<p>neurofeedback; sounds cool and interesting. keep us posted on what you think happens! </p>
<p>Will do. Just returned from three days of visiting colleges. Whew!</p>
<p>we went to one college. now S wants to go there. Problem is…he says “see, they don’t mention GPA on the tour or at the info session…so, that doesn’t matter to them!”… :-S </p>
<p>Yikes! </p>
<p>You can pull up the Common Data Set for the college online and show him the section that indicates how much various criteria matter in admissions at that college. Just search for <college name=""> Common Data Set, and for most colleges you will easily find them. Pick the most recent year.</college></p>
<p>well…I just looked at that Common Data Set…(good idea, thanks)…he’s not going to like what he sees…but, I have to say…I am not sure I like what I see in some of the sections either. (different from what he will see…) hmmmmmmmm…how best to use this information! I want him to broaden his horizon…but not get so overwhelmed that he just “gives up”! What is interesting is the percentage they accept…and the “actual” scores of what kids end up going…you know? The school officer stated today “700’s across the board”…for the answer to what are the SAT scores kids need to get accepted…but, the “range, with the 25%-75%”…is from mid 600’s to 750’s…which, I guess means “average is 700’s across the board”…but, that is not ‘true’…you know?</p>
<p>My son has been receiving neurofeedback therapy - his choice to try it. So far he feels it’s really working. He’s done almost 10 sessions. I’ve noticed a difference as well. He’s keeping track of his calendar and has even been making and keeping his own appointments. He’s remembering driving directions with more confidence. He’s been organizing all his studying for AP tests along with completing other class work and activities with much less prompting from me. Wish I had known about neurofeedback years ago!</p>
<p>@drmom123 I always assume that the students with the low end of the GPA/SAT range also have something going for them like they are an athlete or other hook…your typical kid might want to look more toward the middle.</p>
<p>@vamominvabeach
Thanks for the update on neuro feed back. I am going to look into it for my DS</p>
<p>my kid just thinks he can do it all himself. Which…he could…if…</p>
<p>I happened to look at a few of the older posts on this thread, and by no means all of them, so if this has been covered,apologies. I just want to say a couple of things. One, there is no definitive test for ADHD of any type. Questionnaires are used, for both parent and child. A neuropsychologist will test for focus and attention but the context affects the test (child is alone, with one adult, in a quiet and focused environment, and tasks are short-term), and any good professional will tell you that.</p>
<p>The other thing is that noone should take no for an answer from a school. Every child has a right to perform at the level he or she should be performing at and, more importantly, learn at that level too. The standard for accommodations is a little lower at college, but at the high school level, the standard is quite high. ADHD that is not accompanied by diagnosed learning disabilities and that does not merit an IEP, can be covered under a 504 plan. If your school does not agree to this, you can get the Federal Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights involved. You do not have to file a complaint to get help. They will talk to your school and even come down and hold workshops.</p>
<p>You, the parent, can write the 504 (see templates online) with the accommodations that you want (easy to research), ask for the meeting with the 504 coordinator (usually a principal, but not always) and ask them to sign it. You, the parent, can also, prior to that meeting, write a letter for a doctor and/or psychologist and/or therapist or any other professional to sign, listing the accommodations and explaining the reason for them (diagnosis and ramifications of diagnosis).</p>
<p>You can also hire an advocate (sometimes free if you call advocacy organizations) or spend $150 on an hour with a lawyer, which is often sufficient, though you can also pay for the lawyer to attend a meeting.</p>
<p>A 504 can make a huge difference, not just in grades, but in terms of emotional life in high school, which is tough enough without ADHD. Maybe, with the school, focus on learning, not just grades. The child has a right to learn at his or her highest level of functioning, and accommodations provided in high school can facilitiate that as well as point the way for college-level strategies.</p>
<p>My DS was accepted into his dream boarding school with a generous FA package. He excels at tests, the big assignments, is a great social leader with excellent EC. But struggles with the small homework, short quizzes and his GPA is lukewarm. It’s more and more clear to us that he knows how to “hyperfocus” his gifted brain, but as the tests such as AP become more demanding, he will need better organization skills to succeed. The school assures us that the boarding environment will be good for him because all the students are motivated to study and there are always teachers around to supervise. A friend who has an ADHD son at the school confirms that her DS has improved his grades overall. (But he is on meds, my son has no diagnosis) </p>
<p>The truth is I wanted him at boarding school because it provides a better structure than I do at home. I hope it will prepare him better than going away straight to college where there is much less guidance. But I am nervous because he will be having to deal with so many new things himself besides his studies and entering as a sophomore, there is not much adjustment time. But because my husband and I don’t have great organizational skills either, and he always does better with more structure, BS is what we feel is best. </p>
<p>I have “bit the bullet” and inquired about getting a psychologist to evaluate him … for $3,000… I haven’t gotten a reply but I’ve heard it can be months before you get an appointment… I may have to look around some more. I will also let the school know about my suspicious and it may be cheaper and faster if the evaluation is requested by the school… Apparently, there are so many kids on meds at the top schools, it is not a stigma at all. (Kind of scary though…) I have also signed up him for a intro to neurofeedback session … got a great discount price so he’ll just try it out once. </p>
<p>So I try will to update people on the progress of my “gifted scatterbrain son.” </p>
<p>Sent you a private message.</p>
<p>Nuerofeedback continues to work. My son is now working on anxiety as well. Just started senior year - a little rocky at first and already missed turning in an assignment that he actually completed! We’ve noticed a pattern, when coming off of a school break where his days are not very structured, he takes a week or two to get his brain back in gear. It frustrates him to no end. </p>
<p>I</p>
<p>OOPS.
is there any way for him to anticipate that pattern (off a school break) and “prep” to get back into some structure before heading back to school? </p>
<p>Hopefully, yes - now that we have discovered the pattern. </p>
<p>first zero of the year! S forgot to bring in parent’s signature form for science… :-w </p>
<p>Thought I would post that there is a light at the end of the tunnel… my D2, scatterbrain going into her sophomore year at college, seems to have made significant advancements toward being less scattered. She stayed on campus to research this summer, and that experience seems to have helped (somehow). I talked to her last night, and she rattled off every assignment she has due in the next week. This is nothing short of miraculous – in high school she barely could tell you what was due the next day. I think some brain development is finally kicking in to help with executive functioning. (yay!)</p>
<p>“first zero of the year! S forgot to bring in parent’s signature form for science.” - I can relate and have boatloads of empathy. It happens - see this book <a href=“http://www.amazon.com/That-Crumpled-Paper-Last-Week/dp/0399535594”>http://www.amazon.com/That-Crumpled-Paper-Last-Week/dp/0399535594</a></p>
<p>DS was horrible with paperwork in early years and still had minor issues in hs. He was, one of the top musicians at the but almost got a lowered Band grade due to missing parent signature form. DD got into a hs funk where she didn’t turn in assignments, even when the were complete and in her backpack. (Alas it took her a few years to turn that around and get through college successfully. Tough times for us all. She was not organized, but she was bright enough to appear on Jeopardy at age 22. It’s a wonder I don’t have gray hair yet. ) . </p>