ADHD/GIFTED Magnet Middle School

[Molcarm]

Hello, my 12-year-old son is studying at a magnet school and he has always been excellent, he has 504 accommodations, but this year the Mathematics teacher is disorganized, cruel and the mathematics is advanced, so my son has to repeat the mathematics and he cannot go back to school next year. He is unmotivated, he's not eating well, he's irritable, and sad because he does not want to leave school. Please, I would like some tips to deal with this problem because the school said that the rule was for him to maintain good grades and that it is too advanced for him.

[STEM_Dad]

Is there a summer school option within the district for the same course (with a different teacher)?

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Even though I was a good student in high school, I had difficulty keeping up in the 11th grade Honors English class. (The tenured teacher only assigned work, then sat back and read a newspaper so through class.) I'm a slow reader, which I thought was due to mild, undiagnosed dyslexia...but in hindsight was due to moderate, undiagnosed ADHD.

I realized in the first quarter of the school year that I wouldn't pass that English class. So, I talked with my parents and guidance counselor, and made a plan to take 11th grade English in summer school. (I didn't try to take the 12th grade AP English class...It was taught by the same teacher.)

(Ironically, in college I tested out of English 101, and had one of the highest grades in the class in English 102...my only A in English after junior high.)

{By the way, I also went to a charter school in 3rd-5th grades, and I loved it!}

[Molcarm in reply to STEM_Dad]

Thank for your help.

[STEM_Dad in reply to Molcarm]

I wish I could be more help. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with 504 plans.

I know that charter schools can sometimes be hard to get into. I remember my mom saying that there was a wait list to get into the charter school that my brothers and I attended. I think we were fortunate to be admitted as soon as we were.

For my older brother, it was the reverse experience from your son. My brother's teacher at his previous school was awful, and I was going to wind up with the same teacher the next year.

At the charter school, my brother's new teacher saw the potential in him and recommended him for the kitchen and talented program, and accelerated math class.

(I have inattentive ADHD, but my brothers do not. However, my older brother is very socially awkward, and his demeanor seems like mild Asperger's, but he's never been diagnosed with any neurodivergent condition.)

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My hope for your son is that he will have plenty of good, affirming teachers through the rest of his school years, starting with next year.

[Knitting20projects]

Can you tell us more? What is his diagnosis? Just ADHD? When did things start declining in math and what was done? What are his accommodations in the 504? With those accommodations, if he was still struggling, did you all meet again to troubleshoot things? What has been the school 504 coordinator and teacher’s response and level of cooperation with you and your son this year? And how is he doing in his other classes? I’m asking because it’s somewhat unusual to have to repeat a grade for 1 failed subject. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Worrying about your children is the hardest worrying there is.

[Molcarm in reply to Knitting20projects]

Hello, thanks for answering, he has ADHD/Gifted. Since started Middle School this year, has been failing and the teachers called me to tell me what was happening but honestly I didn't know what to do, I just looked for a tutor and asked them to follow accommodations. The coordinator's response and level of cooperation was nothing, they said it was not necessary. In his other classes grade B, C and even the complaints that he gets distracted, he doesn't complete the assignments. He is not going to repeat the year, he is only going to summer school for mathematics and he cannot return to the same school. He passed the math FAST with a 3, and was above the Florida average.

[PassingTheDuckTest in reply to Molcarm]

I was tested at the age of ten and my parents hid the diagnosis from me. I am now certain that my diagnosis was Gifted/ADHD. This is based in part of a memory of a component of that session in my elementary school principal's office called the Kohs Block test. I found it by Googling a description of it as an adult. I remember being very proud of myself for blasting through it really fast. Time to complete is a big factor in establishing 'giftedness.'

I barely graduated high school and took twenty years to get a bachelor's degree in engineering.

I now believe some in education do not accept ADHD as a valid concern.

[Knitting20projects]

Is he being treated with medication for ADHD? And does he forget to hand in assignments, or has he also struggled to learn the material in this level of math? I’m wondering if maybe there’s a combination of inadequately addressed ADHD, plus inadequate accommodations, plus maybe poor placement in the math level. I have a 6th grader in a very similar school (ASD, combined type ADHD). This year we actually asked for him to be placed in the 6th grade English class instead of advanced level, because I felt with his ADHD he was rushing through his work and not always writing deeper, more nuanced answers to the questions, etc. I actually think it was very beneficial for him to be in this grade level class (even though he probably could have made it through 7th grade level). I am sorry you had such a difficult year. I’ve found our charter school to be somewhat frustrating in terms of understanding 2e (twice exceptional—eg academically gifted with ADHD or a learning disability etc) students. Boundary schools (Eg neighborhood schools) tend to implement 504 plans and support neurodiverse students better than charter schools (we enrolled our son before knowing about his diagnosis). Our son, despite 2 medications for ADHD (which he absolutely needs), still sometimes forgets to turn in assignments, doesn’t turn over a worksheet and see the questions on the back, etc. I would recommend doing whatever you can to set your son up for success next year. This summer, read on Understood or ADDitude website re ADHD, & accommodations in 504 plans. If he’s not on medication, I would really consider it to optimize his success. I hope this helps.

[PassingTheDuckTest in reply to Knitting20projects]

From my experience with math and ADHD in my case, understanding the concepts was not the challenge. To retain those concepts requires practice from working several similar problems based on the particular concept. My struggles with math involved lacking the discipline to practice. I got a degree in engineering. It took nearly twenty years. Same goes with music. I learned pieces in school band (Tuba Trombone) well enough to be awarded, but my repertoire was very limited by my inability to stay focused on practicing more than the few pieces I excelled at. I suck at the guitar, but am attacking it now again as therapy.

