My high school junior daughter was diagnosed with ADHD just 8 months ago. Since she was diagnosed so late, catching up on the skills (e.g., executive functioning) is very hard. She had excellent grades until her Freshman year, but her grades suddenly dropped in many subjects last year. After the diagnosis, when we requested a 504 PLAN, our public school told us that the first step is to do a Student Study Team (SST) comprised of her teachers and the guidance counselor. At that meeting (and prior to that meeting), a few teachers and the Counselor gave us "hints" that since she is getting pretty good grades (As and Bs), they viewed the request as an excuse for getting As in an easy way. It was also clear that the teachers did not observe her assignments or behavior enough to make meaningful suggestions about accommodations. Perhaps at the high school level, teachers are not trained enough to help kids with these special needs because most kids get diagnosed earlier, and they already have accommodations or help in place. Also these teachers are seeing her once in two days, among 160+ children- so I can barely expect them to be more observant.
After an extensive internet search, I only came up with a handful of standard accommodations such as more breaks, no penalty for late work, and extra time for tests. Some teachers agreed, and some did not. I then invested in her medication, therapy, coaching, tutoring, etc., and got involved in her academics/guidance. As a result, some of her grades improved.
We are starting the same SST process this year with the new teachers. We do not quite understand the exact learning issues that she has. And perhaps me or the teachers are not the best-trained persons to identify those issues. The school already said that, given her good academic history, they won't spend resources to test her. I looked around on the internet, and most of the ADHD guidance/accommodation examples are geared towards elementary school children and not for high school (almost adult) children. So, my questions are:
1. Those whose children were diagnosed in high school - what issues did you face at school, and do you have any suggestions about dealing with the public school system (specific to high school)?
2. She is a very intelligent child and wishes and deserves to go to a good college/major. As you know, a lot of college entrance is based on grades, and Sophomore and Junior are the two most crucial years of high school for college readiness. So it is true that her success criteria at this stage involve getting good grades which she deserves, but for some reason, I have noticed that teachers never like to hear about students who are high achievers (I had heard similar negative comments about my high achiever son,, from teachers, not ADHD or accommodation related). Is anyone else out there who has been in a similar situation and had the same issues in advocating for accommodation for having your child reach their true potential have any advice for me? Or am I missing anything here?
3. Most importantly, does anyone know specific classroom accommodation examples useful for high school kids? As I said, all examples I see on the internet are very applicable for younger kids, and many are very vague and can be implemented in 100s of ways and I don't understand what is appropriate/useful/reasonable in the high school setting.
Thank you.
Concerned Mom
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SG1071
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Since it's your daughter's goal to go to college, then what she needs to do through the rest of high school is to develop the skills that she will need as a student with ADHD in college.
I got mostly A's and B's in junior high and high school (with a few C's, and one or two D's). I was in mostly advanced classes, and the college-prep track. I graduated with a 3.50 GPA, but didn't have to work very hard to do so.
• My Inattentive traits were sometimes mentioned, but no concerns were raised...no red flags went up with any teachers, and my parents tried to help me with a learning skills program ("Where There's a Will, There's an A", marketed by spokesperson John Ritter, of "Three's Company" fame). I learned some better note taking skills, but it didn't help with me organization, time management, procrastination, and memory skills.
In college, I struggled A LOT. I kept at it, tried different majors, changed schools...no luck. Since I wasn't previously diagnosed with ADD, I presumed that I didn't have it, and questioned if I had bad underlying character traits (despite my best intentions), or if I just wasn't motivated enough.
• I developed a lot of self-esteem issues, despite lots of people complimenting my intelligence, adaptability, dedication, and broad skill set. Of course, the same people were baffled by my memory issues, poor organizational, and poor time management skills.
So, I'm a cautionary example.
I suggest that you change the conversation from your daughter's grade performance, to helping her develop the skills that she will need to continue to do well in college.
