New year... new worries

As the new school year begins I proceed with fear, worry & dread. I'm afraid that my son's teacher won't fully understand his ADHD and LD. Will she know how much harder he works than the other children? Will she know he needs to be able to get up out of his seat often? Will she understand him as well as his teacher did last year? While my son is full of excitement about the promise the new year brings, I have all of these questions going through my head. I started the school year off by sending a letter to his teacher the second day of school. I just wanted to introduce my son to her before any problems arose. So far things are going okay. She hasn't exactly followed his IEP, but we're working on that. Today I received the SchwabLearning newsletter that such an appropriate article in it. It is entitled "Raising a Teacher's Awareness about LD and AD/HD -- Parents as Educators." It speaks specifically to the concerns that I, and I'm sure other parents are having. I wanted to share it with you for that reason. To read it go here. Best wishes for you and your child this year!

New IDEA website

The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new website totally devoted to IDEA. Here's a blurb from the site: "This site was created to provide a "one-stop shop" for resources related to IDEA and its implementing regulations, released on August 3, 2006. It is a "living" website and will change and grow as resources and information become available."

ADHD, LD and the SAT/ACT tests

Did you know that students with LD and ADHD can receive accommodations when taking the SAT or ACT tests? Well, I didn't until I read about it in this month's issue of ADDitude magazine. According to this issue, if students can prove that their ADHD/LD affects their test-taking ability (which can be done easily with an IEP or 504 Plan), the College Board will provide accommodations to those students. For students who do not have an IEP or 504, it is still possible to receive the accommodations. However, the process is a little more complicated. Speaking with your child's guidance counselor should be your first step if this is the case.

For eligibility criteria, documentation required and forms necessary when taking the SAT, visit the College Board's website. If your child will be taking the ACT, read more about their requirements here.

I've also ran across several colleges that are specifly for students with ADHD and/or LD. For more information you can visit their websites.

1. Beacon College in Leesburg, FL
2. Landmark College in Putney, VT
3. Colleges with LD support programs go here or here for a list

Seven Essential Life Skills

To succeed in college, students must master seven independent living skills:

1. Managing money
2. Doing laundry
3. Having good sleep habits
4. Keeping track of appointments and deadlines
5. Staying on top of academic assignments
6. Requesting assistance when needed from tutors, counselors, and teachers
7. Using medication appropriately, and getting refills before running out

*Taken from the September 2006 issue of ADDitude magazine.

Children with ADHD & the Transition into Middle School

School related problems often escalate when ADHD kids enter middle school. The transition can be stressful for the best of students, but for a child with an "invisible" disability such as ADHD, it can be traumatic. Parents, teachers, and students have to team up to address problems before they escalate. Without intervention, there's plenty that can go wrong:

• Staying Organized: Necessary skills such as keeping planners, filing papers, and remembering books do not develop naturally. In ADHD kids, these are skills that must be taught. Without them, grades suffer.
• ADHD kids are easily distracted: Getting to class on time, several times a day as one must do in middle school and high school, can be particularly challenging.
• ADHD kids look like their peers: They blend in. It is not uncommon to find educators who consider the disorder an "excuse" for immature behavior rather than the neurobiology disorder it is. Without intervention, teachers and administrators may simply label the child as a troublemaker.
• Educate the child: Students with ADHD need to be able to advocate for themselves. In order to do this, they must understand ADHD and its impact on learning.
• Educate the teachers about ADHD: Proactive measures such as introducing the child to teachers can be an efficient way to help both teacher and child. By the time the child reaches high school, many parents of ADHD kids can be burned out on meetings with teachers, but it's important to keep renewing the commitment to the child's success.
• Give medication a good try: ADHD is a medical condition, medication is one of the primary therapies, but trial and error may be necessary. Not everyone with ADHD responds to the standard ADHD medication, but those who do, along with their families, agree it works wonders.
• Create a home routine: Since starting and finishing tasks is so difficult for people with ADHD, routines are a good way to teach the critical cognitive skills needed for school success: organizing, starting and finishing work, and planning.

(Adapted from Pro-Parents "Reach Out" quarterly newsletter, summer 2006 issue)

What Teachers Should Know about ADHD

I came across this article recently and wanted to share it. Since it's back-to-school time across the country I thought some of you might find it useful. It's amazing to me how many teachers really do not understand ADHD. Therefore, they aren't quite sure how to handle those students affected by it. Hopefully this article will help that situation.

New ADHD Medication

Alliant Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced the FDA approval of "the first and only chewable and liquid products for ADHD." It is called Methylin and comes in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg doses. It is approved for use in children six years and older and is grape flavored. For more information visit their website or call 1-877-817-ADHD (2343).

ADHD Friendly Products

I recently came across a website that sells "ADHD friendly products." They offer a wide array of items. They have everything from organizers to toys. I found it quite convenient to have so many items located on one website. If you're interested, take a look here. Be sure to browse through the items in the left hand column as well. Happy shopping!

Success at School

Today I received the September edition of ADDitude magazine in the mail. I'm always excited to get each new issue. It always has such informative articles and new information. This issue was no exception. On one page they advertised their "Online Guide to Success at School" section of their website. I quickly checked it out and was not disappointed. It is full of information that is useful for the upcoming school year as it relates to children with ADHD and LD. There are downloadable handouts to give your child's teacher, homework tips, organizational suggestions, and much, much more. I highly encourage you take a look for yourself. I plan to implement several of their suggestions and ideas for my son. Hope this helps you and your child as well.

A Patch for ADHD?

While surfing the web today for "ADHD," I came across a site for Daytrana. This is the "first and only patch for ADHD." Have any of you heard of this? I found it quite interesting and even requested their free information kit. It is available in 10mg, 15mg, 20mg, and 30mg doses. It's a patch that is to be applied to the child's hip once daily. Sure sounds easy, huh? There is also a video on the site that explains exactly how the patch works. I plan to discuss the pros and cons with my son's doctor in the coming weeks. For more information visit their website here.