Quote:Fact 1-- In any class there is a median. Half of the children score above the median and half score below it( by definition). Some parents will not accept this fact, especially if their child usually falls below the median.
I thought you were suggesting that the reason I'm angry with the school is because Mo falls below the median.
I heard back from Ms. Teacher and she is working to get a meeting scheduled.
I've been tweaking Mo's schedule and it seems to be making a difference. We've been playing a solid 15-20 minutes of basketball every morning before school, timing it so that we can play until the early bell and make it to class by the tardy bell. This helps wear him out a bit and keeps him away from his little droogs that tend to get him wound up right before class starts.
While reading around yesterday I came across this:
Quote:
50 Conditions That Mimic ADHD
(!) Hypoglycemia (Low Blood sugar) Low blood sugar can stem from thyroid disorders, liver or pancreatic problems, or adrenal gland abnormalities, or even an insufficient diet. Hypoglycemia can display the same ADHD like sypmtoms.
(!) Allergies: 15 to 20 percent of the world has some type of allergy. A person can be allergic to nearly anything so check for all forms. Food is one of the primary causes of allergic reactions. Just like the Car and human analogy stated above. If a child eats food they are allergic to, the body will not run properly and that may affect behavior. Everyone has different sensitivities to allergens so just because you aren't affected does not mean your child won't be also. (Some examples, Allergic reactions to food dye, milk, chocolate, and grains, ect)
(!) Learning disabilities: If the primary place of behavior problems is at school, learning disabilities may be the cause of ill behavior. One of the main things that affect a child's self-esteem is how well they do in school. If a child has an undiagnosed learning disorder that makes school much harder and sometimes impossible. Children with undiagnosed learning disabilities are labeled as lazy, stupid, and many other downgrading opinions that affect self-esteem. And many times when a child's self-esteem is at jeopardy they try to make up for it in other sometimes-nonproductive ways such as acting out, bullying, or becoming the class clown.
(!) Hyper or hypothyroidism: An imbalance in metabolism that occurs from an overproduction or underproduction of thyroid hormones. This imbalance may cause a variety of behaviors and may affect all body functions.
(!) Hearing and vision problems: If a child can't see or hear properly, school and daily things in life are nearly impossible and it may cause ADHD like symptoms especially in educational settings.
(!) Mild to high lead levels, even in the absence of clinical lead poisoning: research shows that children with even mildly elevated lead levels suffer from reduced IQs, attention deficits, and poor school performance. Lead is the leading culprit in toxin-caused hyperactivity..
Strangely enough, I took Mo to the doctor for allergy problems last spring. Our regular doctor was out and the substitue doctor said "Oh, it isn't allergies, it's ADD." after spending a total of 15 minutes with us.
It seems kind of nuts that in my circa 1920 neighborhood that a teacher wouldn't say "Have you had his lead levels tested?" before they start yammering about ADD. I intend to have Mo's tested straight away.
