My son, who will be in 7th grade this year, was originally diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten. He is very bright and picks up new things amazingly quickly when it is something he is interested in, i.e. car facts or military history. Unfortunately, school subjects for the most part do not interest him, and although he is not a behavior problem he often zones out in class and is also very disorganized. He is classified "other impaired" (special ed.) because of the ADHD, and up until now has been mainstreamed with "support" - meaning he is pulled out for a short time each day for extra help, but is in regular classes. This past year (6th grade) he was re-evaluated because his grades were low, he was not handing in work, and was not paying attention. The ADD diagnosis was re-confirmed by a neurologist, with no learning disabilities noted. He had been on 36 mgs. of Concerta; she felt the dose was too low and we should either try upping it to 56 mgs. or switching to Daytrana or Adderal. (I chose to try the 56 mgs. of Concerta, since he was not having side effects on it. But he does not take it during vacations; will start one week before school)
Getting to my question: It was recommended that he be assigned to replacement math and lanquage arts, meaning he is no longer mainstreamed for these subjects and will be in a smaller group that moves at a slower pace. I agreed, but am not comfortable at all with my decision, and would now like to try him again in the regular classes with an increase in his medication dose. Has anyone here been in a similar prediciment? What are the pros and cons of the smaller self-contained classroom? My main concerns are: the stigma; he will fall behind and not be able to catch up; he will be grouped with children with more severe disabilities and behavior problems. On the other hand, his teachers say that he has already fallen behind because he is not able to attend to what is going on in the classroom. His standardized test scores were average to slightly above average, and he tested in the "proficient" range for all subjects on the state test.

T-bone-Mama,

Special ed classes can be a positive environment if his teachers are willing to individualize lessons for him. That is, if he starts paying attention and learns a concept, will they be willing to let him go ahead to the next step (or work on more challenging problems on the same topic), rather than insist that he sit there bored out of his mind because the rest of the students haven't caught up yet?

The plus side of smaller classes is that he will have someone paying attention to him, and asking for his attention, all the time. He won't have as much opportunity to tune out. I would love to have had this opportunity when I was in school.

The negative side is that kids are testing the definitions of "us" vs "them", while they go through the process of defining who they are in relation to the rest of the world. Special ed kids are just one of the groups that are targeted as being "different", and it may be that your son might have to find other friends who are more open-minded.

As an inattentive type ADDer, I was lost in a large classroom, unless I sat in the very front row. In a smaller class I would have been able to engage more without feeling overwhelmed or confused. This may actually be a good thing for your son, in spite of the fact that its original intention is to help the slower students. If he has good teachers, this situation may be good for him.

--Rheanna

Mama,

I feel for you. But mostly I feel for your son. When I was in school, I was pulled out of my classes to go to special classes. I probably benefited from the smaller classes, but was humiliated to have to go. This was 30 years ago, before anybody knew about add. When I was going into the seventh grade I was told that I had to take basic math when my classmates were all going on to pre algerbra. This didn't help with my self esteme much because half of me thought that I was smarter than most of my class. My grades never once showed that though. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably have him go to the smaller class. Also, for his self estem, let him know about the famous people and inventors that also had ADD. ADD isn't all negatives. Some might even consider it a gift believe it or not.

T-bone-Mamma,

I understand your concerns. We have wrestled with the same issues. Would it be possible to for you to hire him tutors for math and language arts? Maybe being tutored together with the change in meds would be enough?

Thanks for all your responses. Tomjayc, it sounds like you have a lot in common with my son, and I am afraid that he will feel the same humiliation that you felt. Middle schoolers can be so cruel to anyone who doesn't fit right in with the norm. He is not one to follow the crowd, but he is very sensitive to comments from other students. He also in many ways feels smarter than others, not in a conceited way but he is proud of his knowledge on the subjects that interest him, and he also speaks well. But he feels totally overwhelmed with school, and gets frustrated easily. A tutor is a possibility, I did ask around last year but several people that I spoke with did not have the time. (All were full time teachers) I will look into that again.

If you can't find a tutor yourself, you might speak to the counsellor at the school. Chances are good that the school keeps a list of possible tutors.

Have you thought about having your son placed under a 504 Plan? This plan would allow him to receive accommodations/modifications in the general education classroom setting. The school counselor would be the person to speak with about this plan. If he has a diagnosive from a doctor of being add/adhd he would qualify for it.
Good Luck

Yes, I've already tried both of these. The school keeps a list of teachers within the school that do tutoring on the side, but by the time I asked in the spring of last year, they were not taking any more students. I would think early in the year will be a good time to lock in a spot. My first choice was a teacher he had in the 4th grade who worked very well with him, but again in the spring she was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
He did have provisions within the classroom last year, mainly that he was to sit in the front of the room and he had to get his assignment book initialed by the teacher at the end of each class. Problem with this was that he would often leave his assignment book, or the books he needed to complete his assignments, in school. This would frustrate me, because it seemed to me that he was not taking responsibility. It does not help that I work in the afternoon/early evening, and by the time I get home it is too late to go back to school.

