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Well basically, they ignored her and she was in trouble for not paying attention all the time.
Then she was bullied in class by other kids, cause she was always in trouble and her teacher would ask in front of the class if she took her meds that day, so he would know if she was going to be a problem or not.
Those were part of the reasons (not to mention physical abuse, and bullying) that we pulled her out of school and currently home school.
Funny enough, the school couldn't "cope" with her if she missed her meds, yet she hasn't taken them since March, and she is VERY attentive, listens and retains, and isn't antsy or hyper during our school day. But then again, we take a 10min break every 30mins, and we have a full hour (or more) daily for recess/pe. Maybe it is that she gets some of the energy out, or maybe it's cause we cater her learning to a way she retains/understands, or maybe it is cause it's a one on one thing, or maybe it's cause we are her parents, or maybe she is learning to control her impulses better; I dunno.
I guess my original question was I don't get how ADD/ADHD children are classified as special needs. I just don't see it. Now my best gf, her son has CP, to me, he is special needs. Autistic children are special needs. I don't think ADD/ADHD is special needs.
Am I the only one that feels that way?
My son has ADHD and I am starting to htink he is special needs. He cannot focus like other kids. He cannot complete tasks on his own without constant supervision. In the classroom his teachers have 20-30 kids and cannot sit with him the whole time ot make sure he does his work. Even though he's medicated he still needs to be redirected to focus. When not medicated he's running arounfd the room or crawling on the floor. Literally, his teachers have said so. I want him in a special class but it's like pulling teeth here to make it happen.
I think it is because children who actually have Asperger's Syndrome are often diagnosed with ADD. They are extremely bright kids but easily distracted. Sometimes the evaluation team is limited and can only make a judgment on ADD and not include other relevant medical history or facts. That is what happened to my son and now six years later, all those signs meant Asperger's and was not ADD. The biggest hint for us was that we could not find a med to work on hyperactivity with trying a new one every month for a year. Problems with being bullied or not tolerating other kids being too close is a definite sign.
As she gets older and needs middle school or high school, consider getting the special education. They will provide support (even through college) to help her be independent as an adult. Special education services is no longer the stigma it once was. There are thousands of adults with Asperger's syndrome (yes, in all fields inclduing medicine, and college professors) and no one would have know they were once in special ed themselves.
So if a teacher suspects (a kindergarten teacher did with my 12 year old) trust me it should be something you get evaluated before adulthood. Children like this will need more preparation to be independent (and not homeless, walking the street, etc... if there are no other adults or siblings to care for them). Just don't question but bring all the developmental history to get child evaluated ASAP. The waiting period can be up to 2 years so you have time to read more, go to meeting with other parents (in person) and discuss it. Trust me, the other parents will know. :-)
My child has a speech delay and that is also qualified as a special need. Does it really matter what the classification is as long as the child gets the help they need?
I have a child with ADHD and her former school was begging us to let them classify her as special needs. I know it was for additional funding, but still, I was not going to let them classify her as special needs, when IMO there was no need.
First, I guarantee you that your school isn't doing this for additional funding. Schools try to avoid giving special services because it's super expensive!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cav Scout wife
How is ADHD even close?
No disrespect or anything, but I don't get it. When I think of special needs children ADD/ADHD does NOT come to mind.
Can anyone explain this?
You clearly have a misunderstanding of what special needs means. Special needs isn't all wheelchairs and children with extremely low mental functioning.
There are tons of children who have special needs and you'd NEVER GUESS. The child who has a difficult time with reading or math doesn't look any different than other children. Children with learning disabilities are are often much smarter than the average classmate.
And I hate to break it to you but ADD/ADHD can interfere with learning because they have a difficult time concentrating. And ADHD children are usually more easily standing out as different among other children because they're hyper.
I think you're way off base thinking that ADHD can't be a special need. You're in denial. I sort of feel bad that you prevented your child from receiving services. Special services are super expensive. A school wouldn't offer them if your child didn't have special needs. There are parents who FIGHT for services and don't get them. That tells me that your child must obviously need some sort of services. Schools don't just offer services to any child and often refuse services to students that are on the borderline.
Funny enough, the school couldn't "cope" with her if she missed her meds, yet she hasn't taken them since March, and she is VERY attentive, listens and retains, and isn't antsy or hyper during our school day. But then again, we take a 10min break every 30mins, and we have a full hour (or more) daily for recess/pe.
