Oh good, lots of people here! Need your input!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Okay, I just spent about an hour typing a message and it tells me that I never specified a forum (I'm new here, so I still haven't mastered the layout of this place yet... it seems so confusing!) AND I had this really long message that I don't think most of you would have understood. So I'll try and keep this one short and sweet...</p>

<p>With my family, it's not that they put pressure on me to do well. I actually wouldn't MIND that, really. It's more that they... how do I say this... they don't think I can do it. You see, I come from a family that is... well, pretty smart. I am too. I actually have an IQ of 145, I was reading around my second birthday, and could add multi-digit numbers before I started first grade. But I've always had problems with attention and of course, the whole social factor of school. Maybe I was a little too mentally advanced for most of these kids? I don't know, but the second grade teacher mentioned it once to my mom and ever since, I have seen I-don't-know-how-many psychiatrists who were trying to figure out what was "wrong" with me.</p>

<p>Once I hit sixth grade, though, I started to do slightly worse than I used to in school and my mom insisted something was wrong. A teacher's aide tested me for ADHD, because they knew I was smart but having difficulty paying attention in class. She said I didn't have it because I was "too smart", and assumed I might not have been that intelligent and should be tested for autism. And can you believe, I had never REALLY had social problems but I was shy, and they're telling me at age eleven that I'm mildly autistic? I mean come on... </p>

<p>This is when people get ADHD confused with learning disabilities, which every teacher I know has told me I had yet failed to provide an explanation of how I have a limited intelligence in a specific area. My mom told me I had difficulty writing (I write NOVELS just for FUN...) because people who are autistic supposedly DO have trouble with that... so she bases it on EVERYTHING she hears from the doctor? I believed this was true for many years, and I've done research about it to prove it wrong (don't give me that denial crap, it's so easy for anyone to judge someone as having something they obviously know nothing about in the first place) But recently, my doctor told me I had ADHD and I'm taking medication for it now, after several tests showed I had no limited abilities in any areas whatsoever.</p>

<p>This is when I learn my mom "made up" learning disabilities that supposedly had to do with autism. She heard about some stuff from doctors and twisted it to fit my weird profile. I don't know how she did it, but she did. They wouldn't even give me an IEP (individualized education plan) until a couple of years AFTER she did this. I really don't know what this is, and I hope somebody on this site does, because I know this will be harmful when the time comes that I am applying for colleges. I also don't know why she did it... does she really WANT me to do well in life? Don't ask me to talk to her about it - we're not exactly on speaking grounds (other than the whole "How are you" stuff) so obviously, it's not going to work.</p>

<p>I don't know what this is about. Can somebody please explain to me? I know my downfall in school came from depression - I was not depressed at first but my mom insisted that I take medication for the "outbursts" I was having, which were just typical teenage kid things... for god's sake, I was eleven! She didn't even know all the medical risks associated with that crap, nor do I even think she cared...</p>

<p>I don't want to have an IEP next year, which is my senior year. I need to get the right medication (I'm currently taking Concerta which doesn't do much or even show SIDE EFFECTS for that matter...) and get straight A's in all the AP classes, which nobody did last year at all. My GPA was about 2.75ish, now that I have a year with maybe 3.5 it's at about a 3.1 now and at best will be a little over 3.5... close to 3.6, maybe. Where is this usually in the class rank? Keep in mind, I go to a less-than-state-average public school (more on that later if you're interested... I'm too tired to keep on typing!) but then again, Massachusetts is the state which supposedly has the best public school system. I don't know. The reason I ask that is because I want to see if I can actually get into the top ten for my senior year next year, because... well, both my parents did that and I wanted to prove to them I was just as good as them... well, nearly. My public school is nowhere near as difficult as the competitive high schools where they went (again, more on that later on why I DIDN'T go to a private school...)</p>

<p>If you can figure out what I'm supposed to do and HOW I'm supposed to do it, please help me. Oh and don't tell me I'm "too high-maintenance for college" or something and to go see a psychiatrist... been there, done that. Heard that too. Annoyed the crap out of me, to be honest. No psychiatrist has ever come up with a possible solution for that, they just keep repeating the same exact crap all over again and one keeps insisting that the only way I can go to college is if I take a course at a community college first... okay NOBODY does that. I can take AP courses in school... isn't that the same thing? Or maybe he thinks I should just do that because I couldn't go to a decent college otherwise? Ugh. I don't need a "third parent".</p>

<p>Oh, and one more thing - DO NOT accuse me of wanting pity and attention. sorry, but people have said that I was before, really bothers me... anyways, it's after 2:30 where I live so I need to go to bed now. I'll check back tomorrow morning and see what people wrote (IF I can find this thread...)</p>

