Without getting into each and every little point, just keep in mind that ultimately you are the one who gets to decide if anything needs to be done with your child. Even if you do take them to the doctor and they also feel something is out of sorts, you still don't have to act, or you can choose to act in ways other than medicating. Or, if you do take them and the doctor feels it's just a phase, or situational, you've followed up diligently and can rest assured that you haven't just ignored symptoms that might be something, or might be nothing.
Thank you for this. As you can imagine I am all worked up over this at the moment. Writing about it helped and I am sure I will calm down after a few days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by h886
I would take this conference as a sign that some things are happening in the classroom that shouldn't be. No, purposeful farting is not the end of the world, nor is it unusual for a 10 year old boy. On the other hand? It's also not exactly a charming way to behave, and it's not a behavior I would want to encourage or ignore. You'll be doing them no favors. While I would not be so quick to lock my child in a dungeon or request their ped give them a Ritalin IV drip, I would address the behaviors.
I totally agree and totally have. Ironically, I had to insist several times that we come up with some strategies to address what I felt were the most pressing issues, i.e. not always following directions and having an attitude with the teacher. Initially they were trying to tell me they couldn't (wouldn't?) do anything until we found out what was causing the behavior, or, IOW, got him a diagnosis. That did not sit well with me.
I suggested the teacher send home a note detailing any disrespectful behavior or intentional not following of directions. The psych changed that to let's send a notebook back and forth each day with communication. I was fine with that. What I didn't like, however, is she said "Let's treat him like a little child and send a notebook between school and home." SERIOUSLY? Like a little child? How is that helpful?
Quote:
Originally Posted by h886
BUT! The year is almost over. Do not allow your feelings for her to influence what may or may not need to happen with your son (I'm not saying disorder-wise, but more discipline-wise.) She will be nothing but a memory in two months time. If you turn a blind eye and indulge his behavior problems out of spite and a dislike for her, it is your son you do the greatest disservice to in the end.
I would never allow my feelings for her to influence how I handle my son. And yes, it is only two more months. Unfortunately, since my last issue with her I have been trying to bide my time and wait the year out. As far as I'm concerned though, she has seriously just crossed the line and I am sorry I did not ask for a classroom change way back when.
Right now though, I need to wait until I get my emotions in check before actually taking some sort of action. BUT, as far as just letting this go? Probably not going to happen.
I was diagnosed in the second grade by the teacher. It was the fad at the time. But, teachers can be wrong.
Should teachers ever voice their opinion regarding ADD and the newer ADHD?
No teachers shouldn't be allowed to diagnose any medical condition.
Not sure about your state but in Louisiana it's against the law to practice medicine without a license.
My son is artistic and years back a teacher in an IEP meeting told my wife and I that our son was ADHD and that we should medicate him because he wouldn't sit still. I stopped the meeting and asked her for her license to practice medicine and she said she didn't have one.
I looked everyone in the eyes including the principal and school board members that were there and told them if they did this again they would be reported and then hauled into court. The teacher was looking to medicate my son so he would just sit in a corner all day without doing her job of teaching him.
Wasn't going to happen and every IEP meeting after that including to this day is controlled by what my wife and I want for our sons education. The best that a parent can do is educate themselves about what a school has to provide for there child whether they are disabled or not.
Most of those questions I will not answer to protect my privacy.
Okay, so I read your profile. And I have to ask: having identified yourself online as a 28 year old male, "recently single" American living in the Faeroe Islands, and having posted your name and birthplace on that same profile, how private do you figure you really are?
Last edited by Aconite; 04-13-2011 at 09:16 AM..
Reason: errant punctuation
I bet that an experienced teacher can accurately nail a diagnosis, however, she would only be the starting point. My son had ADD and it was only after a bunch of testing by the school psychologist that he was referred to his pediatrician for meds. I seem to remember that the pediatrician mainly went by the recommendation of the school and did not do more than a cursory evaluation himself.
The results were like flipping switch and my son's concentration was so much better. He opted to wean himself off in high school, because Ritalin was stunting his growth and he didn't like the feeling of taking it. By that time he had learned coping skills. As an adult, he feels at times he would benefit from taking it again, but he's in the Army and that is not acceptable.
I was diagnosed in the second grade by the teacher. It was the fad at the time. But, teachers can be wrong.
Should teachers ever voice their opinion regarding ADD and the newer ADHD?
I haven't read through all of this thread, but of course teachers are not qualified to make a medical diagnosis. Teachers are not qualified to diagnose ADHD, Autism, Asperger's, brain tumors, or anything else. If they suspect there is a medical or developmental problem with a child, then they can and should communicate this to the parents.
IMO we are in an age of over-pathologizing children.
I bet that an experienced teacher can accurately nail a diagnosis, however, she would only be the starting point. My son had ADD and it was only after a bunch of testing by the school psychologist that he was referred to his pediatrician for meds. I seem to remember that the pediatrician mainly went by the recommendation of the school and did not do more than a cursory evaluation himself.
The results were like flipping switch and my son's concentration was so much better. He opted to wean himself off in high school, because Ritalin was stunting his growth and he didn't like the feeling of taking it. By that time he had learned coping skills. As an adult, he feels at times he would benefit from taking it again, but he's in the Army and that is not acceptable.
The pediatrician is wrong to do a cursory evaluation and to take the school's word for things. Your son is lucky that the diagnosis was accurate. There are other conditions that mimic ADHD. Eventually, there will be a more accurate diagnosis because medical scans are coming along that will show the differences in the brain clearly.
While there is no currently definitive scan, hopefully there will be eventually. Right now, there are tests that should be done along with the behavioral analysis.
The pediatrician is wrong to do a cursory evaluation and to take the school's word for things. Your son is lucky that the diagnosis was accurate. There are other conditions that mimic ADHD. Eventually, there will be a more accurate diagnosis because medical scans are coming along that will show the differences in the brain clearly.
While there is no currently definitive scan, hopefully there will be eventually. Right now, there are tests that should be done along with the behavioral analysis.
The only problem I see with this, and I didn't see it mentioned anywhere in the link you provided, are the scans of children with ADHD already being treated with medication?
If so, not only would they need to prove that the differences in the brain are a true marker for ADHD, but that the medication being taken to treat the ADHD did not in itself cause these changes to the brain.
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