[Molcarm]

Thanks for your help. I not wanted to give him medicine for ADHD because he already takes medicine for his asthma and he has always done well academically, with the help of tutors or AB therapy, but I will consider it for next year. My biggest concern is that he does not want to leave his school and I see him with depression symptoms

[Fibery1 in reply to Molcarm]

counseling with someone who uses CBT and works specifically with children who have learning differences. Check your local Children’s hospital. Medication should be with a pediatric psychiatrist. Medication is a tool too.

[Knitting20projects in reply to Molcarm]

Please forgive my very straightforward post here (in a hurry and I have 2 kids with significant ADHD). Honestly, if you can get him an appointment with a well regarded child psychiatrist this summer, I would. I would strongly reconsider your feelings on ADHD medication because I agree, he needs to be evaluated also for depression (probably as a result of this school situation and untreated ADHD). Right now, without it, he is struggling mightily and essentially going to school daily with cement blocks strapped to his feet (or juggling flaming chainsaws) while everyone else, without ADHD, doesn't have that challenge. The good news? ADHD medication gives him a chance of at least leveling the playing field a bit. It can be a rapid game changer for his school performance, confidence, social skills, and emotional regulation. It doesn't cure ADHD or take away all the executive functioning challenges. ADHD is the most treatable psychiatric condition there is, with about 80% of people responding to medication. And luckily the medications shouldn't interfere with his asthma medicine. I know it absolutely stinks to add medication when he's already on it. However, I'm wondering if seeing him ultimately happier and succeeding in a while would be worth trying them.

The best videos on ADHD, IMHO, are by Dr. Thomas Brown on ADDitude website or YouTube. This is his best video explaining it:

youtube.com/watch?v=ouZrZa5...(Not working as expected?)

I went through a major grief process when I had to put our son on ADHD medication (no one wants to, I completely get it). I was devastated. I mean, other kids didn't need it and were fine. Why did my son struggle? It felt incredibly unfair, and there's so much misinformation about ADHD (eg "it doesn't exist", "he should just try harder" etc). However, when I saw him succeeding, and the major improvement in his confidence, I was so thankful it existed. He is moving into adolescence, when the impulsivity also puts him at increased risk of trying substances, he will be driving unmedicated and at increased risk of accidents, texting while driving, etc. I am sorry to be so blunt, but our beloved sons rely on us to keep them safe. Medication will actually help do that. Blessings and hugs to you. Being a mom is so hard.

[STEM_Dad in reply to Molcarm]

There is a correlation between ADHD and asthma (as well as allergies, hypersensitivity, and other physical health conditions). I believe the same goes for other neurodivergent conditions, such as ASD, anxiety, etc.

I understand the concern about medication, because most ADHD medications are stimulants, while the asthma inhaler medication Albuterol is also a stimulant. One of the warnings is that Albuterol can vause "moodiness and restlessness" in kids, when taken in combination with a stimulant medication. I don't know how common this reaction is, though. (I'm not a doctor or pharmacist.)

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From all the research I've done, I do believe that ADHD medication can make a huge difference in kids. If I'd been diagnosed as a kid and could have been helped even half as much as I am now by meds, I could have done much better in school.

(I got mostly good grades, but to earn those grades was a huge struggle, which hurt my self-esteem. I felt like there was something wrong with my character despite my best intentions, because I seemed like I just couldn't overcome procrastination. I didn't understand that the rush of adrenaline that helped me finish my homework was "treating" my ADHD...but that regular mild panic also added to my anxiety.)

[Fibery1]

Where do you live? Isn’t there a summer school or programs through the public school intermediate unit? Off the wall suggestion is to let him take math at your local community college, if it’s possible. I think he could probably enjoy being with older students and he probably would do better.

Math in most American middle schools is arithmetic and not very interesting. It’s only a small part of what constitutes mathematics. Coding is just a part. He can learn that too.

[Knitting20projects]

The other thing that might help in addition to a medication trial is an ADHD coach who works with teens on time management, planning, organization, and study skills. Those skills are often weak in people with ADHD & can be taught. They aren’t necessarily obvious even if you don’t have ADHD. Also, that coach would take you out of the role of chief nagging supervisor, homework enforcer, jail warden, etc. I have been in those roles and it stinks! I just want to be my son’s mom. I haven’t gotten mine a coach but probably will this upcoming year. Many kids with ADHD scoot by in elementary and start struggling when the executive functioning expectations for planning their work increase in middle school just outpace their skills because of the deficits inherent in ADHD. He is not being lazy. This is all part of the disorder.

[NYCmom2]

Have you heard the term 2e or Twice Exceptional? Gifted but also with a learning or neuro difference.

I’m not sure where in Florida you live but ran a quick search and found there are some 2e resources throughout the state.

Google search your county and twice exceptional resources.

For example I found this for Palm Beach: everyparentpbc.org/article/...

When my gifted older son who also has ASD was kicked out of his accelerated school, not for academics but for not transitioning well between classes, we all felt devastated. Once we found him a better fit school where he was challenged but also really well supported we were grateful. It’s common for the whole family to feel grief, frustration, lost during this time.

My younger son with ADHD benefits greatly from medication to allow him to focus and engage with school and peers better.

From these experiences I’ve learned emotional well being is the most important piece. Academics will only thrive after the emotional and neurodivergence needs are met. Connect in with a child psychiatrist

[PassingTheDuckTest]

My freshman algebra teacher allowed, even condoned, my being bullied in class. He had a rigid seating chart and would not move me. I failed. My recommendation is that you complain to the administration and demand your child be put in someone else's class.

During my brief, three year, stint teaching technical computer graphics I steadfastly refused to use seating charts. At times I dealt with bullying in ways that defended the bullied.

I noticed that any given class will establish its own seating chart. I suspect some teachers use it as a way to reduce cheating. I firmly believe that it does far less to reduce cheating than just being observant.