5 Steps to ADHD Help at School

As a parent of a child with ADHD, I understand how frustrating it can be to deal with the school system while watching your kid struggle.

I mean, you get the emails about the missing assignments...the phone calls about the inappropriate blurting out in class and the wandering about the room….the poor grades on tests because your kid didn’t finish or didn’t read the questions correctly.

Um, HELLO? My kid has ADHD? Why is the school complaining instead of helping?

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

#1 Get Classroom Support for Your Child with ADHD: CONFIRM THE DIAGNOSIS.

If you want the school to provide your child with any kind of accommodation, or make any special exceptions for your child with ADHD, you have got to CONFIRM THE DIAGNOSIS!

Well, what does that even mean? They can obviously see my kid is struggling or they wouldn’t be emailing me to complain, right?

Right. But until an expert says otherwise, your kid is not going to be treated differently than any other. Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to find a teacher that will just do what needs doing. BONUS!

So, how do you CONFIRM?

There are a couple of options:

(b). VISIT THE PEDIATRICIAN:

ADHD is a medical diagnosis, so you can schedule a visit with your child’s pediatrician to talk about what’s going on. You’ll need to provide proof that the behavior has been happening for a long time, that it happens a lot, in many different settings, and that it’s bad enough to be considered atypical for his/her age.

Most pediatricians will use some form of rating scale (Connor’s Rating Scale or the Vanderbilt Rating Scale) to help in confirming a diagnosis along with other tools and examination. It’s fairly simple. You rate your kid on a list of behaviors from 0-3. The classroom teacher will also fill out a similar form.

(b). VISIT A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL:

Mental health professionals, like a psychologist or psychiatrist, can also confirm ADHD. They often use more detailed tools to figure out what specific types of attention deficits a person has.

A mental health professional will also provide counseling to help your kid learn how to control or at least manage his/her behavior. However, be aware that you will need a medical doctor’s involvement if you decide to use medication to manage ADHD symptoms.

A psychologist can’t give the medical diagnosis or prescribe medication, but they can offer some strategies to help out.

Once you have a confirmed diagnosis from a qualified professional, you can move on to the next step.

#2 Get Classroom Support for Your Child with ADHD: REQUEST AN EVALUATION.

In order for a school to provide special services or accommodations for your student the school is required to follow a specific set of steps and rules.

This begins with a request for an evaluation. This request can be made by the parent or the classroom teacher, but it can only happen with the parent’s permission.

How do I REQUEST an EVALUATION?

• Call the school and ask to speak to the principal / vice principal. Tell them you want to request a special education evaluation for your student to determine eligibility for services for ADHD. Write down the time and date of the phone call.

OR

• Write a letter (make a copy) or email (better option) to the principal / vice principal. Tell them you want to request a special education evaluation for your student to determine eligibility for services for ADHD.

Depending on what state (USA) you live in, the school will have to schedule a meeting with you within a certain amount of time - usually within 15 school days.

#3 Get Classroom Support for Your Child with ADHD: ATTEND AN EVALUATION PLAN MEETING.

The school will invite you to attend an evaluation plan meeting where a team will be formed to discuss your concerns. Some schools call this a Student Concern Meeting.

The team will likely be made up of the principal or another member of the administration, the classroom teacher, a special education teacher and the parent (you).

What happens at an Evaluation Plan Meeting?

• The team is formed (see team members listed above).

• The team will all share concerns about the student’s performance, behavior and/ or needs - including evidence. Here is where you get to have your say and tell them what you think is going on.

• The team will decide together if there is enough evidence to support the need for a special education evaluation.

• If they agree that there is enough evidence, the team will put together an evaluation plan (list of tests and observations that the school will do) and each team member will sign a document agreeing to the evaluation. Evaluation must be done in 45 school days.

• If there is not enough evidence to support the need for a special education evaluation, the team will talk about other options to support the student. This might include a 504 plan with accommodations, maybe some more RTI (Response to Intervention) strategies for the classroom, or they may decide to take no action at all. Yes, they can do that. But it doesn’t mean it’s over.

What if I don’t agree with what the team decides?

• The team cannot go ahead with a special education evaluation without permission from a parent or guardian. That is illegal.

• The team can refuse to conduct a special education evaluation if they decide that the student would probably not qualify for service. There are specific requirements that must be met for a student to qualify for services. If a student is passing all their classes despite the ADHD, an evaluation would not likely be recommended. A 504 plan might be offered instead to help behavioral and organizational concerns.

• If the team takes no action, you should continue to collect evidence of how your child is struggling and resubmit your request at a later time or consult with an advocate.

• You should also offer suggestions to the classroom teacher about what you believe will help your student succeed in the classroom.

• A positive relationship with the classroom teacher is a good idea in all of these scenarios. A good attitude leads to a good communication and a good relationship. You need these people to support your kid.

• If the classroom teacher is unwilling to make accommodations, you may also consider asking for a change of class assignment. A different teacher may be more likely to help.

#4 Get Classroom Support for Your Child with ADHD: ATTEND EVALUATION RESULTS MEETING / IEP MEETING.

Once the evaluation (testing & observations) have been completed and the findings written up into a report, the team will meet again to discuss what happens next.

• The team will use the results to decide if the student qualifies for special education. In the case of ADHD, the student’s behavior / performance must prevent or seriously decrease his/her learning. Just having ADHD doesn’t automatically qualify them.

• Once eligibility has been determined, the team will come up with an IEP (Individual Education Plan). The team will decide together what the student needs in the way of instruction, accommodations, and tools, to help your kid in the classroom. The IEP must be written and signed within 30 school days. The special education teacher usually writes the IEP and sends it to you to sign.

• If the student does not qualify for special education, a 504 plan may be developed instead. The 504 plan will provide a legal backing for the student to get accommodations for instruction, testing, and behavioral expectations.

  • It’s different than an IEP. It is still a legal document, but there aren’t as many laws and rules that apply.

The difference between an IEP and a 504 plan is kind of like this:

If I can’t reach a book on the top shelf, an IEP will give me a different book, have someone else hand me the book or not require me to have the book at all. A 504 plan, on the other hand would give me a ladder so I can reach the book or give me more time to figure out how to reach it myself.

#5 Get Classroom Support for Your Child with ADHD: FOLLOW UP WITH CLASSROOM TEACHER / SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER.

After an IEP or 504 plan has been made (usually takes 30 school days) and you have signed the plan giving your permission to move forward, the classroom teacher and special education teacher begin to work on all the goals and accommodations that have been set up. They will keep track of how things are going and see if the changes are helping.

• YOU NEED TO STAY IN CONTACT WITH THOSE TEACHERS. Keep a good relationship with them so that they will be more willing to listen to your concerns with compassion. “You attract more flies with honey, right?”

• Keep track of progress. Do you see any improvements over time ? You need to have realistic expectations about how long this is gonna take (give it a good 6-8 weeks before you see any changes).

  • Just jotting down some goals on a document and signing it isn’t going to flip switches in your kid’s head or suddenly cause him to be able to do things that he couldn’t before. IT’S GOING TO TAKE TIME. PRAY FOR PATIENCE.

• Ask lots of questions about how it’s going. Ask your child about how school is going - better, worse or the same? Ask the teacher what he/she notices.

• If things do not improve or stay the same after 6-8 weeks, request another IEP meeting to reevaluate the plan. Maybe the goals were not tailored enough. Maybe try a different set of strategies.