Tests and ADHD kids. Please help!?

Question

Is it possible and reasonable to have my 8 year old tested orally rather than the traditional written tests? I'm told that people with ADHD usually do very poorly on written tests, but they can do a lot better when tested orally. My child is failing most of her tests and I think it might be because the focus on writing reduces her ability to focus on the answers. When we talk about the material she's being taught, she usually knows the answers. And even though she's testing poorly in math, she loves math and tells people so. I bought her a math workbook for her grade level yesterday so she could use it for entertainment while we travel today, and she was thrilled. She started working on the problems right away. This is not the behavior of a child who doesn't get math. I'm getting frustrated with her teacher. It seems she doesn't mind leaving my daughter behind rather than helping her to do her best. What are my daughter's rights (in Canada)?

I know what ADHD is. I've read copious amounts of information on it. What I don't know is how the education system helps or hinders our kids, and what parents and teachers can do to help these kids succeed.

Answer 1

As a teacher I come across many students in your daughters situation. In the U.S. teachers are only legally required to modify a students test and classwork if they qualify for special education. Having your daughter tested orally sounds like it could solve many short term problems, such as boosting her GPA. However, there are some major drawbacks to this solution. The long-term consequences of oral modification is that your daughter may become dependent on this and sooner or later (in college or the workplace) these types of oral modifications will no longer be available to her and she may find her self struggling once again when the stakes are even higher. The other problem is that some school districts cannot, legally, modify a students coursework without special education testing.

The best solution (and unfortunately the hardest) is that you and the teacher work with your daughter to strengthen her weakness by helping to reduce her test anxiety, improve her recall, etc. This is truly the only way that she is going to be able to fully overcome her deficit.

Answer 2

As a Special Education Teacher (High School) in the USA. I have advocated for many modification for students who have ADHD. Here are some of them:
1. Extended Time on Tests and Quizzes
2. Scibes for lengthy assignments
3. Tests and assignments read and answered orally
4. Tests and quizzes taken in an alternative room with 1 on 1

And a host of other modifications.
ADHD students are unfortunately some of the most burn out kids to work with and the most misunderstood.
I would say to answer your question that your kid should be able to answer questions orally on tests and quizzes. Also, Multiple choice Q and A should be shortened. BUT do this with caution. When you student starts to think about college or post high school options, the rules governing education (at least in the US) change. Student in the US go from rules of IDEA which are much more open ended and creative to ADA (American Disabilities Act) rules which are much more constrictive and typically only allow for more time and a quiet place to take a test. So, if you challenge your student at a young age, they may have better luck in the future. OR...you can show them success now and try to wein them off of these modifications as they get older. Either way, not an easy decision.

Answer 3

As you haven't indicated how much info the teacher in question has, here's what needs to happen from Step One.

1. First your child needs to be tested and her ADHD (or other learning problem) needs to be diagosed and documented by a professional.

2. You need to meet with your child's teacher and an inclusive education specialist to design an Individual Progress Plan (or whatever they call it where you live) which will outline the inclusive strategies that will be used to accommodate your child's learning differences. This plan MAY include oral testing, and it will definitely include work to be done at school AND at home. At the meeting, arrange a time to meet again to see the teacher and the specialist to discuss progress and make necesssary changes to the plan.

3. Keep in regular contact with your child's teacher (weekly is good, daily is excessive) and talk to your child about what is happening in the classroom. Come prepared to the next meeting with notes about what you perceive to be successful and unsuccessful about the IPP.

Unless your daughter has a diagnosed learning problem and a personalized plan in place, her teacher would be out of line by allowing her to be tested orally when the other students are tested in writing. If the learning problem isn't diagnosed and documented, the school won't receive the funding necessary to implement this type of program, so it's essential that the professionals are involved and the school fully understands their involvement.

Answer 4

I live in the US, but from my understanding the laws are very similar. Your daughter's IEP (or whatever her ed document is called up north!) should have a support listed as alternative testing. I would call an IEP meeting to discuss this, maybe instead of the teacher a resource teacher could be giving her the test in a different room at the same time.

While I don't agree with the poster who says your daughter HAS to learn to take tests and she should fail now, she does need to be taught some coping mechanisms and how to access tools to help herself in tests. Third grade is very difficult, because it's the year that kids are switching over from having a teacher help them all the time, to having teachers expect them to do it all on their own. I would add it as a goal to her IEP that she is taught better test taking skills WHILE she's allowed to take tests in another room.

