Don't Want Him Lost in the Crowd !

I would call Scottish Rite - as long as he is still a child they will do a complete round of broad spectrum testing that will cover any and all possiblities. They are recongnized as THE opinion to trust - and his diagnosis will make special considerations for him through school and college. For example if its Dyslexia he will be categorized as 504 and take tests that are designed for the way his brain is wired. There is a three month waiting list right now - but it is completely free. I would call asap.

I would consider talking to his doctor about the possibility of him having ADD. A lot of people suffering from ADD do not realize it until they reach high school and college age, when they really need the focus and attention to complete harder assignments.

There are lots of new drugs on the market and also other alternatives to medication that could possibly help.

We see a doctor in Colleyville. I am in S. Grand Prairie, but he is worth the drive! He looks at the whole picture and explores all the options.

GL!

3930 Glade Rd Ste 105
Max Health Family Medicine
Colleyville, TX 76034

I am a teacher and have seen many previously unmedicated children, medicated (lower elementary). I haven't seen an amazing change in grades, only behavior. I do know there are ways to address ADD and ADHD with a change in diet. There are certain trigger foods which worsen behaviors, like certain dyes and sugars, etc. Food allergies can also account for an inability to focus. Have you tried a tutor or someone who can teach your son study skills? As his mother, I know you want the best for him. I would just strongly suggest that you invest some time researching all alternatives before putting him on meds.

I don't know if this would work for your son, but Texas Tech offers online classes for high school credit. Most schools allow students to take these classes and count them toward graduation but you'd need to check your school district. Students can also enroll in the online high school. Check distance education at Texas Tech. If he could take a few classes online he could possibly reduce the number of "real" classes he has to take during the regular year giving him fewer classes to keep up with. With a full load of regular classes there is quite a bit of work to keep up with and multiple assignments that are a challenge for a disorganized student. Finally, you should get in touch with the teachers and make sure you know what has been assigned and what your son needs to complete at home rather than relying on him to provide the information. You can do this informally with the teachers and some even have the information posted online. Good luck.

I too began w/the school when I wanted my son assessed; to no avail. I then had him assessed by an excellent psychologist, which will be covered by your health insurance. Her name is Angela Mitchell, Ph.D ###-###-####.
Good luck.

Sounds to me like he has ADD. The school can test him and its FREE. You need to talk to his counclor(sp)if they are not help then you need to make a phone call to the school district. Talk with whom ever is over high school kids. Let them now you have gone through the steps with no help and he needs to be tested. They will make sure he gets tested. Still no help from them.. Call them back and tell them if they dont test him with in a week you will go to the school board. If he has a doctor and you have insurance they can test him also. My daughter is the same way. She is ADHD. I had her tested at school then brought the paper work to her doctor. They put her on Adderall when she was in 2nd grade. This did help with some, but since she is NOT taking it anymore we stuggle again. When she was in the 5th grade I had a meeting with all her teachers and coun. and we decided to place her on a 504 plan. This gives her mondified work, extra time to turn in papers, and she can go to content mastery to do work or just get help anytime durning school. Talk to them about this too. She is now in 10th grade and still 504. We struggle, but were getting there. here is my email ____@____.com if you would like to talk more.

Have you considered sending your son to a charter school? There are several charter schools in the area that really put a focus on educating the individual and communicating with parents. Coming from a former teacher at a large public high school, it is unfortunately easy for the quiet kids to get 'lost' in the crowd. I would check into the charter schools.

N.!

Girl.. I have one of those too but she's a 16 year old girl. She's very cute, polite and social though. But she's had a hard time focusing and has had a really hard time passing classes. So much so that even though she's a junior now she's taking quite a few sophmore classes again. Charter Schools are a great (my youngest is in one) option. I'm not sure where there is one in Cedar Hill that goes up to high school but you can check around.

The other thing you may want to check into is taking him to a psychiatrist or psychologist and have them test him. I was really against this in the beginning. When my daughter was in 2nd grade the teacher noticed her not being able to stay on task and being easily distracted. I was in denial and did not want to hear about any learning disabilities or anything like that. Well now here I am 9 years later and praying my daughter graduates on time.

If the school isn't working with you, you may want to take it in to your own hands. Plus, I've had an issue with even letting the school know that she has inattentive A.D.D. because I don't want her labeled. Even though that would qualify her for special help. I don't want her to use that as a crutch either. But at least I know there is a method to the madness and she's just not lazy or not trying, that there is a medical reason why she's struggling.

She was on Ritalin LA for a while and that helped a little. But I also had a hard time because I was taking her to a psychologist and they can't write prescriptions so I'd have from there to the peditrician to get the script. It was a pain. So we ended up not being consistent with the meds. So now we've been going to a paychiatrist who can write the scripts himself. He has her on a different med, I don't remember the name of it right this second.

I hope this helps and let me know if I can help you with anything else.

Hang in there. Take care and God bless!