At the same time, you can teach your daughter strategies (which I learned too late) that might help her in both high school and college, like:
• #1 Self-advocacy
• Work alongside a peer (now often referred to as a "Body Double", and previously as a "Study Buddy")
• Study for tests with a group of classmates
• Read through a chapter before it's covered in class, and review it again after it's covered
• Break down projects and reports into stages, each with their own completion date, to keep progressing (and not wait until the last minute)
• Go to the teacher individually with questions about ... anything! (Questions about the unit, the previous unit, the upcoming unit; the current assignment, the previous assignment; clarification on points; inquiry about why the teacher picked their major and the subject they teach, what they find interesting about it. Find out tips about what helped them to succeed in college.) A college student has to be able to approach their professors and TAs, and getting comfortable with that mindset starts as a teen...see the teachers as partners in the student's road to success.
~~~~~
With the Student Study Team, focus the conversation on executive functioning...your daughter's particular struggles, strategies to overcome challenges, ways to leverage her strengths instead of continually trying to build up her weaknesses.
(In that note, I recommend "The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success", by Dawson and Guare. I believe there's a Teen version, but I read the adult version when I first got diagnosed with ADHD. That's where I learned to lean on my better executive functioning skills, instead of always lamenting about struggles to try to build up my weaknesses.)
The original book was "Smart but Scattered". Above is a review. Below is a longer video but one of the authors, Peg Dawson. There are a few books on the series.
Despite the term EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING entering our vocabulary, experts haven't come to a consensus on one list of "executive functioning skills". Dr. Russell Barkley lists different ones. I've heard as few as two or three, and as many as about 24 or 25. I like Dawson and Guare's list, for my own understanding.
Thanks for the post about your daughter. Great suggestions from.other members..1. Our son was diagnosed young, but I have suggestions in deal with the school
If you ( most parent do) are wanting her tested to see if in addition to her ADHD she has other learning challenges. Put in writing few sentences requesting you want her tested for any learning disabilities and hand deliver it to the special education director's office.
What this will do is request a Specialist pull her from classes and give her a range of tests.
I suggest if you have conversations with school staff you then write a summary and send it to them.
2. I would suggest that focus is on each assignment or test and doing well on these.. tutoring has helped our son get better grades. He spends time going over concepts after he has read the material or learned it.
Warning.. it is very competitive to get into college. It's not just about grades but also any other activities, she should get involved with her community or find something she is passionate about.
As far as picking a college, she should start looking and visiting colleges ( so much to consider- size of school, majors, live at home vs away, etc. )
3. Our son must sit in front of the class, he has tried sitting in the back and he was not successful. Get teachers noted have really helped ( especially before tests), extended time om assignments, AUDIObooks and moste access to teacher if needed to review material.
Of your daughter needs a study skills class as an elective see if her school offers this. Instead of an elective she can have a class with a teacher to help her clarify concepts if needed.
One last suggestion, meet with her teachers at the beginning and have her tell them what she needs to make sure she will get it.
Best of luck, we are always here for you.
Thanks for joining us and sharing you daughter story.
I have a similar story with my son. Diagnosed late - end of middle school. Pandemic hit just as we got 504. He would get As on tests because he had excellent memory but would fall apart with independent tasks such as homework and projects which would tank his overall grade.
With the ADHD diagnosis and poor grades I had to put in writing a request to Special Ed via email and mail for documentation and they had to oblige and perform the testing. An IEP was put in place with accommodations (which no matter what research I do seem more like pointless words on a paper because there is no set of accommodations in HS despite modifying them multiple times have helped to instill coping tools or skill for him to successfully manage his adhd) but the challenge as you mentioned was the late diagnosis, teachers expectation just because it was high school that the students be more independent, and honestly what I am finding overall, minimal guidance and support in general across the spectrum for teens or those that are supposed to be trained to help him that just don’t get it despite living in a town with a highly rated school system.
