Bright kid, bad grades

So… we have a kid who is very bright, enjoys learning, and does NOT do well in school. Any advice as to whether it is a good or bad idea to have ADHD testing done at this late stage (mid year 10th grade). We have stayed hands off so far, hoping that it is just a case of learning to work out how to “do high school”, but I have read quite a few articles lately that make me face up to the fact that our kid has many of the attributes of someone who has ADHD or other executive functioning issue.

Is there a reason NOT to pursue testing? Are there ramifications which I am not thinking of? Is it too late? We welcome any and all input. She is currently at a boarding school and is doing well in all other aspects (socially, athletics, etc), is well liked by faculty and fellow students, but is seriously underperforming.

We are at a loss. This is not a case of just not doing what is required… there is a sense that the kid doesn’t really understand HOW to get it all done. Oddly, she is learning loads – just not able to spit it back out to teachers’ satisfaction…

Why not test, if you have health insurance coverage?

You don’t have to tell the school.

My son got “the drill” in 9th grade after a dismal 8th grade, even with services already being provided. He is getting As and Bs after all Cs, even in his strong subjects.

If you have access to Powerschool or similar online grade system, you may be able to analyze where help is needed - homework, quizzes, tests, labs, projects…

Here is another option, if you have the money, consider hiring a learning consultant who can help your daughter figure out what she is doing now and how she could improve her grades.

For that matter - does she value schoolwork? And what do the faculty think - have they reached out to you or you to them?

Sometimes private schools may be loathe to accommodate students properly, so maybe a learning consultant would be a better bet. Some of us cope with ADD without accommodations other than the one’s we make ourselves (tougher to do this in HS than when in college or working a job).

Good luck!

I encourage you to follow your instinct. We had our son tested at the end of 8th grade and found out that he was off the charts intelligent but processing skills were extremely low compared to his peers. Now he’s on medication and doing much better. It helps the kid know that it’s something that can be helped and that they are not "dumb"or “lazy.” With ACT/SAT testing looming in junior year, she might be able to get extended time on the tests. Grades have improved but it still requires a lot of hands-on management. Is the boarding school willing to take on the extra challenge? At the very least, there should be a tutor available to help with organization/planning. That is probably the most eseential piece of improving performance. At the end of the day, you have to do everything possible to prepare your child for work/higher education. And those executive function/organizational skills are critical whether or not they translate into higher grades (but it’s usually the most evident benefit). I feel for you. We are still working on it every day.

There is NO downside that I can see of having the testing done.

At the end of the testing, there will be a frustratingly small palette of options; many will seem somewhat self-evident; such as having a tutor/coach help her to explicitly learn the steps required for executive functioning. The specific help needed will be tweaked, but getting some help now with or without testing is important.

The testing may help to guide your actions, but they will ultimately be some combination of trying something pharmaceutical and getting explicit education and reinforcement in executive functioning skills. Whether you start now or later, those are the likely outcomes, so you may as well start with an intervention to gain precious time.

It is an ongoing battle, and may require explicit intentionality.

Testing should be provided for free at your local public school. If you want to do it while she is at prep school, or if you want to choose who and what tests are performed, you will need to pay.

If some kind of accommodations (like extra time) results from the testing, it is helpful to get the testing done and start it soon. Then (1) hopefully her performance in high school improves, and (2) colleges are more likely to grant them also if she has been using them in high school. Realistically it is unlikely she would get accommodations on standardized testing given the late date for the testing, but it could still be beneficial.

In my state, if your child is in a private school, the county takes responsibility for testing and coordinating with the private school to provide services. Your state should have an “Operation Child Find” or something like that to get information on what they do.

My son was diagnosed “definitively” with ADD and then later was told he was not ADD, while showing signs off and on. But he does have a 504 plan to help him deal with attention issues, ADD or not, based on doctor’s recommendations.

Wow, guys… thanks! I am in a fact-finding stage at the moment, and all the info you have given me is much appreciated. Still undecided as to our course of action, but I will be checking in her for sure as we go along!

