Section 504 provides a blueprint for how students with disabilities accesses learning. It is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This federal civil rights law seeks to stop discrimination. It mandates equal access and opportunity. It is the most common educational support for students with ADHD. In elementary and secondary education, schools are required…
Category: Special Education
Labeled? 5 Tips for Overcoming the Stigma of ADHD
ADHD can affect anyone regardless of age, culture, gender, ethnicity, or social class. Public attitudes and beliefs expose them and their loved ones to prejudice and discrimination. Internalization can result in embarrassment or self-loathing. There are strategies to turn these negative perceptions around over time. The challenges of ADHD are not always limited to primary…
Gifted/Talented and ADHD: The Dynamic Duo
“Our kids” with ADHD are special gifts. It might be more…they may be gifted. How can you tell? Being gifted can be somewhat unclear, especially for students with ADHD. Confusing and contradictory information can be misconstrued. Delayed diagnosis further complicates the situation. The term “gifted and talented” is used when students give evidence of high…
ADHD School Success: It Takes a Village
HELP! ADHD at school equals challenges and struggles. Where to go from here? “Our kids” get lost, with more than 30% failing or having to repeat a grade. Building a team is the key to turning things around. Parental involvement is critical to the identification and instruction of students with ADHD. This is particularly true…
ADHD: A Gift or a Curse?
ADHD is not easy to live with. No one will argue with that. The silver-lining beyond the clouds? Yes. We should not make light of this disorder. The world’s psychiatric handbook, DSM-V outlines specific diagnostic symptoms. It’s further treated with medication or requested special academic help. To receive a diagnosis, true ADHD comes with…
ADHD and Food: Friends or Enemies?
64% of diagnosed cases of ADHD are impacted by food. It can cause physical or behavioral symptoms. These chemicals accumulate to create “bad days.” Food allergies? Food sensitivity? They’re not the same. Classic allergies (IgE) cause serious symptoms like hives, swelling, and anaphylaxis. Food sensitivity (IgG) is not a true allergy and cannot be…
Tired? Out cold? It might just be ADHD.
Sleep problems go hand-in-hand with ADHD symptoms. One-quarter to one-half of parents of teens with ADHD report that their children suffer from sleep problems. The situation aggravates behavior, negatively impacting how they think and function. Adults typically digress and become sluggish during daytime hours. Children tend to overcompensate and speed up. They are also more…
Students with ADHD Left Out in the Cold? Try Inclusion.
Good things happen when students with and without disabilities learn together. Inclusion is an all-embracing societal ideology. It rejects the use of special schools or classrooms for students with disabilities. In inclusive classrooms, all students belong, are equally valued, and deserve the same experiences and opportunities. They learn by being together, improved by diversity. Students…
ADHD Students: Got good grades? Here’s how to keep them.
Summer slide? It’s not in the playground. Don’t fall victim. Something comes up and steals academic progress, as much as 2 months. Summer slide describes the loss of academic skills over the summer break. As a result, education does not continue. This loss is especially severe for students with ADHD because they are not engaged…
ADHD Students: Why Fight? Collaborate.
Student groups with kids with ADHD are a hot mess. How can they get good grades? Work together toward a single goal. Student collaboration joins classmates as groups to solve problems together. The goal is getting an organized endeavor to a satisfying and most appropriate end. To achieve this groups seek compromise to develop similar…