<p>I'm feeling a lot of stress and confusion about the best way my husband and I can help our daughter and would appreciate some thoughts from other parents with ADHD children. She is a high school junior with an overall 2.4 GPA and enrolled in a college prep track at a private academically rigorous high school. Current grades are a mix of B, C and borderline C-/D. She has taken all regular classes (no honors), two years of foreign language and one simplified physics class. She has struggled with anxiety issues, especially with tests, that have cropped up since high school. The anxiety literally gave her health problems. We switched her psychologist this summer and through his guidance have discovered that the root of the anxiety is a mild case of inattentive type ADHD. In addition to the counselling for anxiety, Prozac has been prescribed. This treatment has really helped her to calm down. She started Focalin for the ADHD in September but due to side effects it was dropped. She was ADHD medication free for about 3 weeks in November and then started on a low dose of Vyvanse in early December which was doubled just before Christmas break. I am seeing such an improvement in her focus since the meds were doubled. She is able to spend long stretches of time studying now, so I am hopeful that her first semester exam grades will be at least average. I know we aren't out of the woods yet but we see definite improvement with attention and anxiety now and hope for continued improvement. Realistically, even with the most stellar grades on her upcoming exams and during the next semester her end of year GPA isn't going to be terrific. It is likely thatwe will be applying to college with a GPA around 2.5-2.7 at best. We plan to have her take the ACT and SAT at the end of the school year and repeat them in the summer or fall. She has already taken the ACT and SAT review classes from Princeton and will be retaking the ACT this winter. She does not have a formal 504 plan due to being in a private school but unofficially is getting extended time and test retakes from certain teachers, which have helped. Her psychologist is excellent but does not do formal neuropsych testing so we would have to go elsewhere for this. I would like to have this testing done but have held back due to her psychologist recommendation. My daughter was pretty upset finding out about the ADHD and he didn't think it wise to pursue further diagnostics right away. My thoughts: 1) obtain formal neuropsych testing once it is recommended; 2) work with her college guidance counselor to find schools that are open to a student with lower GPA/ACT scores and apply there; 3) find out the requirements for accommodations and whether or not my daughter qualifies. It is possible that she may have to enroll in community college and work her way into a 4 year school I suppose. Am I missing anything here? Any and all thoughts are welcome.</p>
<p>First, be sure you surf the board thoroughly for posts on ADHD - there are tons of threads that I have contributed to, and I know you will get lots of guidance. </p>
<p>Second, from my perspective, 504s for ADHD in high school are meaningless. There is no “teeth” behind them. At this point, in my view meds are critical (with regular adjustments and changes by a psychiatrist). You could get the neurotesting done at school with one signed letter, but at this point in the year it will be Easter before the testing will be done, and they will likely argue with you about qualification. If you have the financial resources, instead I would hire an ADHD coach (you can read articles on this on ADDitude magazine online) and work with her privately. In my specific case, we did this for a year in junior year. It was a blistering $400 per month for four coaching phone calls a month and unlimited emails. Yes, this was expensive, however…I would pay it again in a heartbeat. I no longer was the nagging police, her anxiety dropped, someone other than her MOm was brainstorming ideas with her on how to strategize for effectiveness (pretty much the same things I said, but that’s ok) and most importantly IT WORKED.</p>
<p>Be sure to post on the LD forum.<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/learning-differences-challenges-ld-adhd/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/learning-differences-challenges-ld-adhd/</a>
I am concerned about what “long stretches of time” means. In my opinion, that should not be the goal/measure of treatment. </p>
<p>I like option number two, but might also pursue a full psyhoed eval through your school district. In California at least, you are entitled if you pay taxes, even if you also pay for private school. It may not make a huge difference in outcome, but it may not make a huge difference if you pay for it yourself, either.I don’t think a diagnosis of ADHD with primarily inattentive symptoms should be made without testing for
cognitive abilities and learning disabilities. </p>
<p>Disclaimer; my son was dxed and treated since age almost 5, never had a psychoed eval, is 19, and we have no regrets. But his hyperactivity and impulsivity greatly overshadowed any concerns about inattention. For him, it was all about finding his own personal motivation, and that came in second semester, sophomore year.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for the information. I see that I have a lot of research to do!</p>
