<p>Anyone else think that if they offer an extended test time to a student with ADD... that's just highly illogical and doesn't help make the test more fair for that individual?</p>
<p>Maybe I'm simply missing the logic behind that...</p>
<p>bumpbumpbump</p>
<p>what then do you think the should do for the ADD students? Give the a whole different test?</p>
<p>As far as I know colleges require the same standards for ADD students. And since the SAT is suppose to judge whether or not a student will succeed in college why should it be done any differently (other than allowing more time)?</p>
<p>I just don’t see adding time as a viable solution. If you add time… you’re clearly not making the test more fair. Either allow no extended time for ADD students or change the length of the sections or something…
Like take half of each section one test day and the other the next month or something… so that eliminates the focus-loss issue…</p>
<p>ADD/ADHD doesn’t exist. 'Nuff said</p>
<p>Totally agree, Borb.</p>
<p>Yup ADD is made up by the companies that make the “medicine” (purified crystal meth) for ADD “sufferers”.</p>
<p>IMO, we all have “ADD” to a certain degree. That’s why I’m on CC, Facebook, GChat, and YouTube at 1:30 AM instead of doing more productive work. . .</p>
<p>My daughter has inattentive-type ADHD. It does often take her longer (than most) to complete tests and assignments. Her 504 plan allows her extended time. This is the case for many (but not all) students with ADHD. For these students, yes, extended time on SATs and ACTS makes perfect sense. I believe colleges also offer accommodations (such as extended time on testing) for students with ADHD or learning disabilities.
ADHD is a large, complicated, and controversial subject and I believe our current understanding of it is very limited. There is a long way to go. It is, however, a medically recognized condition, diagnosed by medical doctors. Spend a day or two with a child who has ADHD and I think you will believe it exists.</p>
<p>ADHD is what mediocrity uses to rationalize the fact they fall on the wrong side of the bell curve. Nearly every person I know who uses this for testing abuses the system.</p>
<p>I know somebody who received a 1580 (out of 1600) because he had extra time.</p>
<p>Really? I can’t understand how somebody like that needs extra time.</p>
<p>I think the whole system is ludicrous.</p>
<p>@ InspiredbyMusic</p>
<p>I have spent time with students with ADD/ADHD, in fact, I’ve tutored them. Additionally, my mom, who works at an elementary school has proctored several tests with these students. This thread came up in conversation, and she said that when she has proctored students with ADD/ADHD, they seldom need the extra time, and typically finish ahead of their classmates. Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule, and by no means is my experience or my mom’s a generalized fact. I was just throwing my experience out there.</p>
<p>Congratulations, everyone who thinks ADD is a huge scam. You’re all completely ignorant. It’s recognized by the medical community. *** are your qualifications to talk about such a subject?</p>
<p>^You know what else is recognized by the medical community? Restless leg syndrome.
There’s a “disease” for everything, and quite frankly parents (as well as kids) are looking for an easy way out. I don’t know what happened to Generation X to make them think that you don’t need to discipline your children, but clearly there has been a massive drop in common sense as well as ethics.
You ask what my qualifications are to talk about such a subject? Someone with more than half a brain to realize that having disciplinary issues isn’t a medical disorder. People are getting pansified by the amount of medicine available. If anything, the current need to ADD/ADHD medication is similar to the need for medical marijuana in California.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go so far as to say that ADD/ADHD doesn’t exist, but I would say it’s wildly overdiagnosed. Every middle-class kid and above who isn’t that bright in school is diagnosed with some kind of “learning disability”. The parents are happy because they know their kid is really brilliant - just struggling against adversity! And the medical companies are happy because, well, they’re making millions! </p>
<p>And of course all this trivializes the conditions of the few people who really DO have learning disorders.</p>
<p>It’s common for those who don’t understand ADD/ADHD or other learning disorders to bash the concept of extra time. And until you have a better understanding, it seems totally unfair. In many ways, giving extra time on exams is not ideal, but it does attempt to level the playing field.</p>
<p>There are portions of some diagnostic tests which reveal where children have significant deficits in transmitting ideas from brain to paper, and extra time is to allow them to get the ideas they understand out. For example, when DS was in 4th grade, I recall him taking 2 HOURS to do math homework his classmates finished in 15 minutes (though he clearly knew the material). And yes, he IS brilliant - outshines most of his fellow NMFs in most subjects, yet still has difficulties getting ideas onto paper (though Asperger’s, not ADHD, is his primary diagnosis). Would normal time on the SAT where he’d get, say, 1800, be more indicative of his ability to do college work and understand the material than his 2350? I don’t think so.</p>
<p>Yes, the system gets abused, which ticks off those who need accomodations even more than those who just see others unfairly getting them. DS will have enough challenges in his life going forward that I doubt many of you would change places with him, and certainly not so you could perhaps score higher on some test which you’ll find has almost no bearing on the quality of your future life.</p>
<p>knowitsome, Very well said! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
A few other misconceptions about ADHD I’d like to clear up:</p>
<p>Borb said: “There’s a “disease” for everything, and quite frankly parents (as well as kids) are looking for an easy way out. I don’t know what happened to Generation X to make them think that you don’t need to discipline your children, but clearly there has been a massive drop in common sense as well as ethics.”
