What is ADD?
Contents:
What if my Child is Just Gifted and Bored?
How Can I Help My ADD Child at Home?
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a topic that is frequently in the media. There are a variety of theories on the causes and the treatments of this disorder.
At Indian Hill Elementary School, classroom teachers work to provide organized lessons and clear expectations for students who work best in a structured environment. If a student continues to have difficulty, the teacher may call for an Intervention Assistance Team meeting, where parents, teachers, and specialists will work together to suggest classroom and home interventions.
Occasionally, if the attentional problems are severe, the IAT will recommend that a behavior rating scale be completed by the child's parents and teachers. The checklist helps show the exact behaviors the child is exhibiting, and the level of intensity of these behaviors. The checklists are collected and interpreted by the school psychologist. This information is shared with the parents and other members of the IAT. Further intervention can then be discussed.
Parents often choose to take this data to their pediatrician, who may want to do a complete physical exam, including a screening for allergies and metabolic disorders. The parents and the pediatrician can then discuss what treatment is appropriate - medication, behavior modifications, family counseling, or a combination.
ADD is a medical condition that may - or may not - involve hyperactivity. The most up-to-date symptoms are in the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders - 4th Edition, and include the following:
- symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity that have existed for at least six months
- some of the symptoms were present before age seven
-some of the symptoms are present in two or more settings (at school and at home, for example)
-the symptoms have caused significant impairment in academic or social skills
A 504 Plan lists accommodations that will be provided for a student in the classroom. In order to qualify for a 504 Plan, a student must have a disability as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This Act prohibits discrimination against handicapped individuals in any program or activity receiving federal funding. In this Act, a disability is defined as "a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities" - including learning. The phrase "substantially" is vitally important when determining if a student is eligible for a 504 Plan.
In our school, the majority of students with 504 Plans have been diagnosed with ADD. The ADD must be affecting the child's education to a marked degree, as documented through standardized and proficiency test scores, grades, classroom observations, and work samples. Not all students with ADD have - or need - a 504 Plan. If a student's symptoms are controlled with medication, a 504 Plan will not be necessary. The evaluation team, which includes the parents, will decide if a child's learning has been substantially affected and the most appropriate program for the child.
Our guidance counselors usually oversee the 504 Plan process, which begins with an Intervention Assistance Team meeting, a recommendation for the completion of behavior checklists, and information from the child's pediatrician. If the child qualifies for a 504 Plan, the counselor, the classroom teacher and the child's parents will meet to discuss what the requires. The plan is written, listing the accommodations that will be made in the classroom. The child's progress is monitored and the plan updated as needed, and is formally reviewed at least once a year.
What if My Child is Just Gifted - and Bored?
Many of the behaviors seen in children with ADD, including blurting out answers to questions, difficulty following through with tasks, difficulty playing games fairly and quietly, and talking excessively, could also be found in children who are bright, creative and gifted. Without a thorough professional examination, it may be difficult to tell the difference. Of course, children may be gifted and have ADD. Again, a professional evaluation is needed for diagnosis and intervention strategies.
Listed below are some of the ways to tell the differences between ADD and giftedness:
-Gifted children may daydream or show boredom in some situations. Children with ADD have poor attention spans in almost all unstructured situations.
-Gifted children may not be able to sustain effort on tasks they find irrelevant or dull. ADD children may not be able to put forth sustained effort without immediate feedback and reward. Gifted children may be able to be intensively focused on activities of interest to them. ADD children have trouble focusing on almost all activities, with the exception of television and video games.
-Gifted children may question the reason for specific expectations and rules. ADD children may not be able to follow rules due to impulsiveness.
If you think your child may be gifted - and not ADD - contact your child's classroom teacher. The teacher can review scores from ability testing, provide input from classroom observations, and show work samples from a variety of subject areas.
How Can I Help My ADD Child at Home?
If your child does have ADD - or if your child exhibits some of the symptoms and is having difficulty in the classroom, consider some of the following suggestions:
* Post a daily or weekly schedule. Encourage your child to plan his day (school, soccer, homework, TV, etc.).
* Try to have as much of a set schedule as possible. For example, have the same bed time each night, the same dinner time, the same homework time. Establish morning and evening routines.
* Design a quiet work space for homework. Allow your child to stand while working or pace while reading, if necessary.
* Establish a set place for coats, gloves, bookbags, and notes to home. Pack bookbags as soon as homework is complete in the evening. Put a post-it note by the door for morning checks: Do I have my lunch money? my bookbag? my permission slip?
* Break down tasks into small components. Make a list of the tasks. Have your child cross off each task as it is completed for a feeling of accomplishment!
* Help your child to learn organizational skills. Color code folders, book covers and papers (a colored dot in the tope corner) - everything green for science, red for reading, etc. Periodically check to see if papers are in the correct folder.
* Monitor the effect the time and effort in parenting your ADD child is having on your other children. Sibling and family relationships can be difficult when one child has special needs. Family counseling, even short term, may be beneficial.
* Consider joining a parent organization and attending meetings and conferences for support, ideas and information on the latest interventions and research on medications.
Web sites:
Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD)
LD Online - information from experts and parent bulletin board
Books:
Is Your Child Hyperactive? Inattentive? Impulsive? Distractible? Helping the ADD/Hyperactive Child by Stephen W. Garber, Ph.D., and others. Villard Books - New York. 1995
This book gives information on the testing for and possible causes of ADD. Includes great strategies for teaching your child how to stretch his attention span, how to control impulses, how to beat distractions and how to get along better with peers.
Putting on the Brakes: A Young People's Guide to Understanding ADHD
This book would be appropriate for 4th graders and above and their parents. It explains in simple terms what ADHD is, both physically and emotionally, gives practical suggestions on improving study habits, organizing belongings, managing time and making friends.
Learning To Slow Down and Pay Attention
This book is written at the 3rd grade level and could be read aloud to younger children. It is aimed at children with ADHD, but any child could benefit from the practical advise given on ways to improve organizational skills, getting up in the morning, improving memory and completing homework.
Eagle Eyes
This is the true story of a boy with ADHD and his family. It is a short story and could be read aloud in one sitting. It discusses the feelings of frustrations the boy has until he is diagnosed. It then goes on to tell, in simple terms, of the medication and behavior plans used to make the boy feel successful.
Maybe You Know My Kid - A Parent's Guide to Identifying, Understanding, and Helping Your Child with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Revised)
This book was written by a mother of a child with ADD. It tells the problems, the frustrations and the successes their family has experienced. The book gives information on the different types of ADHD and tells of current research on educating children with each type. It gives practical advice on how to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of children with ADHD. Information about the Individuals With Disabilities Act is given, along with sample behavior charts and checklists.
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