CHADD groups and ADDITUDE magazine have been my go to for support which at least validates the challenges we all face and provides some guidance but I have found no accommodation or group of accommodations that are the answer.
I have very clearly expressed the needs to prepare my child with the skills he needs to navigate with adhd in HS to not only help him now but more importantly prepare him for independence in college which he really wants to do. The HS has no program to help kids with executive functions which blows my mind.
Just giving him extra time isn’t helping him learn and build skills. It’s a coping mechanism and to me a way for the school system to avoid not taking responsibility by pushing him through and saving money on resources. It’s heartbreaking as basically they are just pushing all the ownership back on me. I am doing everything I can at home but he needs more than I can provide and so many places “claim” they can help but it’s quite costly and to be honest I now recognize how some of them are unorganized and may have adhd themselves and just aren’t understanding my child’s needs. They are just checking boxes on a to do list of things to work with my son on. His case worker even took something my son said for face value rather than asking questions to get to the root of problem and this is someone who is suppose to be trained and well versed in working with teens with adhd.
My son is smart enough to qualify for AP classes but they are penalized as they say they cannot offer the same “support” for these classes. We aren’t looking for free As or a free pass. Just the necessary support for a child who is so smart and wants to succeed but his ADHD is like him having to climb an enormous mountain every day to achieve the simple steps of staying focused on one thing to pick up a pencil, stay on task, make sure he remembers to complete every step expected (which is one of his biggest hurdles) and after all that as simple as it sounds, remember to turn in the assignment. When simple tasks like that impact his grade, those like myself, having a neurotypical mind, even struggle with how is that possible to overlook the most simplest piece of it all- turning in completed work. But when you really understand ADHD and it’s challenges you know without a doubt the serious struggles they face every single day doing what comes naturally for the neurotypical person. What becomes a habit for us no matter how many days they do it following the same routine will never become a habit for them.
My son is now a junior and it’s a real struggle and so much on me to remind and coach him to advocate for himself, talk to teachers but even with all the reminders he puts in place his reminder may go off, something immediately distracts seconds later and we are faced with the consequences yet again of the teacher saying well if he came to me…. Again The struggle is real.
Something needs to change in general to help the children that really struggle to give them the tools because now that I am “trained to know and recognize ADHD” I see peers of mine getting fired for what appears to be adults that have been unable to find the tools to cope with what appears to be ADHD to me and I don’t want that to be my child when he is out in the real world.
Keep fighting for your child and being their biggest coach. They need to know we are here to support them when the world sometimes fails them. I never want my son to think he has no where to turn. I hope as he continues to mature he can engage more in decisions on how to cope because he has to find what works best for him. In the meantime I just keep coaching him on speaking up and advocating because when he is off living on his own at college or otherwise someday, if he remembers to do it he will at least know how to.
our daughter was diagnosed last December during her Junior year. Like yours she gets mostly As and Bs. But she also has anxiety and depression. At the end of last school year her guidance counselor actually proposed we do a 504 for her after seeing her challenges and support needs. The place to start is with your daughters needs. What is affecting her school performance? For ours, extra time on the tests helps with her anxiety and inattention. But we have added this year the options for homework extensions and/or alternative assignments because she has major difficulties doing homework when she gets emotionally dysregulated. Most teachers were pretty good last year with giving her extensions (one was not). My daughters main challenges are 100% executive function. So far, she is refusing EF help, but in her case (and many others) it is THE thing to address for success in school and life. Finally, as hard as it can be (and believe me, it was hard for me), let go of the focus on college admissions and grades and focus in the skills and the process. If she’s struggling in high school and only gets help to make the grade, she will struggle more in college. It’s the skills that matter, not the grades. We have to play the long game.
SG1071 What are the particular struggles that your daughter has due to ADHD?
~~~~~
e.g. (My own ADHD impacted me much more outside the classroom.)
My own ADHD struggles are inattentiveness, distractibility, variable sense of time, and a very limited working memory. (I'm now on medication that helps with these.)
