Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional ADHD and test taking skills

I'm mich - but I wasn't the one that did most of the teaching! My son's LD school integrates EF skills in everything they do and my dd's tutor helped her with study skills and organization. That said, two books I found useful are:

Late Lost and Unprepared
No Mind Left Behind

Late Lost gives strategies that can be used in family and school life. No Mind also suggests strategies, but also breaks down EF into subskills (called the 8 pillars), which makes it easier to pin point your child's strengths and problem areas.

My dd's issues center primarily around her working memory and being able to sustain attention. Her tutor taught her study strategies to help her better comprehend her assignments, test/homework questions, and academic content. She now does a lot of pre-reading such as reading chapter questions before she gets started, reading the titles, subtitles, picture and data boxes etc, Then, when she goes back and reads the chapter, she is better able to tie it all together without her mind wandering. She also takes two column notes and uses various study strategies such as making study guides and flash cards.

Both my kids have always been pretty organized about plotting out their work, setting and meeting milestones. They run into trouble in that it can take them an inordinate amount of time to complete tasks - especially when they get side tracked. So, they've learned to manage their environment to minimize distractions. DD uses a timer in the morning to keep her moving from her room, bathroom and breakfast. (doesn't always work, since she can override it when she wants to make one of her multiple outfit changes). DS finds it important to break down tasks and allow time to stretch, exercise and refresh every so often to get his brain going. He benefits from "systems" and "routines" to stay on track and self monitor.

geofizz - I do think that the expectations in school are too high - especially in middle school. Students are expected to juggle increasingly large amounts of work, at the same time teachers are removing much of the structure, guidance and feedback. I think that many times kids become overwhelmed - not so much with the content of academics, but how to their work in a quality way.

Well, here is an update: the official diagnosis was....(drumroll)...

"significant cognitive processing deficits in the areas of executive functions" (no surprise there), and despite "average to above average academic achievement in all academic areas", "ADHD, primarily inattentive type", "pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified" and "situational depression" typical of students attempting to cope with learning or attention control differences. And although criteria was met for borderline Aspergers, it was determined that the overlaps most likely were actually due to ADHD.

So, after much angst and many discussions with family and our physician and against all my previous beliefs, we are...GASP, GOING TO TRY MEDS. (turns out I was a bit wrong about the family medical history).

I am scared to death, and at the same time so hopeful...please wish us luck (I'd appreciate prayers of any kind too!) - we start tomorrow.

Nik, I'm glad you're starting to find answers, even though they are not neat and tidy answers.

It's curious that they said borderline Aspergers-- if they already diagnosed PDD-NOS, the Asperger's diagnosis would be superfluous, as both PDD-NOS and Asperger's are on the autism spectrum. They'll be folded into one "autism spectrum" diagnosis in the next DSM anyway.

Meds were one of the best things we ever did for our child on the spectrum. Nobody really wants to put their kid on meds. But taking away his anxiety allowed him some relief from suffering and also allowed him to access the therapies he was getting. He was more able to control himself, and therefore felt better about himself-- the meds helped us achieve an upward instead of downward spiral.

I hope you can come to feel at ease with this choice. It won't be "magic," for sure, but I do hope it will help your DD. You can PM me if you want to talk about details.

DeeDee

Thanks DeeDee,
Beyond fears of an adverse reaction, I am worried that it wont be the "magic" that my DD seems to be hoping for.

For every time I tried to warn her not too expect too much, someone else (diagnostician/doctor etc) would tell her it will make an amazing difference almost immediately! Of course then they tell me that the medicine is just part of the solution and that she will need to work hard on her skills blah blah blah - but I think all my DD is hearing is the first part. The diagnostician did tell me that once on the meds, she would be more likely to recognize the need to work on the skills and would probably be more willing to do it.

Fingers crossed, "upward spiral", I like it!!!

As for the Aspergers, the commentary was not in the diagnosis, just in the report since they had rated the GADS. The diagnostician really didn't want to go with that since she said she can usually tell within minutes if someone has AS and she just didn't see it in my DD.

Best wishes Nik, I'm sending positive thoughts to you and DD.

Let us know how it goes.

Good luck, Nik. I hope the medication goes smoothly and you are able to find the correct dosage without much trouble. Remember, sometimes finding the right medication and dosage can take a bit of trial. But, from my son's experience, medication has made the single biggest difference (positive). It doesn't teach him the skills, but it makes him more available to learn and implement them,

Thanks for the well wishes, so far so good!

She reported on day one with the meds that she could quickly access info that she usually had to struggle to bring to the forefront and once she had found the right word etc, she still remembered why she was looking for it.

She also has actually slept through the night two nights in a row (1am to 7am) and has been able to get up without a struggle. And...she sat down and wrote a short essay that was due for school without having to be nagged!

She also proudly reports that she is now successfully keeping 7 sims going at once whereas before she could only manage one(!?), Well, it's all worth it right there, now she can be an even better gamer hmmmm... (actually, Sims was a recommended game for teaching EF skills so maybe that is a significant improvement)

Is it too early to declare a success and celebrate???? Would we know by now if there were going to be adverse side effects?

Nik, that sounds good so far!

With side effects, every drug and every person is different. SSRI antidepressants take a while to build up in a person's system-- typically we've been told 6 weeks to full effect (and full side effect if there will be any). Stimulant ADHD meds gave our DS side effects immediately; they're short acting. So it depends on what you're giving, and how her system responds...

Wishing you well--
DeeDee

Thanks DeeDee, we have the stimulants - 10mg twice a day.
She had a headache yesterday, but it wasn't any more severe than the ones she gets periodically anyway, so I don't know if it was related.

I am wondering how closely I need to watch her and for how long. I couldn't believe how dismissive and unconcerned the doc and the pharmacist were, basically saying there are no side effects when the sheet that comes with the meds has a long list of them!

Keep an eye on the headaches - sometimes stimulants can affect blood pressure and a head ache can be a symptom. For my son, lack of appetite and difficulty falling asleep are the two main side effects. Sleep tends to resolve itself in a week or two after he gets accustomed to the medication after being off of it for awhile (summer and vacations).

Based on what you report - it seems like the trial is successful. As DeeDee says, you can tell immediately (well, within 30 minutes) if the stimulants are working. Sometimes there is a let down when they wear off (sadness, mood swings), but again, you would see that the first day.