Aa
10 year old with ADHD
Hi, I'm in a complicated situasion with my daughter that have ADHD.
Just some background info: She's been doing good at school while on ritilin and all was going really well. Recently we had to up her dose to 20mg but it did not go well, so we put her back on 10mg once a day and school progress dropped and also normal behaviour got worse.
Now to my actual qeustion: the psychiatrist did evalution and it seem that her normal development got even more behind than it was 3 years ago with previous evaluation. Now they recommend a special school for kids with learning problems/ADHD or a private school. I cant afford a private school so I started looking at a school well known for helping kids with ADHD. The problem is that this school are about 100km from us so that would mean we have to put her in boarding school. I feel like a bad mother for even considering boarding school. Will she cope so far away with a new school?? How can I get over this feeling of guilt?? At this stage I only want the best for her and there's no better school than this one...it's the best I can do for her.
Just some background info: She's been doing good at school while on ritilin and all was going really well. Recently we had to up her dose to 20mg but it did not go well, so we put her back on 10mg once a day and school progress dropped and also normal behaviour got worse.
Now to my actual qeustion: the psychiatrist did evalution and it seem that her normal development got even more behind than it was 3 years ago with previous evaluation. Now they recommend a special school for kids with learning problems/ADHD or a private school. I cant afford a private school so I started looking at a school well known for helping kids with ADHD. The problem is that this school are about 100km from us so that would mean we have to put her in boarding school. I feel like a bad mother for even considering boarding school. Will she cope so far away with a new school?? How can I get over this feeling of guilt?? At this stage I only want the best for her and there's no better school than this one...it's the best I can do for her.
wow, that's a lot of info!! Thanx!!
Just a few answer:
We tried the 20mg LA...long acting. maybe we will try it again just to see if it work better now.
She had a great teacher last year with her own kid being ADHD...so she did really well in school. but we just cant get lucky with a teacher like that every year. but this new school's teachers are all like that!
I actually made up my mind about the school...just have to get used to the idea and see how things turn out towards the end of the year.
Thanx again for your help, it really gave me some things to work on and think about.
Just a few answer:
We tried the 20mg LA...long acting. maybe we will try it again just to see if it work better now.
She had a great teacher last year with her own kid being ADHD...so she did really well in school. but we just cant get lucky with a teacher like that every year. but this new school's teachers are all like that!
I actually made up my mind about the school...just have to get used to the idea and see how things turn out towards the end of the year.
Thanx again for your help, it really gave me some things to work on and think about.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Aaaah, I should have figured it out sooner. South Africa. Schooling wise, it could be worse and it could be better. We used to do all of the special schools things here in the states and then basically decided that for most kids it was better to include them into a regular classroom setting with specific help. But it takes a lot of training to do that, so I do understand the special schools. But, for a child with only ADHD problems, its kind of overkill.
With the right teacher, that would be one who understands how to work with ADHD kids, a regular public school should be fine. But you may not have that choice. I would think that the first thing that you want to do is find out what next years teachers are like and to see if there is one that would be a good fit.
Also, you said, "the psychiatrist did evalution". Was this just basically a test in the office. Kids with ADHD don't do well on tests. A good psyc will give them a lot of time and coax them along. If that didn't happen, the results will not be accurate for the child. How does your child's teacher feel about how she was doing compared to the other kids in the class? That really is the most important question. I think the next is how does she feel about how she is doing. Once again, don't know how the psyc made his opinion.
Now you also said, " They said if she do not make it this year in grade3 they will put her through to grade 4 but on a special program...but they rather recommend a private school or special school." If this is the school talking, it does sound like she has had academic problems. But, if that is true, what was done to help her. The pill is not a magic fix, it takes a lot more than just that. Did anybody give you any info on how to help her at home? Did the teachers do things to help her at school or did they just treat her like any other kid?
Back to the pill for a second. You doubled her dose. Did you try 15mgs? Meds at this age are really trial and error. You don't just give up the first time. Also there are extended release meds that are more gentle to the system (and last longer) which also can be tried.
Did the psyc say anything when you told him about the problems with the new dose? He really has many more things that he should have recommended to you.
