School and ADHD-Inattentive

Redshirting* and Recent Research

If you’re looking for another reason to consider redshirting, you may want to consider findings published online recently in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. According to research done over several years on elementary to middle school aged children in Iceland, younger children may not perform as well academically in mathematics and language arts as their slightly older peers.

Additionally, children who are in the youngest third of the class are 50% more likely to be prescribed stimulants to manage symptoms of ADHD between the ages of 7 and 14.

Let me be quick to say that we don’t wish to vilify the use of medications to help with ADHD. To quote Dr. Seuss:

Not one of them
Is like another.
Don’t ask us why.
Go ask your mother.

*Academic Redshirting: holding a child back from starting kindergarten to allow for a little more maturity; often used when a child will be one of the younger ones in the classroom.

SAT Prep for an ADHD Student

Just when you thought high school was falling into a predictable pattern, you discover it’s time for your student to take the SAT – the Scholastic Aptitude Test. SAT Prep for your ADHD student sounds like a nightmare, but you can help him prepare so he’ll know what to expect. She may not thank you today, but one day you’ll hear about how grateful she is for your support. Start your best strategic plan early and be sure to:

1. Secure test accommodations. The College Board can grant your student special testing accommodations like extra time or more breaks, but you must apply for these, so it’s very important to plan ahead. Your child’s application should be received at least 7 weeks prior to the test date. Usually your child’s school should submit the documentation to SSD* online, but you must initiate it. There’s also a procedure for parents to go directly to the College Board. Keep in mind that neither 504 nor IEP modifications are automatically carried over for this standardized test. Click here for more information and applications.

2. Test often. Most students (ADHD or not) will take the SAT more than once to improve scores and combine their best scores from various dates. Our middle daughter took it so many times that test proctors started to recognize her and chat with her as she stood in the registration lines. With Lesley, we missed the first accommodation deadline, but she took the test anyway to give us a baseline without any accommodations. Practice never hurt anyone.

3. Take advantage of free resources. The most obvious one is what you’ll find on The College Board Website. Students can choose practice tests, practice questions or answer the Question of the Day to break down SAT preparation into bite-sized chunks. You can also get more in depth help for vocabulary. One of our favorite vocabulary websites is called Word Nerd. Turns the drudgery into fun!

4. Read that book. The College Board makers publishes an updated SAT prep guide every year to help students prepare for the test. You’ll find other resources for practice tests here. If you don’t want to spend for a brand new book, you could try looking on Amazon or at a used bookstore or charity shop to see if you could pick up last year’s edition.

5. Sign up for an on-line course. The College Board offers an official on-line course your student may be interested in. Or visit Jennifer Cohen of SAT Prep for ADHD.

A student diagnosed with ADHD-inattentive may often experience test anxiety, but test preparation can help her overcome certain fears. Remind him that an application to college is more than an SAT score. Read how one of our readers helped her child create a very strong resume and college application.

PS Speaking of Jennifer, she offers SAT classes, counseling, consulting and coaching, especially for the ADHD student. Visit her at SAT Prep for ADHD, and tell her we sent you!

Homework and Project Hint – Using Wikipedia as a Source

Teachers generally frown on using Wikipedia as a source. Back when I was in school they had the same attitude toward encyclopedias. Nonetheless, for a general overview of a subject, I find Wikipedia to be of great value. There is generally a good outline of any topic, an outline that you can use to formulate an outline for a report – or to identify areas that have sufficient information to expand. The links at the bottom of the page are usually very helpful, too.

But sometimes Wikipedia is a bit over my head. (Should I admit that?!)

Well, for kids (or adults) who need simplified English, here’s a hint from Joe.
Navigate to the article you want to explore. Look over in the left sidebar, and you’ll see “Languages”. Many of the topics have an option for “Simple English”! It’s very helpful.

Joe works on computer networks on a large Navy ship. He is often asked to explain things to individuals who don’t understand geek speak. He uses Wikipedia to help him formulate an explanation that is more easily understood.

