Inclusion and ADD?

: What are your thoughts of inclusion of students wtih ADD?ADD comes in many forms. Some ADD children can do well in an inclusion setting,others can not. As to inclusion in general, it asks a teacher to be all things to all people at the same time.

I am confused… I never thought of ADD being the sort of handicap that would put a child in a self-contained setting. Does the child have other learning issues? Are they medicated.My son (4th grade) is textbook classic ADHD. He is a regular classroom with no special supports, except for a caring teacher, and me to check up on organization at the end of the day. That is not to say he hasn’t had support from time to time throughout this journey.We were lucky, however.. we caught the ADHD (and possible LD) early enough that it made only a small impact on him eduationally. I let my hesitation against medication slide, and followed the path that was best for him. I’m glad I did.He has done extrememly well, mostly a’s and b’s with no modifications, and we are very proud of him.Of course, we have to work on impulsivity, brash mouth (at home) and forgetfullness, but what mom of a 10 yr old doesn’t.ADD comes in many forms. Some ADD children can do well in an
: inclusion setting,others can not. As to inclusion in general, it
: asks a teacher to be all things to all people at the same time.

PASSWORD>aaypjoGdHk2QkIt all depends on how the disability impacts on how the child learns.Yes, if the impulsivity, speaking out, distractibility, etc. impedes the learning process, the child may fare better in a smaller class with trained sped teachers. In a regular classroom, as Sara states, the teacher is dealing with a bigger population and the ADHD child either gets lost in the shuffle or is punished (sometimes often) for their behaviors and this is not the fault of the teacher, who is dealing with 22+ students of varying needs, or the child.People have to get over the notion that one disability (regardless of the unique child) belongs in an inclusion class while another disability rightfully belongs in a self contained class. When the day is over, the individual child needs to be considered on a case by case (child by child ??) basis. This needs to be the foremost consideration.Inclusion, philosophically, is a great idea. But practically, the parents and the educational team should be more interested in seeing the child succeed in progress — so the right setting is often key.: I am confused… I never thought of ADD being the sort of handicap
: that would put a child in a self-contained setting. Does the child
: have other learning issues? Are they medicated.: My son (4th grade) is textbook classic ADHD. He is a regular
: classroom with no special supports, except for a caring teacher,
: and me to check up on organization at the end of the day. That is
: not to say he hasn’t had support from time to time throughout this
: journey.: We were lucky, however.. we caught the ADHD (and possible LD) early
: enough that it made only a small impact on him eduationally. I let
: my hesitation against medication slide, and followed the path that
: was best for him. I’m glad I did.: He has done extrememly well, mostly a’s and b’s with no
: modifications, and we are very proud of him.: Of course, we have to work on impulsivity, brash mouth (at home) and
: forgetfullness, but what mom of a 10 yr old doesn’t.: ADD comes in many forms. Some ADD children can do well in an

: ADD comes in many forms and/or in many different degrees of severity. And yes, not all ADD children are medicated nor do all ADD children respond positively to medication. For all or any of those reasons, some ADD children are found in self-contained settings.I am confused… I never thought of ADD being the sort of handicap
: that would put a child in a self-contained setting. Does the child
: have other learning issues? Are they medicated.: My son (4th grade) is textbook classic ADHD. He is a regular
: classroom with no special supports, except for a caring teacher,
: and me to check up on organization at the end of the day. That is
: not to say he hasn’t had support from time to time throughout this
: journey.: We were lucky, however.. we caught the ADHD (and possible LD) early
: enough that it made only a small impact on him eduationally. I let
: my hesitation against medication slide, and followed the path that
: was best for him. I’m glad I did.: He has done extrememly well, mostly a’s and b’s with no
: modifications, and we are very proud of him.: Of course, we have to work on impulsivity, brash mouth (at home) and
: forgetfullness, but what mom of a 10 yr old doesn’t.: ADD comes in many forms. Some ADD children can do well in an

Can you enlighten me as to why the reluctance to medicate (with close and careful monitoring and follow-up, not an MD with a prescription pad that writes up scripts for psychostimulants w/o a second thought) or aid by diet, supplements, etc- a condition that usually responds well to such measures?There is a student in our school community, that had his parents been more savvy and open - with proper medication, diet, and early intervention would be at a much higher level than he is. Because of their reluctance to medicate he is stuck in a class for mild MR kids- proper intervention would have allowed him to be at a higher level, either in resouce or low-average classes. Children like him make me wonder why the reluctance?The press has given ADHD/ADD a bad name. The sooner we can educate society that it is not a plot of the drug companies to addict our children to narcotics, but a true neurological condition that can be monitored, treated, and managed- the less stigma our children will have to survive. The more education, the less children like my friend mentioned above, and the more kids like my own.I am no genius — just a mom and an educator that wants the best for all students. I had to give up a lot of my notions about ADHD when our second son was given to us. He was an abandoned child, who probably suffered much neglect in utero and for his first three years. Psychologically, he was whole and loving— his rough start left him with the neurologic challenge of ADHD. We had tried diet, we had tried behavior management, and all the tricks I had used with my birth child- but all were futile. It was only the careful work of a neuropsychologist, neurologist, guidance counselor, loving teachers, and a lot of hours of research that has given our family the resonably normal pre-adolescent who keeps us on our toes with his challenges, and softens us with his loving charm.Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix cure for ADHD — some kids outgrow it, some manage for years on the same dose of medication, some manage to compensate all on their own — but we have to educate the rest of society.

