We haven't had dd evaluated in quite a few years, but she has over the years had IQ testing, achievement testing, counseling, and other evals. Her dx include inattentive type ADHD, anxiety (which may not be a severe as it was at the time of the dx), and possible dyslexia. She is also HG+ per IQ.
In elementary, it was hard to get any recognition for either the giftedness or the LDs b/c she wasn't the consistent high achiever who performed well on group tests, loved reading, hand in the air, etc. In middle school, they recognize the giftedness, but tend to attribute the problems like not turning in work, erratic performance, inability to remember things but high conceptual understanding, etc. to pre-teen development and just assume that she'll outgrow them and aren't seeing the LD. As a result, we've had huge lack of follow through from teachers on doing what they agree to do to support her LDs b/c they don't all seem to believe there is a problem (save for her English teacher last year who also had a HG 2e kid).
So, we're at the point of one of the following:
- moving her into easier classes against the strong opposition of her teachers so the work is too easy and the processing/executive function issues aren't a problem b/c she isn't, technically, needing to "process" much;
- trying "educational therapy" with the realization that we cannot afford to do as much as would be recommended ($75/hr for a few hours/week for 3 months-a year is the recommendation; we'd, at best, be able to do one hour/week for six weeks or so and then try to continue at home with the same techniques). Here's the therapy we're considering:
http://www.rockymountaineducationaltherapy.com/services/educationalTherapyTreatmentPrograms.php - the school principal's suggestion is that we have her see a local psych he's seen do good work with ADD kids and have him review prior testing, maybe do more, and have him write up something for the school on what she needs. He then suggests that we get her on the case load of the RtI coordinator in the fall so there is more follow through.
Of course, we could still do the RtI coordinator if we go the route of the educational "therapist" rather than the psych. Either one, we'd be paying out of pocket.
The hesitancy I have with going the psych route is that dd has seen two psychs in the past and totally clams up and becomes very quiet with psychs. She tends to feel like she is being condescended to and "fixed." She is also very opposed to medicating ADD, which the principal was careful to say he wasn't pushing, but I also got the impression that the psych he was mentioning might be inclined to want to medicate.
Of course, dd may be just as uncooperative with the educational therapist. Dd is also not highly motivated. She wants to do well, but she isn't driven to figure out a way to do so. She tends to refuse any offers of assistance and proclaims helplessness/complete lack of understanding on why she didn't do well on things when she does not.
My concern is not her grades, which are fairly good, but more her processing. She is given opportunities to redo things on which she's done poorly (I'm not sure this is a good idea, but that's a side point...), but she does just as poorly when she redoes things. She tells me that her mind is like a sieve - she just cannot remember things. What her teachers are seeing, and why they are pushing to keep moving her forward in accelerated classes, is that she really gets the concepts and can actually help others who do not and explains things such that it appears that she understands what she is talking about.
We really cannot afford to just throw money in many directions, but I'm not sure where to go at this point. Has anyone had any luck with executive functioning training or anything of that sort? Or, do you think going one of the other routes makes more sense?