He gave me a fast example and looked up “computer network”.

“A computer network, or simply a network, is a collection of computers and other hardware interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information.[1] Where at least one process in one device is able to send/receive data to/from at least one process residing in a remote device, then the two devices are said to be in a network. A network is a group of devices connected to each other. Networks may be classified into a wide variety of characteristics: the medium used to transport the data, communications protocol used, scale, topology, benefit, and organizational scope….”

Click on the “Simple English” link, and you get this:

“A computer network is a group of computers connected to each other electronically. This means that the computers can “talk” to each other and that every computer in the network can send information to the others. Usually, this means that the speed of the connection is fast – faster than a normal connection to the Internet…”

LOTS easier to understand – don’t you agree?

Thanks, son. I learned a couple of things today.

As an aside, he told me he also draws diagrams. Sounds like a graphic organizer to me – yes?!

What hint have you learned from your ADHD child?

Does My Son Have ADHD?

This question is taken from a comment on our blog.

Question: I am concerned about my 7 year old, who can be very hyper but in classroom he is calm but inattentive.

In first grade we had a lot of unfinished work come home and homework is a struggle. A task that should take 5 mins could take him a hour on a bad day. He is above average at spelling and reading but struggles with writing. Math he has good days and bad.

Apart from the spelling and reading, he needs a lot of hand holding i.e adult/teacher helper being there almost always to get him to finish his task. Reward points system worked great in the later semester of 1st grade to get him to finish his class work.

He gets frustrated easily and responds to frustration with anger and sometimes violence. He has excellent memory both for what is read to him and told to him or what he has seen, mostly of things he has interests in.

The reason I am listing all this is to give you a whole picture. My question is is there an ADHD spectrum? I ask this because some days I am convinced he has ADHD (due to not being able to concentrate, daydream and not being able to focus and past hyper behavior) and other days I am not so sure since he pays attention to what is said and almost remembers verbatim. His teachers have never mentioned ADHD however each year I am expecting it. Any insight/your experience is greatly appreciated.

Answer: I must start with my standard disclaimer. I’m not a doctor, psychologist, or even a teacher. I’m just a mom with more than my share of ADHD boys. So here’s what I think.

With any disorder, there is a spectrum, whether or not it’s clinically described that way.

I’ve taken the liberty to highlight some of the phrases you used above. Most of these are symptoms of ADHD. Most of them are also symptoms of being a seven year old little boy. So does he have ADHD? That’s not for me to say.

What I can tell you is that there are things you can do to help your son that will benefit him no matter what. There are ways you can help him pay attention, things you can do to minimize homework struggles, and strategies you and his teachers can use to help him focus in school.

A child doesn’t have to have ADHD – and certainly doesn’t have to be diagnosed with it – to benefit from any of the strategies we have listed. And ours is not a comprehensive list. My recommendation is to get with your teacher and address your greatest concerns. Work together to come up with a toolbelt of ways to help your son succeed.

And please keep us posted!

We do list 100 ways to help your child pay attention in Focus, Pocus. If you buy it along with Waking Up from the Homework Nightmare,/a>, there is a discount. Get your copies here!

Helping Your ADHD-Inattentive Child or Teen: How Much is Too Much?

“You do too much! She should do it herself.”

This was the unsolicited advice our 19-year-old daughter gave me when she found out that her 16-year-old sister Lesley continued to ask for my editing help for an English essay.

I immediately replied: “She still has ADHD-I, you know. That’s not changed.”

Olivia was adamant: I helped too much. At the same time, I felt strongly that Lesley needed the help. My older daughter is majoring in English at her university, and any sort of writing project continues to be her strength. Meanwhile, Lesley’s taking her first Advanced Placement English class as a high school junior and could use a little tutoring to meet the challenge.

Her papers continue to shine with creativity and improved organizational skills, but she still overlooks certain elements as she writes.