EMAILNOTICES>noNemas, have I your permission to post your message on an NG I frequent? There’s a thread on there now about ADHD, started by one who apparently thinks it doesn’t really exist. I don’t know if your story will convince him, but maybe it’ll give some of the others food for thought.Yours truly, Kathy G.

Kathy, You do indeed have my permission to post my message. Can I please have the link to that site?: Nemas, have I your permission to post your message on an NG I
: frequent? There’s a thread on there now about ADHD, started by one
: who apparently thinks it doesn’t really exist. I don’t know if
: your story will convince him, but maybe it’ll give some of the
: others food for thought.: Yours truly, Kathy G.

EMAILNOTICES>no: Kathy, You do indeed have my permission to post my message. Can I
: please have the link to that site?Certainly. Hold on while I go there to get the URL. It’s a teaching NG, BTW, and it’s on Deja. (No, I’m not a teacher, but I like to read the posts and sometimes, to post something myself.)Yours truly, Kathy G.

EMAILNOTICES>noOK, Nemas, I found the site. The link is below. If you can’t access it for some reason, go to Deja.com, search for the name of the site below, and when you find it, look for a thread titled “ADHD.”Yours truly, Kathy G.

Wow, Kathy, that’s a loaded discussion! I must admit, I have been an unbeliever, too. But you only have to check recent research and studies. In fact, I have in my files at school, an article from Time magazine that shows PET scans of ADHD people processing a difficult task, and so-called regular people. The ADHD people process information in a different part of their brain.Yeah, society should be able to accomodate all of us with our differences, but we’re a long way from that. We have to do what we can to help our children be the best they can be. If we need to medicate, self-contain, specialize, advocate, whatever — that’s what we do. We don’t leave it up to the schools to tell us what to do. They deal with a lot more kids, and don’t always have all the right answers. For a young child we are their best advocate. As they mature, they need to learn to be their own advocate.We need to take an active role in the management of their condition. I don’t call it a disorder. It’s not. I look at it more like a condition to be managed, and controlled as well as you can. I’m not sure my son will ever “outgrow” it. My job is to give him the tools necessary to be successful in life. Medication, for him is one of those tools.: OK, Nemas, I found the site. The link is below. If you can’t access
: it for some reason, go to Deja.com, search for the name of the
: site below, and when you find it, look for a thread titled
: “ADHD.”: Yours truly, Kathy G.

: I know parents on both sides of the fence. What do the ones say who choose not to medicate? I am reluctant to speak for them but certainly, as you say, some have read things in the popular press that speak to the dangers of medication.Others just have philosophical problems with it.colleagues. I have a reputation for patience as a teacher but I have to admit having yelled at a kid or two when they got up out of their chair for the 30th time in a 30 minute class period.Teachers don’t suggest that children take medicaiton because it is “convenient.” If you teach, you know that. Parents shouldn’t offer them medicaiton because it is convenient. The decision is one thaHe did fine, I think, off his medication. Now, years later, at age 19 he asks me why we took him off medication so young.Can you enlighten me as to why the reluctance to medicate (with close
: and careful monitoring and follow-up, not an MD with a
: prescription pad that writes up scripts for psychostimulants w/o a
: second thought) or aid by diet, supplements, etc- a condition that
: usually responds well to such measures?: There is a student in our school community, that had his parents been
: more savvy and open - with proper medication, diet, and early
: intervention would be at a much higher level than he is. Because
: of their reluctance to medicate he is stuck in a class for mild MR
: kids- proper intervention would have allowed him to be at a higher
: level, either in resouce or low-average classes. Children like him
: make me wonder why the reluctance?: The press has given ADHD/ADD a bad name. The sooner we can educate
: society that it is not a plot of the drug companies to addict our
: children to narcotics, but a true neurological condition that can
: be monitored, treated, and managed- the less stigma our children
: will have to survive. The more education, the less children like
: my friend mentioned above, and the more kids like my own.: I am no genius — just a mom and an educator that wants the best for
: all students. I had to give up a lot of my notions about ADHD when
: our second son was given to us. He was an abandoned child, who
: probably suffered much neglect in utero and for his first three
: years. Psychologically, he was whole and loving— his rough start
: left him with the neurologic challenge of ADHD. We had tried diet,
: we had tried behavior management, and all the tricks I had used
: with my birth child- but all were futile. It was only the careful
: work of a neuropsychologist, neurologist, guidance counselor,
: loving teachers, and a lot of hours of research that has given our
: family the resonably normal pre-adolescent who keeps us on our
: toes with his challenges, and softens us with his loving charm.: Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix cure for ADHD — some kids
: outgrow it, some manage for years on the same dose of medication,
: some manage to compensate all on their own — but we have to
: educate the rest of society.

: What are your thoughts of inclusion of students wtih ADD?My daughter who was diagnosed with ADHD in second grade did fine in elementary school in an inclusive setting once she was on Ritalin. However, once she hit junior high, things stated going downhill. She is now in high school, and I do not think she will make it through high school if I cannot find an alternative program of some kind. She has an above average IQ, no conduct disorder, and is a sweet child. Medication is no longer are sufficient. It is not the medicine or her reaction to it that has changed. Rather, the expectations of the school system change as childen age. My daughter receives lots of homework. She cannot discipline herself to do it. She is bored by class lectures and dreams off. To do well, she would have to have a very interactional type of teaching to keep her attention. I wish there were a special program for my daughter in the public school system. They will not give her an IEP because they say her achievement test scores are too high. She is failing all subjects.

: What are your thoughts of inclusion of students wtih ADD? Inclusion in public schools in Maryland is a setup for failure.