Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Prep for school meeting & questions for psyc?

As I mentioned last week my DS15 a H.S. freshman has hit a wall in his writing. The school has set up a meeting with the school psychologist, his counselor, his teachers, his parents and my son. In H.S. they expect the student to attend these meetings. I don't expect all his teachers will attend, but do expect the English teacher & hopefully his Social Studies and Spanish teachers.

In addition I have been looking for help outside of school. I have enrolled him in a summer writing workshop, and yesterday talked with an educational therapist who can start working with as early as next week. Unfortunately the wonderful woman who worked with my DD for 8 years is unavailable this summer. The new education therapist won't be doing any official "testing", and is new to this area. This new therapist suggests I take him to a psychologist she has heard of who is particularly good at working with gifted kids. She thinks the psychologist might have better ideas of how to help with his complete "block" of "I have nothing to say", and could do a full evaluation if we wanted it.

The educational therapist wants writing samples, so I spend a few minutes finding writing from junior high. My son told me he can find me some writing from this year. Some of the writing from last year is a bit illuminating. The essays follow all the right formats but don't really say much of anything. And one of the poems he wrote in 7th grade is both humorous and sad. It's all about how distracted and bored he gets in class.

I am trying to put together idea's for next week meeting and what I want to accomplish. The teachers only have 30 minutes, so there isn't much time. There has been no testing yet, this is a how to proceed meeting. I want to ask for testing, but what kind of testing specifically? Polarbear is suggesting SLP testing. IQ test? WISC? Ask for testing with the idea of a 504? Looking for an IEP?

I hope to introduce two possible accommodations that would help in the short run. One would be more time for essays by either by giving him the prompts ahead of time or allowing him extra time to finish the essays. Second for him to be allowed to use a computer for more of his writing. His fine motor is excellent, it's just than when he writes by hand he wants to have the entire essay fully fleshed in his mind before he starts to write. When he writes on a computer, this is less of an issue.

And I hope to discuss class/teacher placement for next year. Next week is when class selection for next year takes place. I want my son to stay in honors science/math, but have no illusions he will be allowed in honors English & Social Studies. Honors Social Studies for next year is AP US History and it's clear he isn't ready. But having him in regular English vs. Honors hasn't really made any difference in his grade. I can't see the school letting him take the honors class, but one teacher might be a better fit for him than others.

Am I missing something important? Does this sounds like too much for this meeting?

I am also wondering if I should seek the outside psychologist that was recommended. Should I wait to see what the school is willing to do/provide first? If I seek the outside psych, what testing from her should I ask for. I am I overdoing it here? The private educational therapy and psychologist gets expensive quickly.

Oddly, I have just recently participated in a similar meeting on a student, although this meeting included written language and social-emotional assessment results.

I would suggest that, before you spring for the private psych and ed therapist, absolutely discuss appropriate assessments with the school. master of none has made some good suggestions. I would add social-emotional assessment, and would caution you that the visual-motor integration testing, at this age, with someone with good fine motor, is unlikely to find anything, because the developmental progression of fine-motor skills maxes out so early. I am also struck by the poem you mention, and some of your other descriptions, which sound more like what we would call performance deficits, rather than skill deficits, meaning the actual skill necessary to meet task demands is there, but other factors (attentional, behavioral, emotional, motivational, medical, attendance, etc.) interfere. A lot of different things can affect performance, but the one that leaps to mind in your account is social-emotional factors, such as anxiety and depression.

Being continuously bored can make one depressed. On the other hand, depressed individuals may identify their depressive sensations as boredom. Adolescents with depressive symptoms also often present as distracted/inattentive, angry, and oppositional. Unhappiness often makes people irritable and rigid. No one should diagnose over the internet ;), so I'm not saying this is what is going on with him, but I do think it would be as well to ask the questions, as much of what you have relayed would be consistent with this, and it would be good to rule it out, or be aware of any emotional fallout from a different factor contributing to the writing issues.

Another factor to look at would be the teaching style of his English instructors, and whether they allow him to express his verbal-conceptual strengths in classroom discussions; or shut him down because he talks too much, shows up other students (or the teacher!), or because his divergent thinking takes the teacher off his lesson plans. Or conversely, the classroom expectations are so rigid that a perfectionistic student feels anxiety about generating only flawless, fully-formed products, and is afraid to start, for fear of starting the "wrong way", or of writing something that will be ideologically disapproved of (hence the bland writing).

He just says that he has nothing to say. He does see a problem but he doesn't know what to do. Up till about 4th grade he was well above average at writing. First sign of a problem was the first essay about "tell me about yourself" in the GT class in 4th grade he wrote 1 1/2 sentences. But it got better that year. He has problem in 6th but we didn't really address the writing problem, instead worked on his social/emotional problems. Things seemed to be better by 8th grade last year.

It's hard to figure out if there is a disability, or if this is just boredom, or stubbornness. It may be a bit of all three? I think once he gets frustrated about an assignments, it's impossible to get him back on track. It's clear that the poetry he is supposed to write about now he has zero interest in. This is partly why I haven't pursued any of these avenues before now. He was struggling with writing to prompt early this year, but he could usually figure out what to say even if he didn't have time to finish the essay. I haven't seen him this stuck since 6th grade.

This is why I want him to work with the educational therapist. She will work on writing strategies with him one on one.

We did keep him in GT up until last year (8th grade) but a GT diagnosis will NOT keep you in honors in H.S. I am wondering if having him in the "regular" English has made things worse not better. The class discussions are so boring that he just tunes out. Can't do anything about social studies, the AP US Class is my school is one of the most time intensive, most challenging class the school offers. And while he would love the class discussions, they amount of homework would be too much.

His English teacher has been trying to help him and getting frustrated as well, I think she is one the same page as I. She really doesn't know how to help him. He did stay with the same teacher despite the "level" drop at semester. I do expect them to say, he's obviously not a "honors" candidate. But this is an example, he tried honors English and did well except for writing and got a C+ in the class. He is not in "regular" English and was doing an A- until the first essay and because of the poetry is not getting a C-. Looking at this grades, I'm not sure it's been a good switch.