difficult child 2's grades

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
I just got an email of difficult child 2's grades. So far he is doing SO much better than last year. He has all A's except for one D+ in Science. He is missing one assignment in that class and as soon as he makes it up the grade will go back up. He has an A+ in reading. He has been completing all of his reading logs and turning them in. I am so proud of him! What a difference between this year and last year. Last year he constantly had F's in Science and Social Studies and barely pulling C's in his other classes. Looks like we are getting off to a great start this year. Both of his main teachers say he is a joy to have in class (never thought I'd hear that coming from a teacher) and one of them says he is eager to learn. Last year all he did was stare off into space while biting his nails. He was completely unmotivated This year his teachers are saying that he is very focused and tries hard. I am relieved. God bless Focalin! Hopefully this continues. Dare I be hopeful?
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Do you dare be hopeful?
YES.

Is it the answer to "everything"? nope. But... the right medication can make a huge difference. Especially, it buys the extra brain resources necessary to hold everything together (somewhat), to filter more appropriately (impulsivity), to maintain focus (attention)... and when those are in place, it's possible to learn other skills, like "how to be a student".
 

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
His lack of focus was his downfall the last two years. His grades suffered terribly because of it. With this new medication, the teachers are both saying they haven't noticed any problems focusing at all with him. NO kidding, last year the teacher reported having to redirect him 20+ times a day. It was constant. This year they haven't had to do that once! I am very grateful that we found the right medication. All it took was two tries. With difficult child 1 it took years.
 

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
He was only on the Focalin the last two weeks of school. In those two weeks the teacher reported that she saw some improvement. This year he started middle school and the work is more challenging. I was worried he wouldn't be able to keep up but so far he's holding his own. He is super proud of himself about his grades. Only side effect is he's talking more, but for a kid who's autistic and mostly non verbal with other adults otherwise, it's actually working to his benefit. Last year's teacher was absolutely thrilled that he finally started speaking up in class. The only other side effect was insomnia, but a high dose of melatonin nipped it in the bud. So far this medication is a little miracle pill.
 

Anxworrier

New Member
My difficult child is 7th grade which starts middle school at our Montessori school. It is a huge difference in work load, e pectations and he is just not keeping up. I'm crying right now bc of our second conf about no homeworks tomorrow and it may be awful depending on how he behaves.
 

Anxworrier

New Member
Californiablonde, my difficult child has not been diagnosed. He has been to therapy but she didn't give him a label. But I feel the possibilities are inflexible explosive, ADD, anxiety, ODD. He is not on medications. He will be thirteen in November and is in 7th grade.

His main problems are not doing all his homework, lying that it is done, getting no homeworks in school and after three, we have a meeting, so I had one this morning which I am going to post about separately. I have a 16 easy child and she makes life easier for me! Have an ADD husband who I love and loves us but doesn't connect well all the time w difficult child.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
anxworrier...
JMO, but... skip the "ODD" label... all it accomplishes is to acknowledge that certain behaviors are not normal. There isn't anything you can DO for "ODD". But... most of the time? ODD is really secondary problems because of other things not being diagnosed.

CB discovered that for her difficult child, the ADD/ADHD alone was a more major problem than they thought... and medications are making a difference, not just to the ADD/ADHD, but also to behaviors.

You need to find out WHY... and it's not likely to be "just to get my parents upset".
 

Californiablonde

Well-Known Member
So very true. ODD is never a stand alone diagnosis. It's more like a symptom. difficult child 1 got labeled with ODD when she was six years old. ADHD didn't fit and autism didn't fit. We tried her out on a bipolar mood stabilizer plus added a AP and she did a complete and total turnaround. Bipolar turns out to be her diagnosis. All those rages and meltdowns she was having? Turns out she honestly couldn't control it. NO amount of therapy or behavior modification helped. It wasn't until we found the right medication, and it did take awhile, but once we did, she finally stabilized. She rarely melts down any more. She's more like a typical teen with all the the teenage drama and hormones that go along with it, but no major melt downs. My life is so much easier without all the rage. Sure she can be difficult, but no more full blown rages. Something else is going on with your son. Have you seen a psychiatrist or neuropsychologist? I know you say you've had therapy for him, but how about an actual MD?
 

Anxworrier

New Member
I guess ODD is something I always mention, not bc I was a diagnosis but because it conveys the behavior which causes me so much agony. Maybe not the root, only a side effect, but the defiance and inflexibility to cooperate and go along with life in a typical way. And I have seen people say it isn't a diagnosis worth anything, but if I see someone's signature say ODD, I feel less alone. by the way I cannot figure out how to add aa signature! :D
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
signature: look at upper right corner of page... you'll see "my profile" and "settings". I can never remember for sure which one it is, but I think it's "my profile". There's a section there for "signature".
 
Top