OK, ksaleh, here is our update: Our son is diagnosed with ADHD, and a possible learning disability in written expression. We are considering special education services by suggestion of the neuropsych who evaluated him. I was really hoping that he did not have ADHD, but now that we know, we can cope with it. I do not want to emphasize the ADHD and do want to focus on his strengths.
Our first visit with the psychologist (out of pocket, $$$) is tomorrow. I may change this and try to get an in-network psych, but I am more concerned with getting great care, so we will at least start there.
I am willing to do a trial of stimulant-type meds after reading more about it in the book Delivered from Distraction. I don't want to try the other classes of drugs, so if he's one of the 75% or so whom a stimulant-type doesn't work for, then we're going only with behavior strategies.
Please tell me more about the impacts on secondary and post secondary life. The big concerns right now are that 4th grade is a very challenging year (his next school year), and is writing is at a 1st grade level at this time. It's my hope to give him the best possible shot at catching up and having a great year in school next year (and beyond).
Disclaimer: While sped is a federal law, implementation is left up to the states, so I can only speak to my experience in Texas. Your state might vary.
So one thing that is important to know is that the criteria for a learning disability in the clinical world and the criteria for a learning disability in the educational setting are two different things, so the neuropsych saying he has a learning disability does not mean he automatically can get services in the school. Regardless, a diagnosis of ADHD is usually enough to get services.
The first thing you should know is that there are two different services you can consider accessing for your son: 504 and Special Education.
504 is the section of the individuals with disabilities act that guarantees students with disabilities must be provided with appropriate accommodations.
Special Education (or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA) is the law that requires that schools provide a free and appropriate education (or FAPE) to students with disabilities.
Some big differences:
504 is easier to qualify for, but the supports they provide a somewhat limited compared to IDEA.
504 services can be provided in college, IDEA only applies to public schools.
IDEA requires a student to have a disability and to have a requirement for specially designed instruction because of that disability, 504 only asks if a basic life function is impaired by the disability.
As far as impacts later in life, that depends on how special education is set up in your state. In Texas, students can be supported in the general curriculum, or they can have modified curriculum. The big changes come into play if a student has modified instruction. In general, modified curriculum means that we remove some of the less important concepts that are taught to allow the students to focus on only the important stuff. In theory it seems like a good plan, but it can set some kids up to fall further and further behind. The big issue is when a kid is modified when they are in elementary and then move on to high school. In Texas, if a student has even one modified class in high school, then the following issues come up:
1. They cannot go straight to a 4 year university, they have to start out at a community college and then later transfer to a four year university.
2. They are required to complete some extra piece for graduation since they are not responsible for knowing the full curriculum. This usually means that they have to take a cluster of courses that are related so that they have skills coming out of high school (we have 2 year elective blocks like cosmetology, automotive, culinary, etc) or they have to find and maintain employment for 1 semester, or they can be connected to an agency that provides services to adults with disabilities.
3. Many times (and this can also come up in middle school), they will lose some of their elective spots to have additional courses for remediation. Most of our elementary kiddos move on to middle school and get to choose 3 electives, but most of the kids with modified curriculum only end up getting to choose 2 or sometimes even only 1.
If you and the school are considering special education, here is my advice to you:
1. read up on your rights for 504 and IDEA. I would google "Procedural Safeguards (Your State)" for the sped guidelines and "Parents Guide to 504 (Your State)" and read up. You might also ask the school counselor and/or special education department for a copy (Warning: these documents are long and written in legalese).
2. If your child gets referred, get the name and number of the evaluator and make sure they contact you to do a test interpretation before any meetings. Parents who go into the meetings blind get a mountain of legal jargon thrown at them and it can be overwhelming, so it is best if you can sit down with the LSSP or diag at an earlier time to ask all of your questions and be better prepared for the meeting.
3. When you want to provide behavioral interventions, try to work with the school staff and see if you can both implement the same system at home and school. Kids with ADHD tend to do better with structure and if the rules of the game are the same at home and school, it can be easier.
4. Do not let the school overwhelm you or pressure you into a making a decision for your child. Most everyone in education is well-intentioned, but sometimes they can get stuck in their mode of thinking. Never forget that your are a member of the team that makes decisions. You have to agree in order for them to provide services. You need to understand and agree with the decisions, so make sure they are always acting in the interest of your child.
5. On the flip side to #4, don't get crazy unreasonable with the school. IDEA doesn't mean you have the right to push unrealistic demands on the school. IDEA requires the school to provide an appropriate education at no cost, not to maximize your child's potential. The latter is your job as a parent.
6. Never EVER let your child think that their disability is an acceptable reason to fail. The students that I have worked with who end up struggling throughout their educational career are always the ones who have excuses like "I can't focus" or "It think it is my meds fault". In the end, there is still personal responsibility.
One of my favorite stories is a student with a pretty significant learning disability that I had who transferred in to one of my high schools. By credit, she was a sophomore, but was supposed to be a junior. We were in a meeting discussing her planning and she was talking about her plan to take a rather rigorous, by any standard, course load so that she could catch up and graduate on time. Her principal talked to her about how it was okay if she took some extra time and that she shouldn't push herself. She listened to him comments, but i could see it in her eyes that she was determined to pull this off. Well, she busted her butt and caught back up and graduated on time. Now, she working her way through college to become a vet tech and is killing it.
Well, I think that is enough of a novel today. Hope some of the info here helps.
