Looking for opinions re: ADD/ADHD diagnosis for my 11 year old son

[Rebel Yell]

Beausoir  (1000+ posts)       Fri Jan-18-08 11:41 AM
Original message
Looking for opinions re: ADD/ADHD diagnosis for my 11 year old son. Please.
 Nice kid. Great kid. ZERO behavioral problems.

Straight A's in Science, Social Studies. Straight F's in Math and Reading.

Has been in Title One Reading program and Reading Recovery since 1st grade.

Every teacher he has ever had says exactly the same thing.."He has these 'holes' in his learning."

Was given a Special Education evaluation 2 years ago and despite being diagnosed with a visual processing disorder, failed to meet the criteria for and IEP or a Section 504 plan.

Has private tutor twice a week, has afterschool Math and Reading classes twice a week. Summerschool all summer, every summer to try and keep his head above water.

Falling through the cracks and continuing to get worse.

The school refuses to work with us on a 504 plan saying they need a medical diagnosis.

Met with his pediatrician (A great guy and a Liberal Democrat activist in our community. You should have heard him rant about No Child Left Behind!) and he evaluated my son and said he does NOT have ADD/ADHD. We already knew that. Pediatrician started negotiating with the school to get him a 504. School will not budge.

Pediatrician phoned me this morning and said "We need to play their game. I am going to diagnose your son with ADD/ADHD. That will force the school to get him the help he needs."

So, basically, I have to slap a false label on my child in order to get him the help he needs.

Looking for some input from anyone who has experienced this. Force labeling in order to get an appropriate education for my kid.



 
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Welcome to the Democratic Party!!!!!

Am I to understand we're going to put the child on medication he doesn't need?


They all have ADD or their kids do.  What is wrong with these people.

Dinger (1000+ posts)       Fri Jan-18-08 11:45 AM
Response to Original message
1. I Will Talk To Someone At My School Today, And Get Back To You
 My son has ADD, is now 26 years old, so I come at this from the perspective of a parent and a teacher.
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wienerdoggie  (1000+ posts)      Fri Jan-18-08 12:00 PM
Response to Original message
14. My son was taken off his IEP/special ed program last year (he's in sixth grade now)--
 he's diagnosed ADHD (on meds), and he's straight F's now, when he used to be B's and C's. I know what you mean about watching him fall through the cracks--my son isn't going to pass this year, unless we can get him back into special ed. It takes such a toll on his self-esteem to fail, and he is so overwhelmed in keeping up with his work, and lately he's been acting out in class, trying to be the clown. I am at wits' end myself. Good luck, and if you have to "play the game" to get him some help, do it.
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proud patriot   (1000+ posts)       Fri Jan-18-08 12:01 PM
Response to Original message
15. Yep , that is pretty much how it works 
 My son was "diagnosed" w/ ADHD at 7 years old ..
Turns out that he is more likely bipolar . He is 11 now
and has been through the gambit , doctors , hospitalization
medications ... It is still virtually impossible to get a bipolar
diagnoses for him even though we have charted his moods for
4 months w/o medicine . He keeps his ADHD diagnoses on the school
paperwork and gets the accommodations he needs to achieve his
fullest potential .

 

My only advice as a parent is : You are the best advocate for your
child . Do what you have to , get what he needs ...Labels smabels...
Eventually you will find the proper diagnoses regardless of what
he is labeled . Go with your gut ... I've had to yank my kid off
concerta when he started hearing voices etc.. a side effect of the
meds ...Only you know what is best for your kid .


I wish your son the best .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2711755]proud patriot   (1000+ posts)       Fri Jan-18-08 12:01 PM
Response to Original message
15. Yep , that is pretty much how it works 
 My son was "diagnosed" w/ ADHD at 7 years old ..

Turns out that he is more likely bipolar . He is 11 now
and has been through the gambit , doctors , hospitalization
medications ... It is still virtually impossible to get a bipolar
diagnoses for him even though we have charted his moods for
4 months w/o medicine . He keeps his ADHD diagnoses on the school
paperwork and gets the accommodations he needs to achieve his
fullest potential .

 

My only advice as a parent is : You are the best advocate for your
child . Do what you have to , get what he needs ...Labels smabels...
Eventually you will find the proper diagnoses regardless of what
he is labeled . Go with your gut ... I've had to yank my kid off
concerta when he started hearing voices etc.. a side effect of the
meds ...Only you know what is best for your kid .


I wish your son the best .
 
proud patriot   (1000+ posts)       Fri Jan-18-08 12:01 PM
Response to Original message
15. Yep , that is pretty much how it works 
 My son was "diagnosed" w/ ADHD at 7 years old ..

