Michele [guest] from livingwithadd.com
HELP! Posted 10-10-2002 06:22

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My son was diagnosed with ADD 2 years ago. He is now in the third grade. I am having tremendous difficulty with his school. I have had several confrences already this year. I have insisted on accomodations, he has extra time on tests, he carries a binder instead of loose folders, etc. We are having other problems though. The worst one is homework. He does homework from the time he walks in the door until it is time to go to bed (he stops only to eat and bathe). His psychologist suggested timing his assignments and having him try to "beat the clock" the problem with that is when he sees that he is running out of time he rushes and does it all wrong. I feel so bad for him. He is only 8 years old, he should have time to play when he gets home from school. I am so tired of pushing him and he is tired of being pushed. I am at my wits end. Please, if anyone has any ideas that could help me...at this point I'm willing to try anything! (I'm even thinking about homeschooling.) Thanks so much,
Michele

JEANNIE [guest] from livingwithadd.com
SON WITH ADD Posted 10-10-2002 16:36

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HI MICHELL
MY SON IS ALMOST 7 YEARS OLD AND I AM HAVING THE SAME TROUBLE AS YOU. I THOUGHT I WAS ALONE BUT I GUESS NOT, I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING ALSO AND IT SEEMS THAT NOTHING WORKS. THE ONLY THING I CAN SAY IS BE PATIENT AND GIVE HIM ALL THE TIME HE NEEDS.THATS WHAT WORKS FOR US.

tonimcf [guest] from livingwithadd.com
help Posted 10-27-2002 14:07

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Hi michele,
I too have this problem with my 7 year old daughter. I made an appointment with the teacher and explained this problem, we agreed that 20 minutes a day was enough time on homework given that she try her hardest to stay on task, anymore was only making Caitlin hate schoolwork. (homework expecially)and made for a better quality homework rather than a lot of messy jumbled answers.
Toni

dyan from livingwithadd.com
same boat as you Posted 10-30-2002 08:41

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hey michelle just wanted you to know that i know exactly what your going through.I have a 8 yr old son also that is the exact same way.We are doing homework from the time he gets in till just about bed time.My son was diagnosed almost a yr ago w/add..just wanted u to know u arent alone & like u I'm looking for helpful ideas on what to do

Richwood from livingwithadd.com
Setting up a school for students with ADD Posted 11-7-2002 03:14

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Michele:

I have two sons, 9 years old and 12 years old with
ADD.

I know exactly what you are experiencing.

The long term solution would be to place your son in a school for children with ADD.

The best school for children with ADD is the Hunter School in the USA (see www.hunterschool.org).

If you are in Canada, you might be interested in supporting a project in the concept stage to set up
a school like the Hunter School.

Please read about Thom Hartmann who co-founded the Hunter School. ( See text below)

Thom is a writer, former editor and reporter, entrepreneur, psychotherapist (and NLP Practitioner and NLP Trainer), and worldwide lecturer who lives in Vermont. His name is often misspelled as Tom Hartman, Tom Hartmann, or Thom Hartman. His writings focus on the intersection of myth and stories - otherwise known as "culture" - and how those stories, when they become toxic, lead to problems with schools, democratic institutions, the environment, and even problems in life, relationships, and communities.

Web addresses include: mythicalintelligence.com - mythcity.com - thomhartmann.com prophetsway.com - mythical.net - crforum.com - knightstemplar.com - prioryofsion.com - lasthours.com - greatestsecret.com - thomhartman.com - tomhartmann.com - tomhartman.com - healingadd.com - shadowcoaching.com - wisdomschool.com

You may write to me for more information :

My e-mail address is richwood@mail.com

Yours truly,

Rich Wood

livingwithadd from livingwithadd.com
If only.... Posted 11-11-2002 06:00

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First of all I want to say that I really like Thom Hartmann's work and have several of his books.

I do agree that our school systems do not work for well for most students with AD/HD and/or other learning differences.

I'm sure the Hunter School is a great school but not everybody has the option of sending his or her child there. Most people can not afford the tuition. Many parents don't want to send their child away to a school in the middle of New Hampshire.

Parents need to educate themselves about AD/HD and advocate for their children.

Whether they choose private, public or home schooling they must advocate their children because in most caes nobody else will.

