All About ADHD : Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

[newbieks]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2105013\" time=\"1681223236\" user_id=\"17023:

Fair statement. Knowing your child’s strengths and weaknesses can help her to better play to her strengths.

If money is not a concern, I would suggest bringing your child to a private practice. This is to avoid leaving an adverse record in case your child would like to apply for govt scholarships or a job in the civil service / stat board.

yes, most likely if we proceed, we will go to private practice. Option given whether we want to involve school teachers to provide their feedback to give a more holistic assessment. Have been quoted fees of between 1K+ to 3K+ for the assessment including report out to parents.

[newbieks]

Just wondering, if concession is given to students to have more time during exams, will the papers be marked differently? Will markers during say a national exam be made aware of such concessions when they are marking a certain student’s papers?

[newbieks]

MrsKiasu\" post_id=\"2105030\" time=\"1681259303\" user_id=\"43981:

Never thought abt it on seeing govt doctor..we had an episode, went to polyclinic saw the doctor and luckily we didn't proceed to the next stage as we tried managing it within the family.

To be more clear..it is more on stress la.

We used to think that as they get older and mature, things should get better. Then we realize that as they become teenagers, other factors e.g. stress, peer pressure, teen angst come into play. Things became even more unclear is it normal teen behavior or an issue that we should address and work on.

[zac's mum]

newbieks\" post_id=\"2105036\" time=\"1681261586\" user_id=\"178749:

Just wondering, if concession is given to students to have more time during exams, will the papers be marked differently? Will markers during say a national exam be made aware of such concessions when they are marking a certain student's papers?

I thought I saw somewhere that the certificate (or is it just the results slip?) - PSLE, O and A levels - will have an annotation ( *) small print indicating that the student was given extra time. Some people may not like to answer inquisitive qns from future employers etc regarding this annotation.

Not very sure, please double check.

[sharonkhoo]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2105039\" time=\"1681263349\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2105039 time=1681263349 user_id=53606]
I thought I saw somewhere that the certificate (or is it just the results slip?) - PSLE, O and A levels - will have an annotation ( *) small print indicating that the student was given extra time. Some people may not like to answer inquisitive qns from future employers etc regarding this annotation.

Not very sure, please double check.[/quote]

To newbieks and ZM: yes, I believe accommodations will be made known to the markers, and will be annotated on the certificate. My older girl was offered extra time for A levels, but we declined it in the end as we didn't think it would help her. If we thought would have helped, we would have accepted.

One thing parents (and child) have to consider is the long term - do you want the condition on public record? We debated this over the years, and finally decided that we couldn't hide it. My daughter's ASD/ADHD is marked enough that we realised she would not be able to manage without some accommodation during her school/university days, as well as in getting internships and jobs, and staying in a job. If her traits were milder and less obvious, we would probably have tried not to make full disclosure for the various reasons others have cited. In earlier days, we had refused to get a formal diagnosis for various reasons, including the fear of stigma etc. But we did remediation and coaching/therapy ourselves with our daughter, and only had her assessed when we realised that she was not able to cope without some accommodation.

So going private for an initial assessment is probably a good thing as long as cost is not a consideration - it will give you time to decide how much you wish to disclose. If the traits are mild, remediation and coaching at home, and helping the child understand her traits and how to cope, may be all that's needed. But if you suspect something, it's best to try doing something about it at home, even if you choose not to get a formal diagnosis.

[sharonkhoo]

newbieks\" post_id=\"2105038\" time=\"1681262075\" user_id=\"178749:

We used to think that as they get older and mature, things should get better. Then we realize that as they become teenagers, other factors e.g. stress, peer pressure, teen angst come into play. Things became even more unclear is it normal teen behavior or an issue that we should address and work on.

We had the same wishful thinking - we did a lot of work with our daughter when she was young, and there was a period we thought maybe she had \"caught up\". But, as you say, the teen years are tough, though my daughter was also a late-maturing one - she only displayed the mid-teen angst when she was about 19! Also, others grew up faster, developed various skills faster and better, and the gap between our daughter and her cohort widened, and her younger sister clearly overtook her in all ways. What does help is to let the child understand that you want the best for her, and that the things you suggest are to help her when she struggles. But first, the child has to realise and accept that she is struggling more than her peers - if she doesn't accept that, you really can't do much as you can't force much at this age.

[Imp75]

How do we distinguish for a 8y/o boy who is gifted but bored or has ADHD? It’s a fine line is it?

[zac's mum]

Imp75\" post_id=\"2105061\" time=\"1681268418\" user_id=\"2358:

How do we distinguish for a 8y/o boy who is gifted but bored or has ADHD? It’s a fine line is it?

As far as I know, for the H (hyper) type, ability to exercise self-control over impulses (speaking out of turn, standing up/walking around classroom when supposed to be seated and listening to ongoing lesson, cutting Q because cannot wait in line…) is the determinant factor.

If the boy can be coached to find acceptable ways to stave off his boredom with lessons (eg doodle on paper if ongoing discussion or Q&A is boring, write annotations during lesson to stay focused), it is not clinical ADHD. Those with ADHD really cannot control themselves (or at least struggle a lot with the self-control).

[sharonkhoo]

Imp75\" post_id=\"2105061\" time=\"1681268418\" user_id=\"2358:

How do we distinguish for a 8y/o boy who is gifted but bored or has ADHD? It’s a fine line is it?

It is a fine line. And the younger the child, the harder to distinguish. If it's borderline, I would probably hesitate to get a formal diagnosis and DIY first. But by the teens, it will usually become more apparent as the difference between \"young and immature\" and \"having an issue\" becomes more clearer.

[sharonkhoo]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2105063\" time=\"1681268867\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2105063 time=1681268867 user_id=53606]
As far as I know, for the H (hyper) type, ability to exercise self-control over impulses (speaking out of turn, standing up/walking around classroom when supposed to be seated and listening to ongoing lesson, cutting Q because cannot wait in line…) is the determinant factor.

If the boy can be coached to find acceptable ways to stave off his boredom with lessons (eg doodle on paper if ongoing discussion or Q&A is boring, write annotations during lesson to stay focused), it is not clinical ADHD. Those with ADHD really cannot control themselves (or at least struggle a lot with the self-control).[/quote]

All this is true, but again, the lines are blurry. Remediation and training can help make traits manifest less, but the person has to work harder all the time. It doesn't get \"cured\". It's like the image of a swan swimming on a lake - smooth and effortless above the water, and furious paddling below but out of sight.