Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Reverse acceleration due to ADHD??

So happy for you that you are finally experiencing better health! Best wishes on your continued improvement.

Hooray for a correct diagnosis and meds that work!

This is getting interesting! :P The acheivement testing the school wants to do isn't available until after the school year starts. So DS10 will be starting the year in 5th grade until testing is complete and they decide what grade to put him into. His 5th grade classroom teacher will be debriefed and I will be sending stuff for him to do if he doesn't want to participate 5th grade lessons. I will be busy photocopying pages out of textbooks for him to make it more discreet. His 5th grade classmates don't need to know what is going on, IMO.

To a casual observer, the overall plan of deferring achievement testing until after school starts, and beginning the school year with a 5th grade placement sounds like it may be intended to make 5th grade placement stick.

You may wish to ask further questions about the timing... anticipated date when testing will be complete... anticipated date for deciding what grade to put him into. The school should be managing expectations as well as providing a transparent process.

I would advise against unauthorized duplication of materials with a copyright; making such photocopies may be a violation of intellectual property rights. As a parent and a role model, it tends to set a bad example and may lead to future trouble.

Small update: first day of school. His teacher was not debriefed but seemed laid back and flexible. DS10 has a male teacher (new experience for him) and he likes his teacher.

The elementary school has a new wing for 5th grade so DS10 didn't feel the hallway situation was as "demeaning" as before - not exposed to younger grade teacher's "pandering" and "condescending" voices.

5th grade gets special organizational supports for prepping them for 6th grade - those supports are just right for his ADHD needs.

Today was low-demand day. The only class period they had was silent reading and he had a book he picked from the public library the day before. Socially was fine, he is seated between 2 boys he has gotten along with fine in the past. He had a positive attitude and upbeat report of the day (not surprising for low-demand and novelty).

Teacher reported no behavior concerns and mentioned specifically that DS10 smiled and said goodbye at the end of the day. (I'm annoyed when good manners surprise people.)

I know DS10's next math lesson I'm sending for tomorrow is an intimidating one - Completing the Square. We sat down yesterday and he picked which problems to do, about half the review problems. Today I had him start "enough so you understand it". He felt confident. So...... hopefully he can focus on his lesson and manage himself tomorrow. The class will be reviewing math facts.

Bonus, the 5th grade wing has a small room outside each classroom for pull-outs, group work. Potential quiet room for DS10 to work.

His acheivement testing with ACT Aspire starts 9/5 and is expected to tak multiple days. They're going to guess where he might be at and then work up or down based on his results - repeat for 4 different subject tests. His Woodcock-Johnson is not scheduled yet.

@indigo, I'm not worried about copyright because I'm copying materials I already paid for, am not distributing, and will destroy after use.

The elementary school has referred DS10 to the middle/high school for acceleration. Although I have been tempted to leave him in 5th grade, becauuuuuuuuuse, he found a friend. A kid who is 2 years younger, grade skipped up to 5th grade. He could have been skipped further but his parents declined. It gets better, the boy is super nice, his family is wonderful, and we're neighbors. In a district with <100 students per grade, we have a peer friend! They are hilarious together! They each have just enough sense of competition to egg each other on - exactly what my unmotivated DS10 needs, and they both struggle with perfectionism but express it in opposite ways.

They will still ride the bus together even if/when DS10 is accelerated. His family is coming over for supper tomorrow to plan logistics of getting them together afterschool.

DS10 had been opposed to acceleration until he realized he wouldn't lose the friendship. Their bus ride is an hour long. They sit together and quiz each other! State capitals! Periodic table! Archaic vocabulary! That plus regular play time will help DS10 with social skills and social stress.

Thanks for sharing your good news, sanne. So glad things are going well for your DS!

DS10 did testing for the phase 2 of acceleration child study this past week. He took end of 6th grade math test, the ACT, and I think a cold writing prompt. (School admin said it was on lists of tests, but DS10 didn't tell me about it. Yet? IDK)

He took a practice ACT a while back for a starting point and got an 18. District average is 21, for reference. He thought he did better on the real ACT than on the practice one. I'm curious, I don't expect his score to be any higher than his practice test though. He was not well rested and didn't have breakfast on those test days so I wouldn't be surprised if he scores lower. (We've had a rough week, not ideal timing for testing! I have been struggling with more intensity of chronic pain my treatment plan for chronic illness not work and a surgery too, so I have not been good about keeping our family on daily routines this week.)

Anyhow, update for those curious. Process is still going. Feels like a snail's pace but DS10 is happy so I'm still not concerned and am enjoying not being responsible for his education.

I have IEP meeting. They were not clear about whether he'd be evaluated against district norms or his ability. I'm guessing they'll come back with not eligible. Fair enough for 5th grade. Just wait until he's accelerated and can't function. But now I know I should be asking for 504 rather than IEP. Oops. Live and learn.

Even if they find him not eligible for an IEP, the eligibility flow chart should include considering whether he presents with a disability in need of accommodations (a 504, IOW). Depending on your school system, you may be able to ask for a discussion of 504 eligibility at the IEP table, or, at a minimum, referral to the 504 team.

How did your DS do on the ACT Aspire that you mentioned previously on your 8/30/17 post? If he scored highly on the ACT Aspire, then the Distict may still accelerate him even if his ACT scores are a few points lower than the district average. The Aspire is like the former Explore (which was normed against 8th graders with lots of data for Winter 3rd through Fall 8th graders as comparison), which may be more relevant when considering acceleration into middle school. It may not be advisable to accelerate into high school with those ACT scores but that doesn't mean he wouldn't benefit from middle school. Of course, if things are going well on the social front, it probably won't hurt too much to take a breather and see what the district comes up with after reviewing everything.