Where to Focus 4 ADHD with good SATs

shoot4moon
Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:18:58 +0000

Thanks for the ideas! In response,
1 - I had never heard of an adhd coach either, but she appears INFINITELY better than the RSP teachers I fought so hard for. Bottom line for me (I have been in the special ed field for 25 years as a school based speech therapist) is that our IEP system is not designed for kids who are high IQ and high potential unless they have asperger’s or high functioning autism. We as professionals who are involved with IEPs simply don’t get enough practice with these students, don’t know the honors expectations or curriculum, and don’t have enough training to meet these needs. The ADHD coach came highly recommended and has a master’s in psych and training from a specific coaching program for ADHD. We are paying cash for her ($400 a month!) which is a lot of money, but not compared to the cost of college and the potential savings if she can help her improve to qualify for scholarships and simply be a more focused student. My daughter has had 6 years in the IEP system now, and she can immediately tell with accuracy who can help her and who just simply doesn’t have the time/talent/training to do anything but be a placefiller and paperwork pusher. This was quite aggravating to me initially, but then I reflected on it, and realized that I have kids on my caseload who I am not the best fit for also, and it’s not because I am a bad educator - it’s just that I don’t have enough training in (for example) stuttering to help someone as well as a stuttering expert. I truly truly believe that if you have a student or are a student with ADHD, you should think carefully about outside coaching vs school RSP services - I really wish we had done this several years ago. The other model that did work well for her in middle school is working with her core teacher after school. I worked hard to get this, and the principal was very supportive and made it the teachers “adjunct duty” but it was very effective. I’m guessing she was especially effective because although she wasn’t a special educator, she was infinitely familar with the demands of the honors curriculum, which are dramatically different than what RSP is typically addressing.