For instance, she’s not a natural speller. While it’s true that every writing software program includes a spell check, nothing replaces the human eye. If she writes about something not being “aloud” when she meant “allowed”, the spell check feature completely misses the mistake.

When her text doesn’t support her thesis, I try to point that out and give her suggestions of what she might try. I’m not writing it for her; I’m coaching her to write better.

I realize that helping an ADHD-I child or teen can seem like a habit. Memories of kitchen table sessions that went too long still seem fresh. Learning multiplication tables, spelling words or seemingly random history facts – all these tasks took a bit more time for Lesley than for her sister or brother.

Memorization especially took time. We rapped, we sang, and we slogged through one way or another.

Kayla can tell similar stories about Joe who also tended to need a little more time. In high school, he had documentation in place so that he was allowed extra time on his SAT’s. (If you’re at that point, read this article about ADHD and SAT’s.)

I suppose the question is continually raised: do they get too much? Are these ADHD-inattentive types getting preferential treatment with their medicine, their extra time and all that attention??

How much is too much? How about you? What do you do to help your ADHD-I child? Have you been encouraged or reprimanded by educators or family members? What do your instincts tell you?

Kayla and I would love to hear from you. Sharing with other parents who are walking a similar pathway encourages us all.

Off to College! Another Success Story from a Reader

As always, we’re grateful to parents and students who share their stories and hints. And – as always – we’re protecting the privacy of this mom and daughter by changing names.

Our ADHD-I student is heading off to college in August. We attended orientation and each of us was overwhelmed by all the information coming at us. At the end of the first day, I immediately began organizing all the paperwork in a 5” 3-ring binder! I made exhaustive notes on what to accomplish the next day. Armed with my notebook and ready to go by 6:00 am the next day, my husband and I met up with Selina at lunch. (Students were housed on campus in the dorms!) Selina took one look at my binder and said, “You two need to go on your own now….you are getting in my way!”

It was a bitter-sweet moment…..had my daughter just been disrespectful to me?…..but didn’t she just show her new-found independence?! I chose to focus on the latter and did as she wished. I stopped carrying around the huge “manual” I was building and relaxed. I actually enjoyed the rest of the sessions. I found that I was listening to the fun stories the seasoned college students were sharing with all the parents more than I was trying to write down all the possible mishaps we needed to help Selina avoid when she was away from home. The words “you are getting in my way” are the words I have been wanting to hear for a long time!

Tips We’ve Learned For ADHD kids going away to college:

Bring home two identical maps of the college campus. If your child is attending a large university, navigating the campus can be daunting. Selina struggled with finding her way around, so she made sure to always be with someone who knew where they were going. When we got home from orientation, I glued the campus map to a heavy piece of cardboard. Then I cut it up into puzzle pieces. Our daughter is an avid puzzler, so this new campus puzzle is the perfect way for her to become familiar with the campus before she has to be on it!
If you would like your child to have accommodations in college similar to a 504 or IEP, the college may require a full psychological evaluation (testing) done within the three years prior to entering college. I didn’t know this until we attended orientation this summer. Now we are scrambling to find an appointment soon enough to get all the results in and sent to the college before the first week of school.
When we were talking with the college’s Student Services personnel, they suggested our student use a Smart Pen. I was not familiar with these, but there are many versions on the market. Basically, it is a pen that records while you are writing. If you missed something important because you were still writing down the last thought, you can relax because you have it recorded. Later, you don’t have to listen to the entire lecture again to catch what you missed but rather you point your pen to the section in your notebook where you missed the info and the pen will start the playback from that point. You do need special paper for the pen and there is a format to taking down the notes. My daughter wants to use this tool.
We just got home from shopping for dorm room items. The most difficult item to find was bedding. The patterns on the comforters/duvets were all too loud or busy (which would surely over-stimulate my daughter). We ended up buying a quilted blanket that will do the job just as well but not be so annoying!
We also made sure we got clear storage bins and other see-thru items to make her life easier.

School and ADHD-Inattentive

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