Thanks to both of you for all of this information. It's nice to not feel so...alone.
Platypus--DS *does* take stimulant med and it *does* help a lot at school. He absolutely hates it, though, and that is painful. He absolutely *will not* take it on the weekend, and that's when I usually try to help him with his writing. He had genetic testing and has a gene associated with increased anxiety and attention problems, and ALSO with a reduced response to stimulant med. It has to do with dopamine metabolism, complex stuff.
We may try Strattera over the summer. I have never heard of anyone having a "wow" response to it but DS really suffers with the side effects of stimulants.
It really feels unfair, TBH. I have to remind myself that he is fortunate because he is a brilliant person along with all of these challenges.
I helped him study for a test and it was pretty enlightening, and hilarious, and also sad. We made flash cards and I would say, "what do you know about dolomite," for instance, and he absolutely could. not. answer. the question phrased that way. His responses were things like (in the dolomite instance)--"Um, not much--it's a rock." When I asked the question more specifically, he was able to recall a lot more detail and express it more clearly. But if I don't say the right word, he just STICKS in a strange, literal place.
I also noticed that he cannot "memorize" in terms of rote memory, if he doesn't understand the concept. He was having trouble with understanding the "coriolos effect," and said there was no use trying to just memorize a blurb about it--yet could describe other more complicated concepts quite easily, because he understands them.
This makes it really hard to play the school game. He won't answer unless he feels confident in his understanding. No ability to BS. Sad (to me) that we are actively working on the BS Factor.
I think there is something going on that is EF related, that affects all of these processes, that maybe I just don't have the correct words for just yet. If he could be tested orally, I think he'd be a very successful student.
Lots of hugs and commiserations coming right back at you! I'm still deciding about what to do with DS. I think the fast-paced high-pressure environment he's in is not healthy and doesn't fit the way he thinks. No good fit for this guy right now.