<p>see ya</p>

<p>♣ Luck ♣ Of ♣ The ♣ Irish ♣</p>

2

<p>Whoa baby I didn't realize how long my "short but sweet" thread actually was until I was done with it... anyways, I'm REALLY tired right now so I'll check back tomorrow where some people will hopefully have replied to it!</p>

3

<p>uhhhh...
What are you asking about? If you can handle AP classes, I'm sure you are college material, but it is strange that your parents believe you have some sort of disorder with a tested IQ of 145, not bad by the way. Anyways, explain to your parents that you are fine by yourself without IEP or whatever. Get them to sit down and do it in a calm, composed manner.</p>

<p>Chill, we all go through periods of depression. Thank goodness mine (depression/antisocial/sleep deprivation for no reason) hit before junior year and I finally got over it.</p>

4

<p>Is your school providing any services as part of the IEP? Do you get extra time on tests, for example? Do you have extra support in any particular area? That's what an IEP is supposed to do--help a student with special needs succeed in school. </p>

<p>Usually a school district will not give a student an IEP without an evaluation that backs up the student's special needs. It costs the district money to provide special services. </p>

<p>That said, there are plenty of high-IQ kids who still need IEPs. If you are not getting services, or if you don't want services or special accommodations, I suggest you speak to your GC about meeting with the child study team. In any case, I am not sure that the presence of an IEP is revealed in HS transcripts. Ask your GC.</p>

5

<p>It is possible to be both highly gifted and learning disabled (for example, ADHD) at the same time. It is possible to have some difficulties that fall "on the autism spectrum" without actually being "autistic" in the full blown sense of the word. Call the Yale Child Study Center and ask them to recommend a place in MA where you could be tested and diagnosed--you need more professional evaluation than a teacher's aide could provide. A correct diagnosis would help you identify whether or not you need an IEP and what the best plan would be for preparing for college. It would help to predict what might be areas of potential difficulty for you and what strengths you can rely on to compensate. It might also help you address the depression effectively.</p>

<p>Try not to see you parents as "enemies" but as a team you can work with to ensure a productive and more harmonious future.</p>

6

<p>Wow... apparently I told my life story last night! </p>

<p>LMAO i was REALLY tired and I didn't know what I was doing.</p>

<p>Let me try and respond to each post individually (I was afraid someone was gonna yell at me and say something nasty or something.. haha)</p>

7

<p>Alright, I'm responding to each post individually now:</p>

<p>sai2004- Thank you for your kind words. But (I know you felt that one coming... haha) I've talked to my parents about that before. Apparently I can never discuss anything personal with them, such as my FEELINGS... jeez. Especially my mom. I sort of can with my dad, but he's so oblivious to what's going on it doesn't really do much at all. We can talk about the weather and stuff, but when it gets to anything personal... forget it.
And nice to know someone is having problems with all that stuff (I'm somewhat of a combination of those three, add inability to pay attention in class and constantly hyperactive and you basically got me)</p>

<p>wackymother- I do get all those things, but since I don't really need them, I hardly ever use them. But sometimes when I don't need them I'll still use them for other reasons. Like... I knew I wouldn't get in trouble handing my notebook in late for Chemistry (even though I physically could have organized it, but I didn't have the time really so I didn't) so I just didn't hand it in until the end of the term. I also don't have a few areas counted in for some reason, which I don't get because they're not the areas I need help in... shows how much my mom knows about me.
And there were some evaluations done, yes, but they all showed I had no inability to do that stuff. I think my mom just might have sent stuff that the doctor sent or something... I really don't know. I don't have "special needs" either... well, maybe a little ADHD/OCD but this isn't because of that. Most kids with ADHD at my school just take medication for it and don't get special services... then again, I don't really know since most kids in my school DON'T have ADHD. But this is what I understand.</p>

<p>Pyewacket- I know that you can be highly gifted and have ADHD. I am intentionally not using the term "learning disabled" here because ADHD isn't considered a learning disability - a learning disability referrs to an inability in a certain area (for example, with reading - dyslexia) and ADHD just represents a general inability to stay focused. And you can still do well if you have the correct medication - I'm working on getting that right now with my doctor.
I'm running into an issue with my mom about the doctor and changing it... she listens to everything he says because she tends to respect people like that over the teachers at my school who actually take the time to get to KNOW me because he's well educated like her and uh... they're not. Haha that's basically how my mom is. Ever since she "found out" about me I've noticed a change with her... too complicated to explain on here.
And yes, I think we all have behaviors that are "on the autism spectrum" which is different than being autistic or even mildly autistic, which my mom thinks I am. My belief isn't a popular one, but I don't care. =P
And I'm sorry, I can't do that whole Yale thing because... well, my mom. And I'm sick of those test-taking things... they treat you like you're retarded (what color is this? etc.) So that whole last sentence you have there really doesn't do much... I'm sorry, but you have to realize that not all parents are like your own and can't just expect everyone to be able to "get along" with them or whatever. Sorry, just my opinion.</p>

