We have an appt Monday to start Andy on medication for his ADD and his therapist has suggested we have him tested for LD since he has stated more than once that he has a "hard time getting things down on paper". (His words) So I got the ball rolling on that today. You know the paperwork and such before anything can be done. Anyway, do any of you think it's a good idea to do both of these at the same time, give or take the time it takes to get the paperwork processed and such. I've never done anything like this before. I'm complelety and utterly exhausted!! :confused:

We're in a similar boat ourselves. What I'm doing is backing off on the LD for now. We're trying to see if the meds help him slow down and concentrate enough that the LD symptoms we're seeing clear up. His handwriting and coloring when he's on his meds is much neater than before. We're still on the watch for anything, preliminary testing doesn't show signs of a LD, but we're not ruling anything out yet.

Since starting meds he's been trying to read and sound out letters a lot more than before. He used to say "I can't read" and not even try. I think the effort is a lot easier for him now.

Barbara

Barbara, the only problem with waiting for us is he's in 5th grade. Next year will be Jr. Hi. for him. I think we have to do it now before all the hustle and bustle of jr. hi. ya know? If we had another year or so of elementary school, I'd wait but don't see it as an option for us. Thanks for your reply. I hope we have simialiar success with the meds!

I have an LD - disgraphia - trouble getting thoughts onto paper. I show more knowledge of a subject verbally than I do in written form. It wasn't diagnosed till 8th grade (and they missed the ADHD completely!). My handwriting is messy and my spelling is terrible. I love my computer because it deals with these two problems in particular - I also like the fact that I can write a line or two and then cut and paste them, or save them, or go on to a different part of the composition - appearently the LD has a lot to do with problems in "sequencing" words, so the ability to work in disjointed fashion helps me. If I had to write everything down in the order it should appear - like on an exam - I have a much harder time.
Your son might have an easier time if he did his writing on a computer - or does he do this already?
I would definately try to tackle both problems at the same time. The ADHD meds might make the LD easier to deal with, but I don't think it will go away completely. Dexedrine doesn't make me any better at spelling, although I wish it did!

You sound like my son Greg! His handwriting is awful. Not even close to legible. We do reports and such on the computer, he tells me what to type and I do it. His spelling sucks too. They started the testing two days ago and now we have to wait for the school psychologist to observe him and go over some of the written test results before we go any further. We're still trying to find a time to get the meds into him so it doesnt' effect him during school and sleep time. He says he feels woozy when he takes it so I gave it to him before bed last night and he couldn't sleep for like 3 hours! Today we'll do it after school, around 3:00. I know after a while the effects will go away but I want to make it as smooth as possible in the mean time.

My son quietly underachieved throughout high school. My adult diagnosis of ADHD led to his private evaluation / assessment before he embarked on post-secondary education. The psychologist did a series of tests over several days to assess for LD, ADHD, ability, etc. We were told that, based on the testing results, the normal procedure was a trial of medication and retesting while on medication. As my son's scores were high (gifted), the psychologist stated that retesting was a waste of time and money, but the diagnosis of ADHD was made and medication has been a big success. Career choices? The psychologist told him he could do anything he wanted to.
Laura