Basically, I think that you really need a lot more information on how to work with ADHD kids. Perhaps as do your teachers. My personal viewpoint is that I would certainly become an expert in how to work with ADHD kids and teach the teachers before I would send a child of that age off to a boarding school. At least try if for another year.
I've asked a ton of questions. Sorry. But this is not easy to do via posting. Your psyc if competent should be doing this.
Other recommendations and certainly the most important one is to get the book, "The ADD/ ADHD Answer book," by Susan Ashley. You can order it on Amazon. It will really help you.
If you want to really get her help in the classroom, a very detailed book really aimed more at the teacher is Sandra Rief’s "How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD".
Realize that I have recommended all of this from having worked with kids with ADHD in my class and school for years. It's certainly possible to do so (with the right teachers and home support) until she reaches high school. However, if her problems are more severe than just ADHD (kind of crazy to say "just", but there are definitely more severe types of problems), than a special school might be necessary.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask more questions. I can also recommend online sites with more info if you want. Best wishes!!! Sorry I didn't pick up on RSA. I am still amazed at how world wide this site can be!
With the right teacher, that would be one who understands how to work with ADHD kids, a regular public school should be fine. But you may not have that choice. I would think that the first thing that you want to do is find out what next years teachers are like and to see if there is one that would be a good fit.
Also, you said, "the psychiatrist did evalution". Was this just basically a test in the office. Kids with ADHD don't do well on tests. A good psyc will give them a lot of time and coax them along. If that didn't happen, the results will not be accurate for the child. How does your child's teacher feel about how she was doing compared to the other kids in the class? That really is the most important question. I think the next is how does she feel about how she is doing. Once again, don't know how the psyc made his opinion.
Now you also said, " They said if she do not make it this year in grade3 they will put her through to grade 4 but on a special program...but they rather recommend a private school or special school." If this is the school talking, it does sound like she has had academic problems. But, if that is true, what was done to help her. The pill is not a magic fix, it takes a lot more than just that. Did anybody give you any info on how to help her at home? Did the teachers do things to help her at school or did they just treat her like any other kid?
Back to the pill for a second. You doubled her dose. Did you try 15mgs? Meds at this age are really trial and error. You don't just give up the first time. Also there are extended release meds that are more gentle to the system (and last longer) which also can be tried.
Did the psyc say anything when you told him about the problems with the new dose? He really has many more things that he should have recommended to you.
Basically, I think that you really need a lot more information on how to work with ADHD kids. Perhaps as do your teachers. My personal viewpoint is that I would certainly become an expert in how to work with ADHD kids and teach the teachers before I would send a child of that age off to a boarding school. At least try if for another year.
I've asked a ton of questions. Sorry. But this is not easy to do via posting. Your psyc if competent should be doing this.
Other recommendations and certainly the most important one is to get the book, "The ADD/ ADHD Answer book," by Susan Ashley. You can order it on Amazon. It will really help you.
If you want to really get her help in the classroom, a very detailed book really aimed more at the teacher is Sandra Rief’s "How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD".
Realize that I have recommended all of this from having worked with kids with ADHD in my class and school for years. It's certainly possible to do so (with the right teachers and home support) until she reaches high school. However, if her problems are more severe than just ADHD (kind of crazy to say "just", but there are definitely more severe types of problems), than a special school might be necessary.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask more questions. I can also recommend online sites with more info if you want. Best wishes!!! Sorry I didn't pick up on RSA. I am still amazed at how world wide this site can be!
COMMUNITY LEADER
I'm sorry, but I have no clue what or where RSA is. Little more help please :)
I'm in RSA. things are so different and more complicated here!
The psychologist who did the evaluation recommended the special school.
When I upped her dose she got headaches and was very emotional and moody. as soon as I put her back on the 10mg it all stopped.
They said if she do not make it this year in grade3 they will put her through to grade 4 but on a special program...but they rather recommend a private school or special school
The psychologist who did the evaluation recommended the special school.
When I upped her dose she got headaches and was very emotional and moody. as soon as I put her back on the 10mg it all stopped.
They said if she do not make it this year in grade3 they will put her through to grade 4 but on a special program...but they rather recommend a private school or special school
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