I tend to disagree with the "special ed" class setting. Since he is a bright child and has done well on his standardized tests, I would keep him in the regular ed. classes. Invariably, the kids in Sp.Ed. classes do get behind and I'm sure he'd be in the class with students much below his level. Make sure the regular ed. teacher is following his accomodations/modifications and help him with his organization as much as you can. Also, be careful with the meds. I'm not a big fan of those either. Check some natural things, like diet, etc. I can't believe he was diagnosed ADD in Kinder, wow. Good luck :)

Thanks, Rudiraven. Your comments echo my gut instincts, that he really does not belong in a special ed. setting. I do not like giving him meds, and have tried other things such as fish oil, 5-HTP, and amino acid supplements. Problem is within the first week of school each year I would always get a call from his new teacher, with the same story - he's not handing anything in, he seems confused as to what he is supposed to do, needs constant re-direction... etc. etc. As soon as he starts the meds (Ritilan through 5th grade, less effective in 6th, tried Concerta) he would do much better. He does not take it on weekends and days off.
I have read a lot about ADD/ADHD, and he really is almost a classic case (Over-focused type, according to Daniel Amen's book) and it also seems to run in the family, especially my husband, although he's never been formally diagnosed. And he was showing signs as early as Kindergarten, even before.
I plan on talking with the study team before school starts, I am really leaning toward him starting the year mainstreamed with support, as in the past, with an increase in his med. dose. I hope there are no repercussions - he will take some extra time and effort on the part of the teachers. No one can "make" them do it, even with it spelled out in his IEP. It certainly would be easier for them just to dismiss him because he's the kid who "should" be in the special ed. room, if it weren't for his difficult mother.....I hate saying that, but I'm trying to be realistic.

Being a highly ADD mother with a grown ADD daughter and a son who in kindergarden was diagnosed ADD then in 3rd grade at his teacher's insistance was re-evaluated was dx'd highly ADD with ACD bordering on tourette's. His teacher did not believe he was ADD, she thought he was mentally challanged. I thought the psychologist was going to come over the table at her. :D Come to find out she could not stand his throat clearing. Anyway, I digress. The school district made many exceptional allowances for my son. Oh BTW, that was the last bad teacher he has had. When he went into the 6th grade, with the room changes, he went into replacent math and reading. I never increased his medication. If he was requiring additional one-on-one teaching, he did not need additional medication. By mid 7th grade, he quit taking his metadate and continued with the replacement classes until the middle of his froshmen year. At that time he was re-tested and he has learned the coping skills required to get through his classes without assistance. Is he going to be an A student? No, it isn't going to happen right now. If he wanted to be an A student, could he? You bet, with one eye closed!

Were the replacement classes a stigma on my son? They may have been to some extent, but because I had struggled with school and the stigma of everyone thinking I was "stupid" because I almost flunked out, I though this was better. I made sure that he knew that he was not "stupid", he was smart. I also made sure he knew that his meds were a tool, like the notes with holes, they were not a crutch. I would never accept the excuse "I forgot to take my pills". His doctor insisted that it was his responsibility to remember to take them.

Let me take a minute to toot my horn. I did very poorly in school. All the kids would laugh at me when I would try to read aloud. The teachers would feel sorry for me and would stop me after 1 sentence. My parents never held me back a grade and each year I opened my report card slowly, afraid I failed. My father told me I would never be as smart as my sister, but if I applied myself I could get better grades. In geomotry, all my classmates would ask me how to solve the proofs, but I would fail the tests. My grades steadily improved through high school and I actually made the honor roll. I was learning coping skills, but I didn't know it at the time. Then I went to college. Single mom, living out of state, full credit load and pulling straight A's. My smart sister couldn't do that! I even took 24 weeks of high alg/trig in an 8 week summer session & had a perfect score. Do my home town classmates think I am stupid? Yes. Do I care? Not a chance.

T-bone......It's always best to go with your gut feeling. As to the teachers, they can be "made" to do his mods/accomo. by the courts. If the teachers won't comply then you can file a "due process" hearing with your state education department. Too many teachers don't want to modify, "just put the kid in Sp.Ed." they say. Every student doesn't learn the same way. By the way, I'm not picking on teachers. My son is a teacher :) Just stay proactive and good luck.

