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avatartm
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my son is 11 and is in a special class for ADHD kids. How do I get him ready for Junior High?

My son has seperation anxiety too from his birth mother leaving him when he was 4 years old. He is very emotional and doesn't really act like other kids his age.

Question applies to ages: 11

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avatarElizabeth.Johns
# of Thumbs Up Received (76)		 If your son is in a special class, I'm guessing he has an IEP in place. If so, your school district should hold what is called a "transition IEP" in the spring before he is ready to move to the junior high/middle school. Ideally, this meeting should include his present teacher(s), his current case manager and any other professionals who work with your child (social worker, school psychologist, occupational therapist, etc.), and the corresponding professionals from the junior high, and of course, you and your advocate, if you have one.

Together, the team should work on a plan to help your child transition to the next school and come up with some specific accommodations to deal with his anxiety and the challenges of his ADHD. The discussion may include whether he will be in a contained classroom with other special-needs children, mainstreamed with an aide or paraprofessional accompanying him all day, or partially mainstreamed with resource room or pull-out services.

If you are concerned about how emotional he is, you might see if your school offers a social skills group or some sessions with the social worker to help him manage his emotions. Unfortunately, junior high kids are notorious for picking on kids who are different, and an emotional kid (such as one who cries) is a prime target. You might want to ask the junior high staff what their policy on bullying and harassment is before anything happens, and let them know that you will not tolerate any targeting of your child by other kids. It is their job to protect your child.

Transition IEP meetings can be very long and complex, but they are well worth it to get things in place before the next school year. During the summer, you can work with your child to help prepare him for the changes to come. Be positive. See if the school will let the two of you tour the building early, meet with his teachers, and in other ways get comfortable with his new surroundings. It's a lot of work, but it will help.

References:
mom of a teen with Asperger's Syndrome, who has had three transition IEPs.
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