YOU are making special accommodations for your child by providing one-on-one instruction and giving a 10 minute break every 30 minutes. The school district would need to designate your daughter special needs to give her one-on-one instruction every 30 minutes. THAT'S what special needs means----children who need to be taught differently from other children
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cav Scout wife
Maybe it is that she gets some of the energy out, or maybe it's cause we cater her learning to a way she retains/understands, or maybe it is cause it's a one on one thing, or maybe it's cause we are her parents, or maybe she is learning to control her impulses better; I dunno.
It's because she doesn't have distractions. At school with other children, there are all sorts of things to distract her attention. Plus, the school wasn't providing special services (one-on-one instruction and 10 minute breaks every 30 minutes.) Can't you see that your daughter is doing better because the environment has changed? That's what schools do with special services---change the environment by making special accommodations. You're making those accommodations at home. You just wouldn't let the school do it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cav Scout wife
I guess my original question was I don't get how ADD/ADHD children are classified as special needs. I just don't see it. Now my best gf, her son has CP, to me, he is special needs. Autistic children are special needs. I don't think ADD/ADHD is special needs.
I'm a little confused as to why you don't get it. You just defined a child with special needs by showing how she's doing better in homeschooling.
charz is correct. There are two prongs to whether or not a child is determined to be "eligible for special education" which is essentially what you are talking about when determining if they are "special needs" or not. In order to be determined eligible for special education services, you need to be diagnosed with a disability and that disability needs to "impact your ability to learn" and you require "specialized instruction" in order to learn. Some kiddos with ADD/ADHD meet that requirment, therefore having an IEP. Some do not. It depends on the situation.
And the OP's child must have met those two requirements or the school wouldn't have wanted to provide her child with special services.
I am a teacher and a parent of a bipolar child who is gifted and is considered special needs. I think I can look at this from several angles. I have had students whom I would never know were ADD/ADHD. Their meds work, and there aren't other issues present. On the other hand, I have had students who are in special ed b/c of the ADD. It creates a problem with learning that needs to be addressed by changing the learning environment. The only way to legal do that is to give them the special needs designation.
As to the school wanting the extra money...that is highly unlikely. Now that we are under ultra strict mandates with state testing, no school wants any more children designated special needs than is absolutely necessary. If a school has more than 40, the special needs children become a NCLB subgroup with can very negatively affect test scores which affect jobs and money. It is something the school does not want to have!
Also, to the OP, special needs does not equal retarded! When we were in school, special ed was a dirty word. Those kids were just shoved off to another room. We all knew they were slow, etc, etc, etc. However, we now know that these special needs are not necessarily a result in a low intelligence level. My son has an IEP b/c he gets very, very distracted and frustrated in school. Bipolar in kids can look alot like ADD/ADHD. He receives special education services. He is also gifted and receives gifted services. I am glad your child is doing well in a homeschooling environment. I do hope that you can see that this designation isn't completely a bad thing. They want to put it in place to help your child.
My issue with all of this is that they set so many triggers to box kids into a special category, the average kid who has a small problem and needs some extra help is completely overlooked. I saw it with one of my daughters who had some reading problems.........[other daughter was gifted and there was stuff out the wazoo for her....] and am seeing it with one of my grandaughters who is a little but not a lot behind on some things........
So folks like us wind up spending our tax dollars on the special needs kids AND out of pocket for help with tutors etc for the normal kids who are NOT always getting the help they need [or the support the parents need to help their own kids]. Does not seem so fair sometimes.
Grannynancy, I can relate to what you are saying. My son tested one point above remedial level on his tests. If he had gotten one more answer wrong on those tests, he would receive free tutoring and other personal attention. Instead, he is struggling to keep up with the class. And he's only in 1st grade. Everything is centered around tests. There's a test to see if a kid will need help to pass the standardized tests. Geez. His teacher can tell he needs more help, and told me so. It's too bad it doesn't work that way.
My son was diagnosed with adhd. So, just having that label does not guarantee a kid will receive all the resources he needs. I actually don't believe he has adhd. He just learns differently than most kids. He's very bright, imaginative, and creative. Copying spelling words and doing worksheets is just torture to him. Daily homework is a struggle. Really, he learned to read the alphabet and numbers by the time he was 20 months old, just by my reading Chick a Chick a Boom Boom everyday.. He soaks up everything I read him. We can read together for hours. There is no good reason for him to be struggling to keep up with the other kids academically.
I have been considering homeschooling next year, and am excited about it.
As to the school wanting the extra money...that is highly unlikely. Now that we are under ultra strict mandates with state testing, no school wants any more children designated special needs than is absolutely necessary. If a school has more than 40, the special needs children become a NCLB subgroup with can very negatively affect test scores which affect jobs and money. It is something the school does not want to have!
Ahhh! Now I see why they put up such a fight.
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