Not all children with ADHD have discipline issues. Some, like my daughter for example, have inattentive-type ADHD and do not have the hyperactivity and impulsiveness that often lead to behavior issues. Also, if ADHD were caused by poor parenting or lack of discipline, wouldn’t it be likely that all or at least most of the children in one family (raised by the same parents) would have ADHD?? Yet that is seldom the case. In my family, for example, I have a son without ADHD and a daughter with ADHD. An ADHD diagnosis is far from an “easy way out.” Generally speaking, my daughter has to work twice as hard to do half as well as my son. And I have probably put in 10x the amount of time monitoring her homework, working with the school, etc. as I have with my son.
(Oh, and since Borb also happened to mention Restless Leg Syndrome, I will mention that my late mother-in-law suffered terribly with that condition.) </p>
<p>Anonymityyy said, "Every middle-class kid and above who isn’t that bright in school is diagnosed with some kind of “learning disability”. ADHD has nothing to do with how bright someone is. Those with ADHD can be “gifted,” average intelligence, or below-average intelligence just like anyone else. </p>
<p>Kiterunner, I also did not mean to imply that all or even most students with ADHD would benefit from extended time. Just answering the original question–trying to explain why extended time is an appropriate accommodation for some. It is also true that some students with ADHD (particularly those with hyperactivity) tend to rush through tests and assignments. Also, I understand what you mean when you say, “we all have ADD to a certain degree.” It is when those symptoms significantly impede learning or other life activities that a diagnosis is made and steps are taken to help the individual reach their full potential.</p>
<p>Also want to add that many posting in this thread seem to assume that all kids with ADHD are taking medications. Not true.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that abuse of the “system” seems to be common. I wonder, is it possible to report suspected fraud/abuse to College Board??</p>
<p>I hope that in the future maybe those from the current generation will make new discoveries that will allow us all to better understand what ADHD is and isn’t, and new ways to help those with this condition reach their full potential. That’s all I want for my daughter. No one needs to worry that she will score a perfect 1600 and steal their spot at one of the ivies. I just want her to be able to go to college and lead a normal life.
Thanks.</p>
<p>My post was more of a rant, I’m aware that there is a small minority of people who legitimately have ADD/ADHD, however I’m infuriated with the over diagnosing of medication. I would still stand by my comparison of the need for medical marijuana in California to the need to ADD/ADHD medication in American.</p>
<p>Medical marijuana in California is awesome. : P</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, but I have frequently seen it cited as the reason that a child is “underperforming”.</p>
<p>“You know what else is recognized by the medical community? Restless leg syndrome.”</p>
<p>Believe me, this is real. I suffer from it myself. But back to the topic.</p>
<p>My S has been diagnosed with ADD and did take medicine for a while. I have never requested extra time for him on any tests, because I see it as a crutch. I agree with those that point out the SAT is a test of college readiness. If you’re going to struggle with time issues on the SAT, that’ll be true at college also. Also it just isn’t fair to others. Most everyone will do better with extra time. I do believe that if extra time is given, this should be indicated on the test results.</p>
<p>I also don’t think that people who question whether ADD is real are ignorant. I’ve read tons on both sides of the issue, and I respect the opinions of both sides. You have to do what you think is right for your own situation.</p>
<p>I do think it’s ignorant, however, to dismiss this as a discipline issue. As inspiredbymusic says, when you have siblings that don’t have the issues, same parents and same environment, then how can a lack of discipline be blamed? Of course, there will always be those that want to blame the parents (especially the mother). Research will tell you that some children develop differently. Sometimes their motor control, intelligence, etc., just develops a lot faster than their self-control, and there isn’t much anyone on the outside can do about that. It isn’t anyone’s fault.</p>
<p>As for my S, the best way for him to learn has been to learn that there are just no excuses. Late homework is rejected or gets a lower grade. Skipping class means not learning the material. The better students get to go to a 4 year university right from high school, and don’t need to go to Community College. They also get the scholarships.</p>
<p>Luckily, he’s finally learned (most) of these lessons, but it’s been tough. He learned to focus and perform because he decided he wanted to. It isn’t easy for him, though, but now he’s doing great, has a high grade point, and is transferring to his dream school.</p>