How can I tell If my son has LD/ADHD

Hello, after discussing and researching on the internet my son displays the characteristics that one with Learning Disability. He can not concentrate, can not retain information, and lies. He has difficulties getting along with other kids. He is poor in sports.

Then, I came across reading about PACE progra. I am wandering does this realy work? Pr is it a one way to make money fron the frustrated parents. Is there any government help available? School districts no help at all dure to the budget constarint.

I am conecern about his rention in his 5th. grades.

I just dont know what to do. I also can not afford where I can spend thosands of dollars to hire professionals.

Your help and feedback will be appriciated.

-Mike

I agree there is no quick fix.

However, there is a lot you can do. For one thing, you can request an evaluation from your school. If you go to the LD in Depth section of this website, the section on Assessments and IEP will provide you with a lot of useful information. When a parent makes a request like this *in writing*, a school is legally obligated to perform the evaluation. If you disagree with the results of the evaluation, you have the right to request an IIE -- which is an outside evaluation by professionals of your choice, paid for by the school district.

If you have medical insurance, it's highly likely that you can get some other -- very important -- evaluations that will be helpful. One is a developmental vision exam (see http://www.covd.org) and another is a CAPD evaluation (see http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/). (Both websites have search engines to find qualified professionals in your area.) These exams do very thorough checks of the visual and auditory processing systems -- the two systems most commonly associated attention problems and memory problems. Usually, if you call one of these professionals, they are able to tell you not only whether your medical insurance will cover the evaluation, but also what to do to make sure that they are covered (such as, get a referral from your family doctor).

PACE is not a reading program. It is a cognitive training program that develops a wide variety of skills. However, cognitive skills build on a sensory/motor foundation. If your child has an unaddressed vision or auditory problem, PACE gains will be limited.

My advice is to start with (1) school evaluations, and (2) medical evaluations in the areas of vision and auditory processing. Before you do anything, educate yourself by reading the information at the above websites. (For example, most audiologists are not trained to do CAPD evaluations -- you need to find a specialist in this area. Same with developmental vision.) Once you have some basic information, you will have the tools you need to get your son what he needs.

Money isn't everything. A lot of it is knowledge.

Mary