<p>So yeah... see if you guys can read all that! (I wonder if any of you are even coming back to this post? Haha)</p>

<p>But here's</p>

8

<p>Life is f-ing annoying.</p>

9

<p>Also, a little more stuff about me...</p>

<p>I'm going into my third year as a student in Journalism, which I love (I have the BEST teacher) and I don't know what it will be like next year, but all the editing staff is now trying to pick their computers and stuff... it's like jeez, that's next year! The thing is, I haven't been able to write stories for it for the whole "depressed" reason (only one and this other one a girl STOLE from me and won't even admit it...) and I don't have any bylines yet. But also, every time I tried to write a story this past year, the two editors-in-chief didn't let me simply because they didn't agree with it. AND I always got dismissed or pulled out of class by this sped teacher lady so I never got published! And my teacher actually LET those two girls do that to me simply because it was a "student-run newspaper" GAH! Maybe if I wasn't so anxious I could have just gone ahead and done it, and I know I can just try and write a lot next year, but jeez. I know that is the kind of thing they like to see on college applications (on the newspaper staff and such, as it is considered an extracurricular activity) and I'm thinking about running cross-country next year if I want a sport, because I'm not really that good with "contact sports" if you know what I mean. My mom also doesn't think I'm physically able to do stuff like that, so I sort of want to prove her wrong too.</p>

<p>My mom, dad and sister all went to private schools (well, my sister went to private HIGH SCHOOL...) but with me, it was a thing where they knew I couldn't do well in class and figured I could only stay in the public school I was in and ONLY if I got special services. And this past year, my mom listened to a doctor who figured my difficulty in school was due to social problems (which my mom STILL insists I have) and my mom applied me to two special ed schools WHEN I TOLD HER I DIDN'T WANT TO. I almost had to go to one for a tour and I told her I wasn't going to, and fortunately I didn't end up having to go because they were already full for the year and I had to say that I WANTED to go there (since kids don't usually WANT to go to a school like that... and my mom knew I wasn't going to sign a contract for it.) So I decided that it would be too difficult to apply to other private schools, which I had been thinking about for a while, and I'm now focused on trying to make my situation the best I can for my senior year.</p>

<p>My younger sister could have gone to private high school like the older one did, but because I was in her school, she didn't want to. My mom still has an issue with her doing that, because she wanted her to go to the school my older sister went to (thus leaving me as the lone public high school graduate in my family... does wonders for my self-esteem, may I add.) But I told her that I can do just as well as she did, if not better, which might actually make her feel better. She has depression, high blood pressure, and other medical problems because of me and I sort of want to change that.</p>

<p>Okay, I'm going to stop for now and relax, keep replying</p>

<p>see ya</p>

<p>♣ Luck ♣ Of ♣ The ♣ Irish ♣</p>

10

<p>Just_Browsing:</p>

<p>I concur.</p>

11

<p>Hmmm...I'm not sure what to say. My life is perfect!</p>

<p>Ha.</p>

<p>I had an IEP because I was "gifted and talented." GT is considered special ed at some schools.</p>

12

<p>Are you serious? That's pretty weird. I also like the fact that my parents don't think that their genetics could have POSSIBLY contributed to my inability to do well in school... they apparently think "their lives" are perfect too (except for me, of course.)</p>

<p>I suck.</p>

13

<p>Get through HS however you can. If you don't think you need IEP help, and that in fact it's a problem for you because it's interfering with your regular classes, then tell your GC and ask her to schedule a meeting with the child study team. You seem confused about what extra help you are actually getting and what that extra help is supposed to achieve. At the very least, the child study team will be able to explain that to you during the meeting. Get it straight what the team thinks they are working on. </p>

<p>If you get the IEP thrown out, then be prepared to do really well on your own next year, without support. You're on the verge of adulthood. Soon you'll be in college and then you'll be working for a living and you'll be in charge of yourself. Whether you went to private school or not won't matter in life, whether you had an IEP or not won't matter, whether you had a few bylines or not won't matter. Good luck.</p>

14

<p>I agree with wackymother, the best way to show people what you are capable of is to do your best in the circumstances where you find yourself. Make a list of realistic goals, talk to your GC and make a plan for reaching your goals --one step at a time. Good Luck to you!</p>

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<p>Better go 2 steps at a time, or 3. You do not have teh luxury of going slow.</p>