From what I gather, he would be better able to ascertain what, neurologically, is causing the issue rather than just giving it a diagnosis. He would write up a detailed report on how best to address those deficits in a school setting and otherwise, but I was told not to expect the schools to implement any of his suggestions based upon what had been seen in the past with kids like dd who aren't performing below grade level.
Cricket2 - I can't see spenting 2K for this, probably because I don't believe that the science is really firmly able to grant this as yet. And because it's a rare school that will provide this sort of accomidation for anyone who isn't failing or creating some kind of havoc.
There are tons of books on the market that list what the common difficulties that kids with ADD/ADHD tend to have. Browse around and see what appeals to you. Remember that you can only probably work on one stumbling block at a time anyway. Journaling to see what is bugging you the most is probably a good way to discover what the 'neurological weaknesses' are. I'd rather see 2K going to work with a good tutor or mentor who knows a lot about how gifted girls with ADD tend to slide though the system.
There are some kids who seems to do really well with medication right away, or after a few tries. Other families jump on the 'medication merry-go-round' for quite some time before finding a pill that makes their kid feel and act 'better.' Then other kids just seem miserable from whatever medication they try.
Meanwhile, non-medication approaches, such as strenghtening the overall EF of the family (flylady is one possible way), regular physical activity (trampoline and karate are favorites), sleep hygiene, healthy diet, super-parenting (such as 'Transforming the Difficult Child Workbook') or bio-feedback/heart-centered meditation (
http://www.iamheart.org/ or
http://store.heartmath.org/store.html)are usually needed even if the medication works well. Of course no one can do all these things at once!
Best Wishes,
Grinity