<p>You are on the right track, Kriii! ShrinkRap is correct - you are fully entitled to testing through the public school system. I am actually part of this system (I run a company for speech pathologists who work in the schools) so am extremely intimately familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of this system. She has a great point - if your DD has never been tested, it would be valuable to go in with a letter requesting testing. Keep a copy of the letter, sign it, date it, and submit in person to the high school office that your home public school. What you can expect is that they will contact you and counsel you that private school students qualify for varying level of services (different districts interpret the laws differently - e.g. a student who is receiving services for speech might get three times a year consults if they attend a private school vs. 1 time a week if they attend school onsite). You can expect that they will assess for learning and cognitive disabilities. It would be great for future reference to know her strengths and weaknesses. However, in my opinion, it is highly highly unlikely that you will receive meaningful ongoing services. Therefore, simultaneously, I would look for a coach. Online/phone coaching was very helpful for my daughter - probably better than in person and much more convenient for me!</p>
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<p>Very true.</p>
<p>On the other hand, ADHD coaches did not work for my S either. My S is very bright and we have tried everything. We are hoping that some spark will light in him and he will find his own motivation.</p>
<p>Good luck on this journey! D just turned 15. She aged into the public school special ed system at age 3, so we’ve been at this awhile. Although we were in special ed (under Other Health impaired), no one ever suggested ADHD-inattentive or LD until I had her tested privately at age 11. She had had 3 full school-funded psycho-evals before this!</p>
<p>If possible, I highly recommend a private psych eval. Ours cost ~$1500-2000 a few years ago in Chicago. Worth every penny. I simply could not believe the difference in how comprehensive his report was vs. that of the school. Like another poster mentioned, if you request a public eval now, it will be months before it happens.</p>
<p>Even if your D doesn’t actually receive on going services now, you will have detailed results going over strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for success. You may very well also be able to better work with the teachers at her school. She is close enough to graduation that you will be able to use the results for seeking accommodations in college.</p>
<p>After this testing, my D started on Ritalin (not good results), then to Adderrall XR. She will tell you it changed her educational life. You mentioned studying for a length of time. D can now do that too. I understand Shrinkrap’s concerns, but for my D, this has meant the difference between taking a long time while batting her head against a brick wall, and studying for a length of time while she remains focused and can absorb the material.</p>
<p>D also has anxiety and I do think some of it is/was a result of dealing with the ADHD. We haven’t pursued meds for that. She is on several drugs for some other congenital issues, and I hated to add one more to the mix.</p>
<p>If she has difficulties with reading comprehension, I highly recommend Reading Ally (formerly Reading for the Blind & Dyslexic). It is easy to join, $79/yr and you can download books to synch with MP3, etc. All the reading is done by human voices. That also incredibly changed my D’s educational results. It might be very helpful to your D in college too, with that increased reading load.</p>
<p>I would also recommend seeking accommodations for the ACT/SAT. This could be very helpful for your D. Do it early–sometimes it takes time and appeals, especially if one was recently diagnosed. We were very lucky–both ours were returned approved within 2 weeks.</p>
<p>I am thrilled with the kindness and helpfulness of these responses. My husband and I will be seeking a neuropsych eval asap then proceed with whatever the findings indicate.</p>
<p>Kriii, I was in a similar situation. My D, who graduated from a top-tier 4 yr LAC this past May, attended rigorous pvt school and was diagnosed w/ ADD (inattentive) in 6th grade. </p>
<p>I would definitely have the neuropsych eval conducted - - if only to qualify your D for extended time on the SAT. But an up-to-date eval will be necessary for any college accommodations. In NYS, we too are entitled to have a free eval conducted by the public school system, but I was more comfortable getting recommendations from parents of D’s classmates and her school therapist- - especially since friends w/ chrn in public school were unhappy with the quality of the free evals.</p>
<p>In D’s case, extra time on the PSAT/SAT was a God-send. Her scores were very strong and compensated for her painfully average gpa (especially since she attended a well-known, highly-regarded prep school). It was also helpful that the school did not rank and reported grades on a 0-100 scale, rather than a 4.00 scale (so in its CDS, the college could report her high test scores, bu didn’t have to convert/report her 80 average to a 2.7).</p>
<p>I found that at least as important as identifying colleges for student with D’s stats, was reviewing each school’s on-line catalog and checking (1) what was required to receive accommodations, (2) what type of accommodations were offered, (3) distribution reqs and (4) gen eds. My D had always struggled with foreign language study, so any school that required intermed proficiency was off the table. And the accommodations were all over the map; some schools offered course substitutions, some offered substitution only if the student attempted foreign language and failed, others offered ASL as an alternative, but only to students enrolled in an extra-fee LD program.</p>
