Schools and Teachers

I have heard from a number of parents whose children performed wonderfully with one particular school or teacher, but whose behavior changed drastically with another school or setting.  In addition, there are some teachers, even some schools, who see ADD everywhere they look, and they pressure parents to have their children diagnosed (it's a good idea to ask many children are on medications at your school and in your child's classroom).   One problem you might be facing are organizational difficulties brought on by the big increase in homework at the lower grades.

One option for parents is alternative education, especially homeschooling (I'm a homeschooler myself).  If the school system is willing to work with you, then I have some tips for teachers.  A handy book is I Know My Child Can Do Better: A Frustrated Parent's Guide to Educational Options by Anne Rambo, Ph.D.  This book offers parents tips on how to deal with the public school system as well as suggestions for kids who are behind, kids who are bored, and kids who can't concentrate.   It also has the best synopsis of the whole ADD dilema facing parents that I've seen so far in that it presents a complex picture rather than the simplistic and over-generalized views I usually read in the press.

All BTE pages were written by Teresa Gallagher unless otherwise noted and may be photocopied (but not reprinted) without permission.  BTE Web Design now creates websites for small businesses. Perhap "BTE" really means "Born to Entrepreneur..."