Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional HS Accomodations for GT/ADHD student

My daughter, age 15, was just diagnosed with ADHD and Depressive Disorder (NOS), as well as test anxiety. Throughout her early years she was GT and remains so, she completed Algebra 1 in 7th grade, Geometry in 8th grade, and Spanish I and II by 8th grade. Last year, her first year in high school she had a decent GPA of 3.4 and this year it has been about the same.

The main problem that she has is simply not remembering all of her assignments for classes, turning them in after she does them (if she remembers them at all), turning in in-class work, and taking tests. She has been able to maintain her decent GPA based on her higher than normal skills in Mathematics and Reading / Language Arts, but now that she is 15 (almost 16) her scores are dropping across all categories (testing, class work, turning in homework).

I have documentation from her psychologist that she has ADHD, Depressive Disorder (NOS), and test anxiety. She already had a 504 Plan due to medication that she takes that gives her extended time on tests. I am meeting with her counselor and teachers on Thursday, March 8th, to discuss possible accommodations.

Should I be considering asking the school about an IEP?

Any suggestions on how I should handle this would be greatly appreciated.

Brian

Is your child on a 504 and receiving accommodations of any kind? If so, and if this is not enough, an IEP may be necessary. Basically, a 504 plan is a list of accommodations such as extra time, copy of class notes, teacher check ins to be sure she has her materials, papers and assignments recorded in her planner. An IEP would go a step further and give her accommodations AND related services and specialized instruction. The instruction can run the from instruction about how to manage anxiety (recognize the signs and teach strategies to overcome), to organizational skills, self advocacy, to study skills and academic skills if she needed them. And, as master of none has explained, it often happens during a study hall or academic support period. Here is a link that compares the two: http://www.ldonline.org/article/6086

It is often hard to advocate for a gifted child if she is making adequate (defined by most states as grade level) progress. Here is an article that might give you some resources to overcome this mind set: "How Can I Fight For a Gifted Child?" http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=1982

If you have neither a 504 or IEP, an evaluation is in order. In your daughter's case, be sure that it includes an assessment of how her depression affects functioning in school. You have two choices: a private evaluation most likely conducted by an independent neuropsychologist or an evaluation by the school. Typically independent evaluations are more comprehensive, diagnostic and unbiased. In my area the costs range from $2500 to $3500, and it is often difficult to get insurance to pay (although with the depression and add, you have a better case than some). School districts only need to "consider" the evaluation and most often will want to do their own testing to determine eligibility for an IEP. They are more apt to accept outside evaluations for a 504.

Given that your daughter is of HS age, it is critical to get an evaluation is she will need accommodations for the SAT or ACT. The college board is more likely to approve accommodations such as extra time if she has had them in place at school for a more than a year.

Thank you for the information on the organizational period. Right now she does not have one but it would be easy to incorporate I think since at her school she needs 24 credits to graduate and has four that count from middle school, seven from last year (she had to take Spanish II again because they did not have another class for her to take even though she had an A in it already), and eight this year so at the end of this year she will have 19 out of the required 24 hours. The school operates on an A/B day schedule so I think we could get an organizational period at the end of the day or the start, depending on what is offered when for next year (and perhaps even the rest of this year). It is definitely something I had not thought of. My wife is a Special Education teacher at the Middle School but is not used to the policy at HS so while she has the whole IEP / 504 Plan done solid, there is still a lot we are lacking in regards to our own child.

Her 504 Plan gives her extended time on tests but that does not help with test anxiety so that is something that we will have to work with the school on. She already has the letter diagnosing her from the psychologist so that is a big step in the right direction. I had not thought about accommodations for the SAT/ACT so I really appreciate your comments on it. We have decent insurance (retired military) but I am not sure if they would cover a private evaluation - something for me to check into. My wife, as mentioned above, is a Special Education teacher, so she is recommending that we ask for a SIT (I forget what is stands for) to see if our daughter meets the requirements for a IEP. It seems so strange to me to have a daughter her is so advanced in her schooling have a IEP but I know that they are there for a reason. Thanks again for the part on the SAT/ACT.

Hi - Just wondering how your meeting went, and wanted to offer encouragement. Our dd20 had an IEP in HS and ended up with an organizational period and then a late start (they actually bussed her in late, since it was medical) due to anxiety/bipolarII. Yes, it ws hard to fathom at times how she had so many problems given how smart she is (PG) but we eventually realized that it is what it is and we had to deal with the symptoms. Dd20 is now a senior in college, close by home, and still on academic scholarship. It has been a long road and we requested accommodations in college as well as HS. She took loads of AP classes, but didn't take the AP tests due to anxiety (she walked out of the first one she tried... a shaking mess... thank goodness she managed to get through the ACT and do okay). She has tried many different meds and finally found a good place without meds after a long course of neurofeedback(also highly recommended for ADHD, with or without accompanying meds).
We also went from a 504 plan to an IEP in high school because the 504 didn't offer enough. That didn't happen until the end of her junior year in HS, so it's never too late if things aren't working (and IEPs/504s can be changed/requested at any time).
I know I'm not actually offering a lot of advice, but I did want you to know that it can get better. Our dd also got by for a long time on her brains alone (God knows it wasn't her excellent study habits or organizational skills) and she still does that to a certain extent in college, but with good support from school and home, 2E kids can be successful. One thing I do urge is to really take a realistic view of things as you start looking for colleges. It was very hard for us to lay down the law and make dd stay at a college close to home (although she has lived on campus all four years), but it was what she needed. Your dd might be totally different, but I've seen lots of smart kids fail at college because they didn't have the skills to manage it all, in spite of being really, really bright.
Anyway, hope your meeting went well!

The first meeting was canceled due to a fire alarm at the school so we had to reschedule it. Out of the seven teachers, three showed up. Two were fine but one was not very agreeable to the recommended accommodations. He was against preferential seating and ability to turn in homework late. He said he could see one or the other, but not both because he thought that preferential seating would result in my daughter not paying attention and thus not writing down the homework assignments. He did not understand that it was not a failure to do the homework, but turning it in. What was most upsetting was that he teaches ceramics and there is no homework! I ended up with both accommodations and the other ones I wanted.

Daughter is not thrilled about the medication, need to find the correct dosage because these are making her too tired she says. I need to find out how she is doing in school but that was another issue, teachers not understanding that 2E students could be doing better than they are if not for the ADHD, it is not that she is not challenged enough (as the ceramics teacher thought) but that she is just not working well at the executive functioning level.

My daughter wants to go to college a little ways from home but I am hoping that in about 12 months that I can get her started in some online courses so when she starts college that she will have a few of the basic courses done.

We are considering a IEP but want to see how the 504 plays out first and daughter is against IEP (it does not help that my wife is a special education teacher and all daughter knows is the negative aspect of people with IEP, not how it can help her). I need to find someone who can talk to her and explain how an IEP would be beneficial for her, someone she respects.