ADHD kid - what to do?

<p>I’m posting this without reading everyone else’s comments on the thread, so take this with a grain of salt if it seems a bit out of place or redundant. I have a good friend that has ADHD yet she is one of the most active and intelligent people I have met. However this means she fairs terrible on standarized tests because of anxiety and inability to focus. Despite this, this year she has taken 3 AP courses and can definitely handle the rigor. When applying to colleges though, she made sure she had a doctor’s note explaining the ADHD conditions and how that may have affected her academics (she was not offered extra time on the SATs). In addition, the GC offered to mention it in her rec. Again, this is one of the most dedicated, active, and compassionate people I have ever met. It may be different for others, but I know there is medication and if that doesn’t work out you can consider transferring, but I feel like it is the parents decision not the school’s, and they shouldn’t kick her out if she’s been able to handle things of that level in the past just because of the new diagnosis.</p>

<p>This might be off topic but, I really Is there any disadvantage in applying to boarding schools while having ADHD/ADD? Also do they take in account the accommodation from a doctor when looking at academic excellence? </p>

<p>I just want to chime in regarding the importance of reporting the medication to the school’s health service, and arranging for them to supervise the dispensation of drugs. Behavioral meds, especially the stimulants prescribed for ADHD, are widely abused among students, and kids with prescriptions are often pressured to share or sell theirs. This will result in immediate expulsion at most schools, if the student is caught dealing in a controlled substance. I have never heard of schools discriminating against students who are on prescribed medications. In fact, I have had the opposite experience, where schools have exerted undue pressure on families to put their kids on meds against their wishes and instincts. </p>

<p>Not quite sure what you’re asking, balledtoohard. Yes, report medications to the BS, and have them dispense them (if you’re a boarder). In our experience (2 different boarding schools), they have been very willing to grant suggested basic accommodations (extra time, etc.). But what they WON’T do is accept a student who they don’t think will succeed at their school (whatever school it is), given accommodations. In other words, they’ll do whatever they can do to help a student succeed, but some kids with ADD may just not be able to keep pace with the work, even with accommodations, so they won’t accept that kid (because they want any student they take to be able to succeed). Or some kids may need more accommodations than the school is equipped to give (someone to take notes for a student, for example), so they may not accept an applicant with those requirements. But I would certainly not hesitate to apply just because you have ADD-- just be upfront with what the issues are and what accommodations you’ll need. They have a pretty good sense about who can make it in their institution-- and plenty of kids with ADD attend all the excellent boarding schools.</p>

<p>In response to the comment from Daykidmom: Pursuant to my understanding after reading many cases and also having much communications with a government agency that enforces the ADA and discussed this issue with me: Technically it is illegal discrimination in violation of the ADA law if they don’t accept a kid who COULD reasonably be expected to succeed (i.e, that they might reasonably expect to succeed as much as they might expect any other student that they have admitted who does not require any accommodations) IF and WHEN given the reasonable accommodations. This is also why pursuant to the ADA law, disclosure of the disability or accommodations need is NOT required prior to being admitted (schools can ask about it in such a way that it is then your OPTION to disclose before the admissions decision has been made, but pursuant to the ADA law the schools cannot REQUIRE you to disclose it before the admissions decision). It is your choice whether to be upfront about the issues or not, prior to the admissions decision. Also, per my understanding after reading many cases and also having much communications with a government agency that enforces the ADA and discussed this issue with me: it’s “too bad” (for the school) if the school feels not equipped to give you the accommodations you need, pursuant to the ADA; they need to nevertheless do what is necessary to “equip themselves” and can only legally refuse you admission or refuse your accommodations if they meet a very difficult burden of showing that it would be outrageously burdensome (i.e., really EXTREME expense that they could hardly afford financially and/or really SUPER- XTREME other trouble that few if any schools could realistically be expected to go through) for them to arrange for the accommodations. The big problem is many parents and many veteran school staff do NOT understand this and how the law applies in this way.</p>

<p>I agree there’s no requirement to let schools know about whatever ADD issues your child has ahead of time-- but wouldn’t you want to know how they plan to handle those issues-- and wouldn’t you want to know if, given their experience, your child WOULD succeed at that school? I certainly wouldn’t want my child to get admitted to a place where he/she would struggle, just because I kept their history a secret because I was worried the school might be prejudiced against ADD. So many students have that diagnosis at all these schools, it seems unlikely any school these days would not take a kid with ADD-- AS LONG AS they really believed the kid would do well there. I’m not arguing the law here-- I’m just saying it seems best to let the school know what your kid is like, and figure out if they think they’d do well there. I guess I’d say that if you really don’t want to tell them when you apply, at least tell them after they get an acceptance but before you put down a deposit. </p>

<p>@Daykidmom Thank you for the clarification(s)! It has been a question for quite a while.</p>