Adhd. its hard to cope?

our son has adhd, his teacher has set up a screen so he cant disrupt the class and can concentrate on the lesson, it seems to have helped but my wife thinks this is cruel, i am not sure. we know how hard this is 4 teachers as we have 4 children and he affects us all 24/7. is it cruel or do the rest of the class deserve to be taught without the distraction, ???

www.addtherapy.fsnet.co.uk/

I was diagnosed with ADHD somew 10 years ago. I do not think it is cruel for the school to put up a partition if it helps your son concentrate and be able to acheive at his work.
The only problem I can see this presenting is the attitudes of his other peers. Kids are cruel and they tend to single out people who are slightly different. As long as the other children do not pick on your son for being 'sectioned off'.

I can remeber how disruptive I was during lessons nd more often that not I was sent out of the classroom and got labeled a 'naughty kid'. If I could go back and have the support your sons school is offering then Im sure I would have done a lot better.

The link at the top of the page is for a UK charity for children and families who have ADHD. The lady that runs it is an absolute STAR. She works little miracles.

Just remeber - when ADHD is channeled in the right way it is a blessing not a curse.

i work within the support for learners dept in a school. please email me and i will tell you what i think.

Its hard. Your main concern is your son. If this is working,continue it. If not make changes.School is a atmosphere were All children should be taught. Be opened minded to the changes and attemps that the school makes to ensure your son gets what he need. The minute U feel he is not getting what he needs put your advocating hat on. Fight for your son.

two of my children have ADHD, one of them also has Aspergers Syndrome... they have NEVER been screened off from their class.
Does your son take Ritalin?
If he does and he's still having probs it maybe that the dose isn't high enough.
My children take a slow release form of ritalin and both are so much better with it... although it doesn't suit every child.

I would talk to the school and discuss how uncomfortable you are about the screen, and see what they say. Yes the other children have rights but so does your child. If the school can only deal with him in this way, maybe its time to find a more appropriate and understanding school.

Just wondering... what does your son feel about the screen?

the teacher shudnt be makin it obvious he has a special need, he shud have support but not so it singles him out, at the end of the day you are his parents and if you feel something isnt right with how the teachers are dealin with his need then you must say so they can help him in a way that is a little more sensitive.

have u looked at his diet, its scary how many children are effected by tiny traces of chemicals in so much of our food these days, my friends son is a healthy boy, but he craves foods he cant have as he has an intolerence, the school was givin him what he craved and my friend had to take him to hospital because she thought he was having a psychotic episode, the doctors said he was showin severe signs of autism, as soon as she started rubbin special primrose oils into his skin and took wheat, cheese, e numbers, sugar etc etc out of his diet he was your average 12 year old again......its scary how many children with autism are stuck in a different world becus of food intolerence, there is so much proof that food and bowel conditions effect the brain but doctors havnt 'officially' proved it so its basically parents who 'diagnose' their children and change their childs diet, the doctors wont even listen to their cases.

have you tried omega three fish oils, does he crave certain foods etc?

Heres some tell tale signs of food problems in a child that look like hyperactivity e.g. ADHD (this comes from the website i gave you below)

"IN INFANCY:

Excessive crying, sometimes screaming and a refusal to be pacified or comforted. The child is restless and sleeps very little. He is difficult to feed by breast or bottle, dribbles excessively and may be very thirsty (thirst is a cardinal sign of Essential Fatty Acid deficiency). Head banging and cot-rocking are common and the child may not crawl but begin to walk and run around at a very early age. Some children sleep well but may have night terrors.

IN OLDER CHILDREN:

Clumsy and accident prone.

Erratic and disruptive behaviour. Fits and tantrums.

Compulsive touching of everything and everyone. Constant motion, wriggles legs. May walk on toes, and runs everywhere.

Disturbs other children and may be aggressive.

Unable to concentrate, never finishes anything he/she begins. Demands must be met immediately. Frustration leads to temper tantrums.

Normal or high IQ but may do badly at school. "Jekyll and Hyde" moodiness.

Poor hand and eye coordination. Uncooperative, defiant and disobedient.

Not every child will have all the symptoms above, and of course there are degrees of the problem. As they reach puberty hyperactive children may experience a spontaneous change in their behaviour patterns, with a lessening of hyperactivity and aggression. However, it is common for underlying problems to remain and it is essential that attention to diet is maintained and other forms of help sought."

I think you need to seek specialist help; & i don't see how putting a screen up will help anyone... I would suggest that this teacher just doesn't know what to do... Get help properly before you do irreversible damage to you son..

Yes, the class has a right to lessons without disruption, but a screen?!! I'm sure that I would find the sight of some poor kid stuck behind a screen very distracting, and it will do no good at all to his self esteem. I speak from experience as a mother of a 12 year old son with Autistic Spectrum Disorder/Aspergers Syndrome. No one has ever even suggested something as silly as this. If he really is incredibly disruptive, a far better solution is to give him one to one teaching assistance within the classroom. You will have to fight tooth and nail for it, but it is worth it. Good Luck.