• My memory issues affected me on tests, often docking me points and sometimes knocking me down a letter grade. I'd forget specific terminology, names and dates, but remembered the overall concept...so I would describe as best I could, but it required a lot more writing just to get partial credit.
In addition to those, my executive functioning struggles are with time management, organization, planning & prioritization, and task initiation (getting started is the hardest part).
My teachers might have noticed me not paying attention sometimes, but my in-class performance was adequate. I became an obsessive note taker, which helped me to both mostly maintain focus and actually helped me to retain information better. (I also think that my constant movements with my pencil acted similarly to using a fidget tool.)
Where my ADHD struggles impacted my school performance more was much more outside the classroom... I'd forget to do my homework, and then panic to finish it as much as possible in the passing period before the class meeting when it was due. So, I would sometimes turn in work late or incomplete, and on rare occasion missing an assignment altogether.
(My study habits outside of class were also atrocious.)
What I needed help with were reminders to do my homework and to study. (Building a solid routine would have helped with this.) I needed someone to understand my struggles and help me to learn some form of time management and organization.
For my self-esteem, I also needed to know that my struggles were due to a condition that I have, not a moral failing or a lack of discipline. (I didn't get diagnosed until I was 45, so life has been full of struggles.)
Get a neuropsych test done right away! They will confirm your daughters diagnosis, identify her academic strengths and weaknesses and help determine what kind of learner she is, it will make recommendations for the school for a 504 and which accommodations, and serve as your official documentation. Please do it right away!!
I agree. Teachers love my daughter and those basic adhd forms barely touch on inattentive type so she was slipping through the cracks. We coughed up 3k for a 6 hour (over two sessions) comprehensive neuropsych eval and finally started making progress. I also agree with those who suggested focus on strengths and “self-advocacy”. At this age she needs to get insight into what works for her and what doesn’t so she can succeed in college (not just get into a good one). Your daughter may have her own great ideas. Start shifting the burden off of you and onto her. My daughter (same age) does not want our help. So we’ve had to let go and tell her life isn’t waiting for her. She only gets one crack at hs and we are 100% here to help and support her but it’s her job.
We have a child that was also diagnosed late and went through this process last year. Unlike your story we were noticing missing assignments and falling grades and an overall feeling of “I’m just stupid” despite that not being the case.
While it took forever, our school was good about implementing a 504 plan. I think it may be more helpful to work backwards from the struggle areas when thinking about accommodations. Asking for things that don’t correlate with your child’s issues may be the reason for resistance.
A common request is extra time on things but my son reports he’s never had an issue finishing a test on time, our school also offers a testing center for a quiet environment but he says kids are all taking different tests and coming and going from there and he thinks that’s worse. We did notice that our son really struggles with feeling overwhelmed if he has two tests in one day so we requested that he be given the option to take tests on separate days whenever that arises.
STEM_DAD has the right idea. Wonderful post. My son had a 504 Plan in high school for his adhd and it did basically nothing. He had to be the one to advocate for himself so it was honestly pretty worthless and this was from a pressure cooker high school where many students matriculate to ivy leagues. The teachers did nothing. Focus more on skills she will need for college and that will help her in high school too!
1. You can do that through hiring an experienced, proven executive function coach. They’re not cheap but she will gain better traction than spending all your time chasing the school down to force them to do what they sound like they don’t want to do.
1. You can still go through the motions of getting accommodations but in my opinion they don’t do much. Take the professional who tested her privately to the meeting with you AND be super respectful to the teachers. Kindness will go a LONG way.
2. Our school wouldn’t let our son turn assignments in late with no penalty unless he asked ahead of time which defeated the purpose because his problem was with forgetting about the assignment! Lol good grief. Priority seating was really the only thing that helped (sitting in the front freer from distraction) and extra time on tests (which was really only used when he sat for the SAT). Evidence that he had extra time in high school helped when the counselor applied for him to get extra time on his college entrance exam.