Turns out that he is more likely bipolar . He is 11 now
and has been through the gambit , doctors , hospitalization
medications ... It is still virtually impossible to get a bipolar
diagnoses for him even though we have charted his moods for
4 months w/o medicine . He keeps his ADHD diagnoses on the school
paperwork and gets the accommodations he needs to achieve his
fullest potential .

 

My only advice as a parent is : You are the best advocate for your
child . Do what you have to , get what he needs ...Labels smabels...
Eventually you will find the proper diagnoses regardless of what
he is labeled . Go with your gut ... I've had to yank my kid off
concerta when he started hearing voices etc.. a side effect of the
meds ...Only you know what is best for your kid .


I wish your son the best .
 
[url]http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2711755

ADD is the most over-diagnosed thing I can think of, except , maybe, depression.

Reminds me of South Park:
Sheila Brofloski: He's running around, acting like an 8 yr.old.
Kyle:  Mom, I AM 8.

[LadyLiberty]

All I can say to the DUmmies' kids having ADD is 

It is due to a lack of discipline. They'll never get it either.

And as for the OP's post, it is THEIR (as in the DUmmies) fault! The school's hands are tied as far as disciplining goes PER the libtards themselves, so the teachers want all their students medicated in order to be able to "teach" their classes. What this OP is dealing with though is the BS bureaucracy of the school system, which is another ploy of the DUmmies.

To hear them whine about the consequences of their own doings is great comic relief.

As for the doctor being a "liberal activist" or whatever they said, 

I just don't go around and ask these kinds of people what their political position is, nor do I state mine. The only people I discuss that thing with are friends.

[Chris_]

Many years ago....
parents disciplined their children *gasp* even in public
teachers disciplined their students *gasp again*
No one had ADD.

[Flame]

I can empathize with the OP..I have a kid like that, who's slipping through the cracks.  But because he's not failing, they won't evaluate him. I won't even get into that.  But I don't think I'd put a false label on him to get him "help".

[Splashdown]

Many years ago....
parents disciplined their children *gasp* even in public
teachers disciplined their students *gasp again*
No one had ADD.

If they had ADD when I was a kid, I'd have been on posters and telethons.

The Sisters of St. Joseph cured me of ADD through the generous use of the yardstick. When I needed extra "medication," my father and mother added the back of a hand or a strap. I started focusing fine on work after just a few treatments!

[LadyLiberty]

If they had ADD when I was a kid, I'd have been on posters and telethons.

The Sisters of St. Joseph cured me of ADD through the generous use of the yardstick. When I needed extra "medication," my father and mother added the back of a hand or a strap. I started focusing fine on work after just a few treatments!

 

This just cracked me up pretty good!

[Rebel Yell]

Nowadays, the little boys are suppose to act just like the little girls.

[DixieBelle]

All I can say to the DUmmies' kids having ADD is 

It is due to a lack of discipline. They'll never get it either.

And as for the OP's post, it is THEIR (as in the DUmmies) fault! The school's hands are tied as far as disciplining goes PER the libtards themselves, so the teachers want all their students medicated in order to be able to "teach" their classes. What this OP is dealing with though is the BS bureaucracy of the school system, which is another ploy of the DUmmies.

To hear them whine about the consequences of their own doings is great comic relief.

As for the doctor being a "liberal activist" or whatever they said, 

I just don't go around and ask these kinds of people what their political position is, nor do I state mine. The only people I discuss that thing with are friends.

  totally agree!

I do think there are some children with valid medical problems that affect their behavior. But, I also think the liberal mindset is doing more harm than good like you outlined in your post.

[PatriotGame]

Beausoir  (1000+ posts)       Fri Jan-18-08 11:41 AM
Original message
Looking for opinions re: ADD/ADHD diagnosis for my 11 year old son. Please.
 Nice kid. Great kid. ZERO behavioral problems.

Straight A's in Science, Social Studies. Straight F's in Math and Reading.

Force your son to read the DUmp four hours each day. Then instruct him to repeat everything he reads there to his teachers at school.
With the infestment of liberals in our school systems today, your son will pass every test, every class, every grade in short order.
In fact, the full ride scholarship offers to Berkly will begin to roll in before he hits his freshman year.

[franksolich]

I dunno.

I have those "holes" in my own learning, even at this age.

I credit that to deafness, although it might be a lack of cerebral cells in certain parts of the brain.

I dunno.

What's always been interesting for me is that physicians new to me, in their office notes, put down that I "show traces" of "autism," or have "residual autism," which blows my mind, considering that autism was already well-known when I was a little lad, and no physician at that time ever noticed it.

Maybe I had it, and no one noticed, and I grew out of it.

I dunno.

I suspect a lot of "psychological problems" are overdiagnosed and overtreated.

Children are imperfect beings; they naturally and instinctively, if given guidance, discipline, and illumation, grow out of those "problems."