Problems in school

I have a 12-year-old stepson who was diagnosed with Type 1 when he was 4 years old. He uses a pump. He had wonderful grades in elementary school, but since being in junior high last year, his grades are slipping and we have a hard time getting him to turn in his work. It seems that he is very forgetful (for instance last week we helped him do a lengthy math assignment at home and he forgot to take it from his locker to class). The teacher would not let him go back and get it so he had to do it over in class while the teacher was going over it. He gets 0's on some papers just because he doesn't turn things in, even though we have helped him develop tools to remember. He is not hyperactive, sleeps well, and gets exercise. How much of this behavior may be related to diabetes and how much of it is just being a 12-year-old?  Or could it be a learning disorder that is just becoming evident?

[JDRF-VOL-RL]

Hello.  I'm not a medical professional, just the parent of a kid with diabetes.  You don't mention how good his management of diabetes is.  If his a1c is good, if he's not having extended highs or extended lows, I wouldn't blame this behavior on his diabetes.  If he's been doing well, and the only changes are being seen now that he's in junior high, I also wouldn't attribute it to a learning disorder.  

Does he have other things going on in his life which could be distracting him?  Have you talked to his friends to see if there's anything going on?  Have you talked to him about it?  It could just be a case of the Teens, but in my opinion there's no excuse for some of the things he's doing.  Something has affected him, it will be difficult to fix the problem unless you know what it is.

[boseephus]

He just needs his *** whooped. Diabetic 30 years seen it all done it all, be careful he will use this against you. If he is not having severe lows at school or home, kick his *** he has no problems. Don't ever let anyone take advantage of a disease or any problem. He has to cope with you. He will respect you for this later on in his life, it will make him stronger, "trust me".

[alotofbraden]

My oldest step daughter has add without the hyper activity and she is very forget ful when it comes to turning in school assignments. i don't know if you have had him checked for add, not ahad. Or he might just be acting like a teen, with a plate full. It was a difficult time for all three of my teenage step children starting in jr. high. They are expected to take on so much more than when they were in elementry. Two of the three have finished high school and are doing fine now, but the seventh grade was the hardest on our oldest because she would forget her assignments at school or would not turn them in after we helped her complete them. We got her teachers to send notes home with assignments written down. I would talk to his teachers and see if he is having a conflict with another student or some members of the staff.