Way to go, Bwitht! It's great hearing success stories like yours. You seem to have a lot of motivation, and prove that ADD/ADHD does not have to be a handicap to succeeding. I also appreciate your input, being through it yourself and with a child.
I am really torn about this, and only wish I could be in the future looking back. If I am to error, I suppose I would rather it be by keeping him in the regular classroom, so he doesn't get the stigma with other students. He prides himself on being bright, and I think being put in the self contained classroom is going to be a big blow to him. He has come to terms with not being a stellar student, and it doesn't seem to bother him that much. He attends a large middle school and some of his teachers mentioned last year that they see over 150 students a day! I did not mean to put them down, but he is the type of kid that can easily fall in the cracks - he does not draw attention to himself in either a positive or negative manner.
On another matter, last year he auditioned for the school musical but was not accepted because he did not meet the requirement for a certain grade point average, although one of the teachers told him that he had the best singing voice out of the boys that auditioned. He was not too concerned, mainly because he did not like the show they were doing, so I stayed out of it. However, he has a talent for singing/acting, and I think it would be great for his self-esteem if he were to do the show. Should I intervene? I would love to see hime perform, and I think he would too, but I don't want him to think that he is not held to the same standard as everyone else.

T-Bone

An accommodation can be written for you child to have one set of books for school and one set that remains at home. Also, if possible have the teachers give him his assignments in a folder than they're to watch him put it in his backpack.

T-Bone,

If you chose to keep your son in the regular classroom setting that is great. They actually had to modify all of my son's classes. Along with the ADD he is also OCD bordering on tourette syndrom and one of his obscessions is overwriting. He would get stuck on a letter and write it over & over, so note taking was impossible. All of his teachers provided him notes with holes. Which were the days notes and blanks for key terms and ideas. He would still have to follow along but he didn't have to try to write everything. They were working with his keyboarding skills so that if the problems continued, they could provide him with a notebook computer to type the notes.

I was very mindful of how my son was doing in his classes. I did not expect A's but I would not accept failure. He did get a few F's along the way, but never the same class 2 quarters in a row. I am so sorry for whatever problems rudiraven has been through to know how to force the school to accomodate. I have never (other than 1 teacher) had problems with my school district. There has always been a contact person that would notify me if there was any type of problem in school. If his grades were falling or actually if they were greatly improving. Of course, it really helps when the child is one of those that you can't help but like. His 2nd grade teacher told me that he was the most polite student she had ever taught in her 35 years. She said that when she would remind him to stay on task, he would say "Thank You Ms. Doe". You have no idea how proud that made me, also confused, I hadn't met that child. LOL

Also, I was told very early on, that I was not to work with my son on his school work. The psychologist said that an ADD child is so different, and they work so hard, school almost becomes adversarial to them. When a child is with the family, they are loved and nurtured. School should not encroach on the family. Therefore, sence medication usualy only lasts for the school hours, once the child is home the medication has worn off and homework time becomes a fight. I told the IEP team that I would not medicate him after school or on the weekends, so he would not do homework. His medication was a tool to help him focus, and once it had wore off for the day, school work was done. He would have to be allowed time in school to do any school work. They saw that as a reasonable request so he usually had a study hall last period of the day. The only times he would have homework is when it would be a project where he had to build something. This was never a fight because he is very mechanically inclined. At 14 & 15 years old he is doing small engine repair. I am talking about engines on snowmobiles, motorcycles & ATV's that adults have not been able to fix. When he was 12 he took an old riding lawn tracter, a junk motor off of something else, scavenged parts and pieces from all over and built himself a tracter that he can pop wheelies on. Don't worry, it is a very small one & he is a very large boy. That is the typical mind of an ADD kid. He can see these amazing things in his mind, but has no idea what a preposition is.

As far as the musical goes, is your son in an IEP program right now? If he is and the school is currently making accomodations for him, yet his grades are not at the required level, I would say leave it be. That would be a strong goal to set so he will improve his grades. If there currently are no accomodations, have a talk with them because he is not on an even playing field as students without the disorder.

I wish you all my best. Give your son an extra big hug, he deserves it just for being him!

On another matter, last year he auditioned for the school musical but was not accepted because he did not meet the requirement for a certain grade point average, although one of the teachers told him that he had the best singing voice out of the boys that auditioned. ..

Tbone, if your son is already recognized as OHI (Other Health Impaired) which I believe you said he is, YES, you bet you should fight this. Before the next audition, approach the principal and very nicely say "This policy discriminates against my son because of his disability". I think you'll find that they will back-pedal pretty quickly. Don't wait until after the auditions; that would be too late - they can't very well tell the kid who was chosen that now he can't do it.

Also, as rudiraven, pointed out schools are legally obligated to follow your son's IEP. Does that mean that they will always do it? No, you have to constantly look over their shoulders. If a specific teacher isn't making the agreed upon accomodations, gently remind her of what your son is entitled to. Teachers have alot of different needs to keep up with these days. The next step would be approaching the Special Ed Coordinator for your school and then sending a formal letter of complaint to the district. You can take legal action, but you shouldn't need to.

Actually, now that I think about it, you can just have written into to his IEP that his grades won't count against his participation in musicals.