kellie [guest] from livingwithadd.com
help Posted 11-18-2002 03:41

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Hi Michelle,
I just found this site, and I wanted to give you some insight on dealing with homework and public schools. Get ready, it's a nightmare. My son is 14 years old and was diagnosed at 6 as ADHD, moderate. I can only name two teachers out of his entire public school experience that even had a clue. Public schools are not willing to help these children. They don't want to have to do anymore than what they're already doing; its too much of an effort. Don't be fooled by the so called IEP's either. They don't help. That's their legal way of saying, "see, we're doing our job." Things got so frustrating for my son that he basically gave up and would do nothing but sit all day in class. I finally pulled him out and started homeschooling him in the fourth grade. That worked for a while, but he is a social butterfly and could not handle the isolation so we went to private. They are more equipped to handle ADD kids, but some of the teachers are not qualified to be teaching. So you have to take matters into your own hands and educate yourself and try to get the teachers to read up on this disorder. If you can homeschool, that is your best bet. It's not easy, but its worth the effort. Public schools do not have a clue about discipline for these kids either. They don't learn the way other kids do. Most ADD kids are visual learners. They must be taught by example--hands on teaching. Most teachers are not willing to take the time to teach in this manner. The other thing that will help is nutrition and vitamins. There are some companies putting out multivitamins that are specifically for ADD kids. These children also need more proteins and less carbohydrates. Peanut Butter is great. It helps to calm. I also had my son on Ritalin, and I tried Adderall, but they are so hard on their systems. My son started having facial ticks and other strange side effects. The dosage wasn't that high either. Go to Amazon.com and search for books for ADHD. They have got a ton of top-quality books available. Don't give, just hang in there. These kids are extremely intelligent, creative, sensitive, and very caring. You just have to find the right key to unlock the potential.
God Bless You.

Amy [guest] from livingwithadd.com
homework battles Posted 1-12-2003 21:32

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My daughter is in 2nd grade and last year, we would spend about 3 hours on homework. I would actually have to scan pages before she started on them so that when she erased through the paper or scrunched it up, we would have another copy that showed the completed problems (we learned to do this the hard way, several times). She started on Ritalin, moved to Adderall when she was diagnosed with the Hyperactivity aspect. Ritalin helped at home but not at school. Adderall was the opposite. We're using Concerta (time-released Ritalin) with EXCEPTIONAL success. Last week, we only had 2 papers come home with minor corrections to do! Usually, it's several pages every night, not to mention the 30 minutes of required reading with journal entry.
What has helped us tremendously is lists, lists, and more lists. Her homework list is so detailed that it mentions "Turn your light on. Sit down. Choose a pencil from your drawer. Do you need counters for math homework?..." She needs it to be this way or she gets side-tracked. I have found that using a timer only frustrates and panics my daughter. It's great for chores or showers, but not school-work because accuracy is important and it's also defeating when the timer goes off and there is still 1/2 a paper left. With chores, at least we can reset it and see the progress. For some reason, it's just easier that way. And don't forget how important routine is!!! NEVER stray from a good one once you work it out. It's more difficult if you have other children, but well worth the effort in the long run.
With regard to the private/public school issue. My daughter is in a private school and hasn't had an IEP done because once they perform it, my daughter will not be allowed to attend the school. Public schools aren't an option for us because of their horrible track record. And there is simply no way in Hades that I would send my daughter away, out of state no less (!), to attend ANY school unless I moved to the neighborhood myself (also not an option). I understand the good intent of such a program, but it is completely unrealistic for most people. Not to mention how emotionally hard it would be on these sensitive children. Imagine feeling different in many ways only to have your parent send you away!
Try reading A Mind At A Time by Dr. Mel Levine, or The 6 Types of ADD by Dr. Daniel Amen. Good luck, and keep us updated.

linky [guest] from Everyone.net email
lists ARE important Posted 1-15-2003 20:22

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My 10-year-old daughter was diagnosed with ADD nearly two years ago and while it gave us a much better understanding of her behaviour, it also started the uphill battle in modifying her behaviour. For us lists worked like a dream - she has a daytimer (paper and electronic) and she has reminders everywhere in her room of the things she needs to do - from brushing her teeth to getting ready for school. Homework used to be a nightmare, but we are dealing with it well. She has an incredibly high metabolism and is on 36m of Concerta in the morning and 18mg in the afternoon. She was on Adderall before, but we found Concerta to be much better for her.

Good luck though - I KNOW what you are going through, but you need to modify your child's behaviour and teach them that ADD is NOT a crutch - in fact it can be your child's greatest strength. These children are tremendously creative and really see the world through rose-tinted glasses...

DoorMat [guest] from livingwithadd.com
Hare and the tortoise Posted 1-19-2003 04:57

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I am a second year business student. I think the problem is, the detail, I used to write 15 pages, where my prof said other students wrote a page, so my project was almost a hundred pages, instead of about 20 pages, is this bad? I don't think so unless it gets in the way of your goals. I can get mixed up with detail, or overwhelmed with something I don't undertand cause of all the detail, probably a tutor would be ideal, but then I can also diasect detail and find things which are really important and are missed by my "normal" peers. They always bring up Einstein. So you don't feel bad, He had ADHD too you know, I know cause they have told me that 5 million times. A tutor might be good for the kids. Someone that could keep them on track. It is a serious problem cause if you rush, you get it all wrong, and it doesn't get better, if anything it gets worse, as the work gets more complicated. So it is like a person who needs a crutch, I write how I do things in my book, that is a great help, (unless you have to sell the book again). I look for organizers so I can organize everything,in sub groups, I post important things all over my walls. You have to enjoy your classes to put with the problem. I love my classes, I wouldn't want to give up, so I painfully do everything, and it works. So don't worry too much. Let the kid remember the story of the hare and tortoise, if Einstein gets stale.