Thursday, December 15, 2016

A Long Overdue Update.....

I'm still around! As, it turns out, life with three quirky boys all in "real deal" school is quite busy.  I sometimes feel like my brain is shared with three extra people.... which I guess is a typical mom feeling, but it's definitely amplified when there are executive function issues.

I'm going to take my update one child at a time, one post at a time.

So..... B.

He is 12 now, almost 13 and in the 7th grade. He has been at his private school since the middle of 5th grade, when we pulled him out of public school thinking smaller class size was the answer.

In some ways, it was. It didn't NOT help. It also didn't fix everything.

This year, he began going to resource period in lieu of foreign language. While this is a wonderful thing, we were all a little disappointed because as it turns out, learning a foreign language is something he's really great at.  Nevertheless, this was the option afforded us, so we took it.

In resource, they help him prioritize his homework and projects and give him time to work on them. They are supposed to also be teaching him HOW to organize himself, though that isn't happening the way we imagined it. I will say, since starting resource period (and starting back on ADHD meds again), his grades have improved and less homework is going "missing".

We just had updated psych-ed testing done for B.  We are such frequent fliers with our three that the psychologist offered us a discount this time.

He was last tested when he was 8 years old and entering third grade.  Guess what? Still ADHD. LOL. No surprises really. We did however, learn that he is more or less a math genius, which DID come as a surprise, particularly since he struggles so mightily with algebra this year.

His executive function issues are as bad as ever, and the effect is evident in some of his scores involving working memory and writing.  I wish people who think ADHD is a myth would look at an educational report of a child who has it. It's hard to argue when you see it by the numbers..... and heartbreaking when you can see on paper how much your child struggles to keep up when there is organization and focus involved.

The biggest surprise that came out of the new testing was that B, like S, is also dysgraphic. Any handwriting component in the testing brought down his speed and scores down substantially enough to qualify him.  The difference between B and S with this is that B doesn't have any other disability with written language.... strictly the motor component.  So he can compose a paragraph/essay/whatever just fine, but handwriting it is challenging and tiring. Basically at this point, it just means he needs to type more often than not, which, by middle school is happening anyway.

The psychologist is very much pushing for us to move him to a better fit for school next year and we are strongly considering it. There are a couple teachers at his current school who are just SO rigid and so unwilling to budge in how they deal with B and it's incredibly frustrating. We have a kid who is super smart, wants to please, and WANTS to do well..... and they just won't help. There are also a few that do an EXCEPTIONAL job with him and see only the good, amazing things he can do.... and that is what gives us pause about making a move.

Anyway, so there we are.... I'm not sure where I thought we'd be with him by now. I guess I thought he would have improved with his executive function issues more than he has just with maturity. Now I know he needs literal step-by-step instruction and structure across the board at school. Inconsistent teachers are his downfall, as are open-ended projects. And inconsistent teachers who give open-ended projects? Just forget it.

I'll update more soon as we make a school decision. We have found a school that structured very well for kids with executive function issues. I'm hopeful it's the final move we'll need to make and this will put on him on the path to amazing things!


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