Vyvanse, Dr Appt and School Updates

[JenE]

School is off to a good start. A little anxiety on the first day as expected but subsided by second day. He's doing well with Dad taking him (a big routine change for him) and I'm getting him at dismissal so we can get homework done before meds wear off and he gets too tired/frustrated. He is getting some warnings for speaking out of turn and he is having some issues with getting is work done on time. He is slow to copy notes from the board and his spelling words are much more difficult than last year so we are struggling there.

Saw Dr today, DS was quite animated and did a lot of babytalk (hadn't seen that in a while). Based on these behaviours and his teacher's assessment, we are going to try bumping to 30mgs of Vyvanse. We will not do this until next wknd because I will not be home this wknd and we want to make sure there is plenty of support around if it doesn't go well.

I really think it will be fine but we are foreverr cautious. We are justing looking for that window that gives us better focus and impulse control but keeps the personality quality we are seeing and liking on the Vyvanse. He has been in a better mood, less irritable, less anxious and more outgoing since starting the Vyvanse. We just hope we don't lose these good effects when we tweak up the dose.

[LynneC]

Keep us posted!

We are switching to Vyvanse from Focalin, and I'll start my son this weekend on 20 mg. He needed a bump up on the Focalin, and I am not entirely convinced that it is the best med for him due to some of the side effects I see. (mostly mood-related, but tics, too.)

Anyway, I'm hoping that the Vyvanse helps with the mood issue.

I'll post when I have an update, too.

[JANAE]

Good luck. Hope the change goes well.

[happytexas]

Originally Posted by JenE

He is getting some warnings for speaking out of turn and he is having some issues with getting is work done on time. He is slow to copy notes from the board and his spelling words are much more difficult than last year so we are struggling there.

Does he have an IEP? I don't remember how old your ds is; implementing IEPs for middle and hs can be trickier. But he shouldn't be penalized for ADHD related behavior, the focus should be on providing more effective support. Instead of "warnings" for speaking out of turn the focus should be on helping him to realize he is doing the behavior and stop himself with verbal and/or non-verbal cues from the teacher. An IEP should also cover what can be tried to help him get his work done in class, and what happens when he does not; last year my ds was easily distracted during math lessons and had trouble completing his work, so this year (3rd grade) his IEP includes providing him with more visuals that are not manipulatives (big distraction) and allowing him to go to the resource room to complete his work. It took us two IEP meetings with me, the resource teachers, his 2nd grade teacher, and the LSSP, discussing what behaviors/issues should be addressed in his IEP and making sure his teacher's this year had enough information/support to effectively implement the IEP. The book "Social Behavior Mapping" also has a few charts that address classroom behavior that may be helpful.

If your ds' teacher was able to write notes on paper with a projector she could make copies for him to supplement his own notes (I have a professor that does this). He could also use a recording device; I started using a digital recorder again last semester when I spaced-out for a good portion of an accounting class.

[JenE]

Thanks everyone. DS is 10yrs old and in Fifth grade. He seems to be having more problems keeping up than in previous grades but we aren't sure if it is really more difficult, or he's still settling in (just starting 3rd week of school) or if it that the meds aren't quite there yet.

At any rate, I DO believe we will need some amount of accomodations if not this year, starting next yr in 6th grade. I asked him how he learned best and he said reading from a page. He said he didn't learn anything from copying notes because he didn't actually read it for comprehension while he's copying--he's too focused on writing the words as quickly as he can and as neatly as he can. So I think providing him with pre-written notes may be the best way to go.

We had him tested privately at the end of 2nd grade. He tested above average to superior in intellegience and it showed he was functioning at only slightly below his intelligience level. He does have a slight LD in decoding which affects his ability to sound out words and to spell correctly. The Dr said with the results he saw, he didn't think the school would be willing to do anything, especially since he was achieving at or above grade level. But he DID say we would probably want to have him retested about 5th grade because of the higher expectations of middle school and the fact that his brain functioning would change as he got older. I believe we are seeing that now.

I dreaded trying to go through all that with our old principal but we have a new one that we don't have a "history" with this year so maybe it would be different.

Anywho, we are going to bump his dose to 30mgs this coming wknd and see how that does for him. He's not eating well again and that concerns us but I've heard others say that goes away with time with Vyvanse. I hope so!!!

[happytexas]

Originally Posted by JenE

We had him tested privately at the end of 2nd grade. He tested above average to superior in intellegience and it showed he was functioning at only slightly below his intelligience level. He does have a slight LD in decoding which affects his ability to sound out words and to spell correctly. The Dr said with the results he saw, he didn't think the school would be willing to do anything, especially since he was achieving at or above grade level. But he DID say we would probably want to have him retested about 5th grade because of the higher expectations of middle school and the fact that his brain functioning would change as he got older. I believe we are seeing that now.

That's not how the law works; if the disability (ADHD, LD, etc.) is affecting his ability to receive FAPE then it's covered by the law. The school is negligent if they deliberately wait for him to fail. Sometimes schools respond poorly due to ignorance or incompetence and occasionally a school will say "oh yeah, well sue us"--most are not quite that bad. An evaluation is not required for a 504 so that can be done ASAP; the school will likely want to do its own eval for an IEP--you'll need to write a letter to request a comprehensive evaluation and include your consent (make sure you note the date you submit the request and keep an eye on the timeline). My son's first IEP (labeled as OHI under IDEA as ADHD isn't specifically covered) didn't cover anything academic; it was for speech (social reciprocity and pragmatics). This year's IEP is more comprehensive, addressing more of his behaviors that affect his ability to receive FAPE; ds' distractibility and anxiety were affecting his performance in math last year so we addressed that specifically in his IEP as well.

It's also not good policy to assume things; sometimes you just have to provide the school with the right motivation, like showing them you know the law. If you anticipate trouble you may want to consult a special education attorney (don't worry, I really mean just a consult); an advocate can be a good idea as they should know things that will take you awhile to figure out. Though you should always read the law for yourself, not just take someone's word for it. Make Wrightslaw.com your new best friend ; I highly recommend their books "Wrightslaw Special Education Guide 2nd Edition", "Wrightslaw From Emotion to Advocacy", and "All About IEPs"; the information is available for free on their website but it's good to have the books on hand, especially when you are first starting out.