So, in order, I would write a letter requesting an IEP meeting, talk to the resource teacher about options, perhaps talk to your psychologist as well (ours never came to meetings, but she was a good resource and a letter from her helped a lot in the meetings). The meeting should have the teacher, a resource teacher, you, the principal, and a representative of the special ed department for your school district.

Maybe this will help, since every province is different, you will need to look up some legal resources
http://ca.dir.yahoo.com/Education/Special_Education/

Good luck

Answer 5

written exams are part of life
make sure she has her ADHD meds before she takes an exam so she can do her best effort without the ADHD interfering...manipulate the situation so she can produce her best effort...most likely she stayed on task with the math workbook during travel because many distractions had been eliminated such as other kids in the classroom...sounds like she can do the work but needs help in the ability to focus...an oral test would most likely be 1 on 1 with the teacher which would limit distractions such as the other kids but in the real world a teacher cannot be expected to make such an accommodation in a mainstream classroom...these are usually limited to resource or intervention teachers...a classroom teacher has responsibility for the other students at all times and if the teacher were to give the test individually to one student then parents of the other kids would and should demand the same accomadation for their students because it would benefit them all, ADHD or not.

Answer 6

Hi

I am a teacher..but when I was in school...I had a teacher..well a few of them actually...that would give you more then one option of taking a test (I do this for my students as well). I try to give my students the benefit of the doubt.

They come to class and take the exam like everyone else. If they return afterschool (on their own time and my own time), then I can do a verbal test: where it is the student and I and sometimes their parent/or another teacher. What ever one the child scores the highest on, I take that for the grade. since they are the same questions/I write it on their paper.

If a child does poorly on a written test, I ask them to stay after and then I give them a verbal one. If they refuse, I just take the score of their written test.

I also give the child the option, even if they are doing well to try to take a verbal test. Some are just curious about a verbal one. I have had students fail tests on purpose just to see what a verbal test is like, then do miserable. that is why I opened that option up.

Some other ideas. When i was younger, my mom would have me do my homework with headphones on listening to nature sounds. My mom asked my teacher if I could take tests with that on and they said yes. Some made me do it after school, while other teachers had me just sit in the back of the classroom.

Talk to the teacher/guidance counselor

I am not in agreeance about medicating children though. There are basic strategies to help children. One is to get rid of the red dye in their diet, another one is to go see a chiropractor. I have seen both do amazing things. Most children are over medicated..which is sad. It takes away from their creativeness.

good luck!

Answer 7

Because the ADHD is having such a big impact on your child's education, she may be able to qualify for special education or other accommodations. Ask the school's counselor about your options. Once a plan has been developed and written in an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) or 504 plan, all of the teachers who work with your daughter must provide the agreed upon accommodations. The documents mentioned above are legal documents that must be followed.

Answer 8

So your kid has a lot of energy? Most kids do. Either he has trouble controlling it or you are worried it's hurting his education/ you have trouble managing him. The answer is once. However adhd is extremely over diagnosed. Sugar is bad for your kids but doesn't really make them hyper. It's a myth. Caffeine however does make people overly energetic so I would go with fixing that. (sorry, less chocolate:/) Identify the real issue you are having with your child, everyone has trouble with parenting. We can't just assume it is a disease though. We need to help our kids not medicate/label them. Best of luck with parenting an energetic kid! Better than a sloth!:)

Answer 9

There seems to be a lot of difficulty among teachers and children with ADHD. Most teachers don't want to spend their classroom time helping those students and they tend to get frustrated when students with ADHD have a helper with them throughout the day. Mot children with ADHD are very intelligent children, they just have problems expressing their intelligence. In your case, your child has difficulty taking written exams. My suggestion for you would be to talk to the principal immediately. Your child needs the attention that he or she deserves and if that means allowing them to take oral tests than so be it! Just because your child has ADHD does not mean that your child should not be given the proper education that they need to become a success.

Answer 10

First of all request a meeting with the school to see about the possibility of having her referred for special ed testing. They will develop an IEP or Individualized Education plan for her if she qualifies. This will allow the teacher to make accommodations for your daughter when taking tests, such as allowing more time or having the test shortened or read to her.