<p>Also, please remember that most schools will not let you know whether D qualifies for accommodations until AFTER SHE HAS ENROLLED. We found only one school that was willing to make that assessment after she had been admitted - -so that availability of accommodations could factor into our decision whether or not to have D enroll. I hope, though do not believe, that this practice has changed. </p>
<p>In the end, we chose a supportive LAC w/o any special LD program - - but with a solid disabilities office and an open curric. D struggled, but graduated in 4 years and is currently employed as an AmeriCorps “volunteer.” You can check my posts in the LD forum or PM me if you want further info.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>S2 is adhd and just took the PSAT and the ACT. He did fairly well on the PSAT – not National Merit qualifying, but well nonetheless. However, his ACT was quite a bit lower than we expected it might be. He did poorly on the Reading and Science sections. Based on my reading I’ve done since, I am thinking the SAT will suit him much better than the ACT. He will take the SAT in about a month. With the 10 unit tests requiring shorter bursts of concentration, I’ve heard this allows some adhd kids do better. We’ll see.</p>
<p>The criterion used by the College Board to allow accommodations on those exams that they control have gotten much stricter. It used to be that just a diagnosis was enough, but this is definitely no longer the case. Make sure that whomever does your testing is well acquainted with these regulations. Even if the testing is done privately, you need the school to execute the accommodations in school on a regular basis in order for them to be done on the external exams. </p>
<p>Especially in kids diagnosed at a relatively older age, it is really important to help them to understand how the characteristics of ADHD can be part of what they consider their ‘strengths’ as well as their challenges. Has someone done this with your daughter? What does she love and what is she good at? I think these are as important…</p>
<p>Like cbug’s S, my D did better on SAT than ACT. When D was applying, it was MUCH easier to get extra time on SAT than ACT - - but the post above suggest that may no longer be the case. Finally, college counselor at D’s pvt school was responsible for completing the school’s portion of the College Board request for accommodations and she was able to advise us regarding completing the parental portion of the form; she also gave referrals for psychologists to perform the neuropsych eval.</p>
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<p>just a word of warning, don’t put all of your faith in those tests, or the treatment/plan of treatment that someone develops from that testing. Taking a test and putting together a plan is great. But it does not address the individual child and their particular needs. Read the posts on CC, and you will see that there are many different aspects to ADD/ADHD and each child needs an individualized plan by someone that knows and “gets” them. You will also find that many parents and/or their child have had to meet with and try out a number of different counselors to find the right match. </p>
<p>I have a child dx with ADHD since 1st grade. We resisted meds, but agreed to “try” them when his self esteem was suffering. Meds did not change things right away, but meds, with a plan that met his needs, and LOTS of our time really made a difference for our son. </p>
<p>I cannot imagine starting this process now, and the stress you must be under. Positive thoughts your way. Lots of great resources on CC, lots of good intentions. But only you know what is right for your child…</p>
<p>Thanks for the caution. I will be careful to not apply generic advice to my daughter’s situation, as I do realize kids with adhd can’t be lumped into the same group. Fortunately, we have a terrific psychologist right now who is giving my daughter much help in dealing with the emotions. It was actually his suggestion that led to the dx of inattentive ADHD. I’m really hoping that the additional neuropsych testing will rule out other hidden disabilities, give us an idea of strengths she can use and determine whether she would qualify for extended time on college entrance exams.</p>
<p>Another gentle caution. for a few kids (like my S) meds can make things worse, instead of helping. As said above, everyone’s different. If she takes stimulants, make sure she’s sleeping and eating enough, for example.
I’m sure you’ll be very watchful.
All best–it sounds like she’s getting a lot of good help and I hope things soon start easing up.</p>
<p>I don’t have much advice to give you other than to be open to all the different treatment options available to you, and to get the testing done-- what may seem managable in high school could become a goliath of a problem in college and that is not the time to start the diagnostic process-- by then there’s no time and she’ll be failing classes while she waits for the testing and accommodation procedure. That is a recipe for a nervous breakdown, for you and your D. I’ve been there done that and don’t recommend it. There’s no harm in having the testing done, getting the documentation in to her college when she goes, and then just not using the accommodations if she doesn’t want to (other than missing out on accommodations that might help her.) Get the testing done and have the documentation so you’re prepared if you need it.</p>
<p>I have ADHD and struggled mightily in HS, and put up similar stats as your D’s. I was accepted to quite a few nice state schools, nothing prestigous but certainly adequate, but received no scholarships (obviously) and ultimately went to community college. I transferred to umich and graduated with a B average. You’d be surprised how much things can turn around with maturity and the right treatment plan.</p>