Executive function coaches can be expensive. Depending on what she needs, you may be able to help her yourself. For example, I have helped remind my son of assignments in college (which I’ve been given flack for by my peers who don’t understand adhd) and he is doing great! There have been bumps but he’s a Junior now and has learned to deal with his adhd so much better with habits and timing his medication.
Again, I would follow STEM_DAD’s advice. Having been through this, his advice is spot on.
If you can afford it, I would shell out for IQ testing with executive functioning evaluation, by a psychologist and ideally even by one who specializes in twice exceptional students. In my area (Mountain West Metro area) this is $2500-3000. Which totally stinks. However, our son had significant EF issues on IQ testing & his autism evaluation (he has “high functioning” autism and significant ADHD). He’s on 2 meds for ADHD and gets good grades at a GT charter school. However, he is like a swan—-calm above water (looks together at school) and paddling madly all day. Gets home and is a mess and totally stressed, exhausted, anxious. His school kept saying he didn’t need even the MTSS program despite my requesting it. Fast forward to this year, when I politely scheduled a phone call with the school psychologist (not counselor). She reviewed copies of the psychological assessment, recommendations, and my concerns and the evaluation are now being reviewed by the 504 committee. My next step, if he doesn’t get a 504, will be hiring a private educational advocate. I really don’t want to. But I will if needed. I’m a pediatrician and this is my pet peeve—-that a kid with good grades can’t need support. But the kid is MISERABLE
All great advice from posts above! As an adult w ADHD diagnosed at 40 and one of my sons w ADHD I can attest the schools are getting better at support, especially for those of us born female, but have a waaaays to go.
I agree w STEMdad’s advice on shifting gears away from focus solely on grades to skills that will allow your child to thrive in college and beyond. I would also add that when you look at colleges and universities ask questions about their student services, academic support teams and mental health services. Finding the right overall match school for your child is more important than getting into the top tier school or major.
Another suggestion is have your child join a teens or eventually adults with ADHD group. Have her begin to take more ownership, learn self advocacy and become more confident interacting with other who share the same condition. From the community she can get tips, advice and most importantly normalize the struggle of a whole body whole life condition.
I can definitely relate. My son is 15 with ADHD and Anxiety and has a 504. We are very fortunate because his mother is very experienced in this space. I'll give you a few highlights that weren't already mentioned in other replies.
1. Your school team are not medical experts. In our school system getting services was much easier once we formally diagnosed my son's condition. If you suspect additional issues for your child you should work with their doctor. You can also get a neuro-psych evaluation which will more comprehensively diagnose any additional issues with a focus on education. This can help you determine what other strategies you might need to employ.
2. School's have limited resources and will tend to focus on problems that are most urgent or where there is a legal requirement. It can be hard as a parent to know where to work with your school and rely on their guidance and where to push for services or support for your child. As you are working with the SST remember that the services your child need have nothing to do with how intelligent they are and everything to do with setting up the conditions for them to learn and reach their full potential. Many of these things are within most school's ability to support.
3. Here are some examples that might be helpful for you to consider. Major life activities that are issues in his case include disorganization, impaired sense of time, planning deficits, difficulty controlling emotions, difficulty sitting still and paying attention and generally feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Make clear that their life activities at school are substantially limited in the absence of accommodations. Their accommodations might include seating expectations in class rooms (towards the front), teacher's providing cues for attention as needed, access to fidgets and breaks during class, presentation of all assignments verbally and visually and notification to parents of all behavioral issues in class. They may need test administration accommodations including breaks, attention cues, clarification of instructions and administration in a small group setting. The may need access to a school psychologist and other staff as a support system and be given extra support in a classroom setting on reviewing his assignments daily and working to complete them under supervision while at school. Your child may also benefit from tutoring or other supports.
It's a very difficult thing to navigate as a parent and it can feel really overwhelming. Keep asking questions and hopefully some of this advice is helpful!
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