Kindergarten with adhd

[Sotoracheal]

Hi my 4 year old with adhd starts school for the first time this year I’m super nervous because I’m scared they will start to label him and push him away because he different(teachers) that don’t want to do there job I don’t live in that great of a town and when a child come that to hard to deal with they just push them out so they don’t have to deal with them so I’m super nervous for Ben 😩

[LabLover2]

Pray!

[Onthemove1971]

I would encourage a meeting with teachers if you feel it is going that way to make sure you are clear with them you will not accept labeling him.

[Pennywink]

He is starting Kindergarten at age 4? Is that typical in your community? Otherwise, he will ba at an extra disadvantage being younger & less mature than his classmates.

[Sotoracheal in reply to Pennywink]

No he going to k1 he has will do two years of kindergarten here in Boston that how they do it

[nvuletich]

Teachers have no choice but to do their job. Have you heard of a 504 plan? Our therapist put in the paperwork for our son to have a 504 plan in response to his ADHD diagnosis, which is an individual education plan in which the teachers, principle, school psychologist and other state positions have to meet, observe, and come up with a plan for your child to succeed. We are one week away from starting school, and I am armed with my son's 504 plan. It's the only proactive approach to tailoring the classroom situation and education plan to your child's needs. Please talk to your child's doctor or behaviorist about it.

[Sotoracheal in reply to nvuletich]

I am calling today about that today

[luya]

I pulled my daughter out of public school after one semester of kindergarten and found a progressive and inclusive private school that has small class size, a project/interest-oriented curriculum, and student-focused teaching. She struggled a bit but is now entering first grade as a confident and ready learner who has the full support of her teachers. If you have a progressive (Dewey-based) private school in your area, go talk to them. The difference between progressive and some montessori, parochial, or other church-based schools is that the latter types don't necessarily value inclusion. Whereas any progressive school will see your son as the amazing human he is, that's not the case with the other types, where they may see him as a challenge or an impediment to their awesome college acceptance stats or beyond their resources to educate.

Before you dismiss that reply as the hot wind of some affluent moron who doesn't know what time it is in the real world, I'll tell you that I'm not only a single mom of two kids with attention/trauma stuff; I am also the sole source of income and I am making a living as a musician, which probably makes me seem REALLY stupid. I bring it up because of course I break my back every day to make sure that my kids are provided for, but the point is that if I can do it, you absolutely can do it. There is financial aid available. There are scholarships and grants. PROGRESSIVE schools believe that EVERY child should be entitled to a world-class education and opportunity to be a lifelong learner and value-creating citizen. Some public school districts are fairly progressive, but it doesn't sound like that's the case where you are.

Of course, there may not be a progressive school near you. So let me tell you about what you can do in a public school with your son. Start getting him evaluated for an IEP or a 504. The school will know what those things are. I had my son evaluated during preschool for an IEP; it involved a lot of meetings and observations and a fair bit of hemming and hawing by some people in the school district, and there were a lot of opportunities for me to just sort of give up, as I'm sure there will be for you. You absolutely can get him what he needs to get through public school because those districts are required by federal law to provide services they find him to need. If you think they are fudging on the observations to try to get out of helping him, go get a second opinion. There are attorneys whose practice is entirely made up of parents who have to fight lazy school districts who don't want to marshal the resources to comply with their obligations to educate each student. Your state child protective services department or other local social services agency may have a free educational advocacy class that you can take to learn more specifically what a school district has to do for your child, in case the district is less than forthcoming about what services are available.

You have a lot of resources on your side to make sure you get your son what he needs to succeed in school. The district may be more helpful than you think - talk to the school social worker or the school psychologist or the special ed coordinator or the principal if the teachers don't seem to know the score. There are also other resources available and you just have to uncover them. Keep fighting for your son's right to a decent education. Don't be nervous! You got this!

[anirush]

Is there a way you can keep your child's back for a year? Boys mature slower than girls in the first place an ADHD kid is even farther behind. My youngest grandson was very bright and he had just turned 5 in August so we started him in kindergarten. He has struggled all through school and I wish we had kept him back another year.

If you have no other choice then stay in involved. Be a room mom, email the teacher.

I also waited too long to get my grandson a 5:04, and then an IEP because I didn't want him branded as special ed. In the long run having these things have helped him much more in school although have to stay on top of things to make sure the teachers follow his plan

[Sotoracheal in reply to anirush]

Yes my sister did that to her son who also has ADD and I’m will to do to do the same to Ben