A good neuropsych evaluation will open the door to accommodations through a 504 plan or an IEP, as mentioned, and possibly more time on the College Board exams (with a strong letter by the guidance counselor). Also, one indirect benefit may be that an IQ test such as the Wechsler is usually administered as part of the battery of tests and if your daughter performs well on that, that may help decrease any issues she has about being “stupid”. If your child couldn’t see in class, you’d have her eyes examined, right? And accommodations are sort of like getting eyeglasses.

If your “kid” (sorry, I can’t tell the gender from your post) has a learning disability or ADHD, then the problem is there. Whether or not you choose to have testing, or learn of a diagnosis, the problem exists.

The difference is that if testing turns out positive, there are strategies and approaches which may help make things easier. Without the testing, your child is trying to recreate the wheel, to find those approaches and strategies on his/her own. With a diagnosis, someone at school can help with things that are known to have worked.

@bjkmom, In theory, yes. In theory, theory and practice converge. In practice, one is really lucky if they do!

I would move forward in parallel. You may find that there is a frustratingly small palette of accommodations which are then customized by trial and error to the individual student. Absolutely get testing. But, in parallel, start to implement supports. It is easier to make a course correction to an approach that has momentum. It can be very difficult to introduce a new paradigm- for the student, for the school administration, for everyone.

And I am not clear that private schools are compelled to implement IEP’s or 504’s. In our state, all of that falls on the public schools in whose district one resides. Coordinating all of that (if the private school will consider it) becomes a rat’s nest. Happily, many accommodations of this sort are not overly costly (as opposed to some other disabilities).

Private schools usually aren’t compelled, but good one bend over backwards to help a kid with learning disabilities with their accommodations, help them learn to advocate for themselves, etc. We were actually better off in a private school, IMHO. If the learning disability coordinator said something was needed, every teacher went out of their way to help. Without reams of paperwork.

My straight A student developed difficulties with concentration in 9th grade. After being diagnosed ADHD, and put on medication, she is able to concentrate and bring her grades up.
Testing is a tool that can only help.
BTW, our private school does not recognize the 504.

I think that if you are looking for answers and direction, there is no downside to testing. We had a neuropsych eval for my son after 4th grade due to general executive function issues and got a “wait and see” result as to “attention issues” (plus a lot of other interesting information). After a few more years of struggling with school, and our younger son being diagnosed with ADHD (so we were more receptive to a diagnosis and experienced with medication), we went to the pediatrician after 6th grade, and he diagnosed ADHD and put him on medication. With a relatively low dose and virtually no side effects, he is a different kid at school. He attends a private school and does not have a 504/IEP, but the school is very flexible and will tailor accommodations. I think when we had the first evaluation, we were looking for someone to tell us he was normal and would grow out of his difficulties, but it became clear there was more of an issue. The testing also shows how different attributes affect each other, such as processing speed and ADHD/executive function issues, and can be very reassuring. Also, in our case, with a medical diagnosis, our insurance paid half of the cost of the testing.

Have him tested.

My 8th graders had a terrible time in early elementary school. The teachers all said he was very intelligent but he could not pay attention. He was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia in 3rd Grade.

Fast forward to 8th Grade. He takes a low dose of medication (he is taller than my H so the meds have not hurt his growth), he is in advanced classes and very good at math and band. His grades are a bit uneven as he has trouble turning in work; but most importunately, he identifies as and with the smart kids and understands that his LDs cause him problems. This self-awareness is so valuable. He also understands that Dyslexic people often have areas of strength as do people with ADHD.

As far as accomodations, he has preferential seating but won’t use the extended time on tests.

My brother was tested in 8th grade and scored in the 99th percentile in everything except memorization and reading comprehension. His memorization was that of a 6th grader and comprehension was that of a 7th grader. Since school is 90% memorization he got c’s in all classes except math. (Math is mostly problem solving) The testing told us what was wrong and we were able to help him because of it. We got him a tutor that does memorization and reading exercises. He is now in the 12th grade and his memorization and reading skills have improved one grade level. We would have never known what was wrong (we thought he was lazy) and we would have never helped him.