Her teacher contacted us to complain about her throwing tantrums in school (which she described as "spectacular" - well beyond what she has seen before in 26 years of teaching). But she's also struggling a great deal with handwriting and generally with written expression. When she talks, she is quite insightful and engaged, but she just cannot get her ideas onto paper, and is getting to the point where she stops trying.
We're just starting on the road to having her evaluated, but the description of kids with ADHD/PI reads like it was written about her. In addition, she melts down whenever she feels she has been treated unfairly, which can involve screaming, kicking things, etc.
I'd suggest a full neuropsych exam. ADHD and Asperger's (also a possibility given the fairness/unfairness tantrums) are often missed in gifted children, as are many other LDs and developmental issues. If she is being made to feel unsuccessful, she is probably highly anxious.
I'm trying very hard not to let my distaste for her teacher show in public, but here I can say that she is an old witch who should have retired a while ago. Her analysis of my daughter's problems boils down to "she needs to try harder" and "she needs to understand that this behavior is not acceptable at school." Well, duh. I think she does understand that, but it doesn't mean she can control it.
Exactly. It is likely that she is trying as hard as she can, and not managing. This sort of thing can be hugely damaging to self-esteem.
I would probably let the teacher know informally you are pursuing outside evaluation, which may help her calm down and lay off a little. If she knows you're trying, she may be more patient.
If it's a public school, you can also request that the school evaluate-- that way, if she needs services to help with writing, or a plan for behavior support, you can get that into place. It's most efficient to do this in parallel with the outside eval; both processes take months, so doing them sequentially takes forever. There's a format for the request letter in the book From Emotions to Advocacy, and lots of good information on the Wrightslaw.com website.
DeeDee
