The Role of the Teacher in Diagnosis Process

Dear J! She keeps providing me fodder for my blog topics. She stopped by last night to bring some cream for my husband, who tried to slice his finger off with a utility knife the other day. JT, her son, is her suspected 2nd ADHD child. Actually, I believe she has one ADD and one ADHD. Like mine, her son appears to be the poster child for ADHD! Anyway, I use the term ADHD, but you fill in ADD if it fits your situation, unless of course we are talking about the hyperactivity part, and then you can just skip over that.

A teacher is not permitted to diagnose ADHD. Of course not. They didn't go to medical school or get licensed as an LPC or psychologist. But, the teacher is on the front lines in the war zone at school with your child. They are in a position to notice behavioural or learning signs that indicate a disability. They are obligated to point out to you that your child is having issues in the classroom.

Let me digress here for a moment. In 2nd grade, my son was having some problems getting all his work done in school. His teacher was a girlie teacher, meaning, she favored the girls and loathed the boys. All the boys would get critical notes home all the time about their boyish activity or grades. The girls would get notes in their folders, but they were full of praise. Be aware, teachers, parents do talk. We figured this out pretty quick.

I noticed at home that my son was practically sitting on top of the television. A new development. This suggested to me that he needed his eyes examined. I took him to the eye doctor, and sure enough, my son needed glasses. Bingo, problem solved in class about getting his work done. In my opinion, I feel the teacher should have noticed he couldn't see the BOARD! However, she was too busy with her anti-boy feelings to have gone beyond and seen the obvious.

And let me say in support of this girlie teacher theory, she said to me one day, "I don't know how you handle having a boy. I could never do it." Mother of two girls.

Let me also say that I have several educators in my family. I consider all of them exemplary individuals. My dear cousin was teacher of the year at the school where she taught. She noticed things. She brought things up to parents. Yes, she was busy with all the paperwork the government has thrown on her on top of everything else, but she cared for the children. She loved her job.

Back to JT. List of 44 words to know for test. Knew 4. Busy boy in school. Active. At home, mother sees major signs of ADHD. She knows because of older ADD child, S. Teacher says that JT is fine. Mother knows the truth. PAPERWORK. MORE WORK. Child put through with no issues to next year. Mother discussing with current teacher who says they cannot diagnose problems. Of course, they can't diagnose. But their expert opinion as teachers can refer you to have your child tested for learning disabilities. If you choose not to do it, it's your own fault. It's free with the school district as I have mentioned before.

What I'm trying to say without bashing teachers because I love teachers is that some do not want to be involved. Some do not believe in ADHD. Some just don't want to deal with it. Some are just plain ignorant about it because it is NOT covered in their degree curriculum.

This amazes me. Statistically speaking, one child in every classroom has ADHD. One in every classroom. That means to me that on a daily basis, every teacher will be dealing with ADHD. If they teach multiple students such as in junior high or high school, then one student in every class they have will have ADHD. This to me says very loudly that it should be covered at the very least in a continuing education class. It should be covered with in-service training at the school. And for heaven's sake, it needs to be covered as part of the degree curriculum!

And so again, it comes down to you as the parent to be the advocate for your child. You must be involved with your child's education.

That means having the facts and being prepared. My personal favorite note on Matt's report cards is "needs to pay more attention in class." Hello. Did they not read his IEP (more on that another time). He has ADHD. Attention Defecit. He has problems paying attention in class. That one always chaps my hide!

You need to be supportive of the teacher(s) that your child has. I always tell them that I am more than willing to do my part at home in assisting them. They encounter so much apathy today. Teachers are thrilled to have an involved parent. If you do your part, then 9 times out of 10, the teacher will do theirs.

Yes, I have encountered the occasional teacher who doesn't want to do anything. One year, Matt had a teacher who refused to follow his IEP, a legally binding document. She felt it was giving him special advantage over the other children in the class. I did spend a few minutes pondering how having a learning disability gives you an advantage over other students in the class if you make accomodations to "normalize" their learning environment. I met with this teacher, and even offered to share my favorite book Teaching Teens with ADHD, check out my book recommendations. I gave her facts. I gave her support. Finally, I gave up and gave her head to the principal who almost had a stroke over what she had said in her e-mails. Why? Because of her refusal to acknowledge his IEP, she could have lost her teaching license. I was threatening to go to the district office and file a formal complaint with the state.

I'm not a bitch. I have my facts and the federal law behind me. Do your job, and I will do mine. If you don't do your job, then I will do what it takes to protect my child. If that means reporting you for refusing to follow his IEP, then so be it.

Sadly for her, she had to meet with the principal every day for the rest of the year and be counseled on special needs students and the requirements of the law. She was also harrassing my son outside the classroom in school, and she had to be chatted with about that.

Let me not leave a sour taste in your mouth about educators. She was the exception. The majority I have found, have been great! The 5th grade teacher he had, Mrs. S, was a dream come true. She became a teacher later in life and had an ADHD child herself. She followed his IEP to the letter and went above and beyond. I loved her.

His 6th grade main teacher was hand-picked (yes, you can do that regardless of what they tell you). She was gifted with the ADHD population. He had two other teachers that year. One had to be brought along, but she responded and turned out fine. The other had a problem acknowledging ADHD and kept complaining to me about ADHD attributes...doesn't pay attention, easily distracted, can't sit still, doodles...every time I talked with her, it was like talking to a wall. She just stared at me as if I was from Mars. Young girl. Saw Matt in church fidgeting. Told him that's what she expected from him. Really? You mean the hyperactivity and inattentiveness can come in to play in church? Oh my...lucky for me you can outlive the unresponsive ones. Remember, your child will pass and leave them behind for someone else to deal with. You only hope you planted the seed.

To summarize my ramblings: the teacher is your ally in the war in the classroom on ADHD. If you suspect something at home then, she must be an active participant, and you need to do your part to show her you are supportive. Praise her. Kill her with kindness. Be genuine. She will respond. (Yes, he may respond, too! I know there are male teachers. But I'm talking about my experiences, and they have all been shes.) Get the facts. Know the facts. Use the facts. Keep emotions out and present data. People can fight emotions. They can't fight data. Use the resources available to you at the school. Get your child tested. It has to be documented in order for you child to use those resources and move ahead.

The number one reason why do all this? For your child to be successful. I just told Matt the other day, that my whole goal was to get him through school with out failing a single grade, which is atypical of the ADHD kid. That would make him proud and give him something to stand out above the crowd. At least in my mind. He smiled at that. It made him happy.