Hello everyone, my son has been diagnosed with ADHD (severe). I’m new to all of this but it’s something we’ve suspected for a while. Now that he’s been officially diagnosed does this mean he legally has a disability on the bases of his diagnoses from a psychologist. I just want to make sure when he goes to school in the future that resources will be available to him.
Thanks
We welcome you to the group, parenting a child with ADHD is a journey and we are happy you are joining us. If you bring a letter or show the school the documents that you were give to the school they should create a 504 plan or start an assessment for services that he might need for an IEP- individual education plan.
Most children like our benefit from a educational plan, medication and therapy. These are all tools that help them control themselves.
Some people in the group have also benefited from watching an learning from Dr. Barkley (russellbarkley.org/ ) and or the ADHDdude (adhddude.com/)
We are always here for you and hope to support you and help you through your struggles.
When you say therapy, what does that look like?
We were offered appointments for the parents with a child psychologist when our son was diagnosed at 6 (he's now 7), but we didn't find them very useful so we dropped them.
Our son receives occupational therapy, although I'm not sure it's having much benefit for him either. He's learned a lot about emotions and social situations and how to address them, but nothing overcomes his gut impulsivities in the moment.
Is there another kind of therapy that benefits children his age?
Play therapy didn’t work for my bonus kid, but it’s working perfectly for my daughter.
What do they do in play therapy (besides play, obv)?
Therapist (or parents) play with kid in tandem. Basically it allows to communicate and give/follow directions. It allows kids to feel in control. Therapist can also use info in situations to see how kids are processing things they interact with (like mom and dads fight, or being called a name at school) without being embarrassed or taking it super personally.
Yes, it was with a psychologist together. What helped the most is when I said our son did x and then they would talk through the consequendences. Then we would say if you did Y...
He continued to go but alone now..
It gave me a way to get support of the challenging things I had to deal with.
The tool that has helped him the most is medications. He would not have been so successful if he could not control his impulsive behavior.
I work in education. You don’t need the medical diagnosis to get an iep/504. You need to ask in writing for an iep evaluation, he medical diagnosis helps, but isn’t necessary. My step/bonus kid was accepted for iep under asd but then got the adhd diagnosis medically.
Hello, Lovingmyson1,
Thank you for contacting CHADD National Resource Center on ADHD. Here at CHADD we offer some resources that can be helpful. We offer parent support group chadd.org/affiliate-locator/ or a parent-to-parent chadd.org/parent-to-parent/ course to understand ADHD better and how to deal with things. When it comes to educational rights, here is a link to Wrights Law, wrightslaw.com/
If you have further questions, please let us know. We are here to help!
Liseth
Health Information Specialist
CHADD’s National Resource Center on ADHD
ADHD is a developmental disability. Schools are expected to provide measures to help each student with needs. It could be a 504 plan and/ or an Individual Educational Plan (IEP). When you enroll him in school, reach out and get to know the school counselor. Let her know your anticipated needs.
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