Overview:
Every child is different and their thought processes and the way that they see the world is unlike anyone else’s vision. They have their own strengths and challenges just like the rest of us. For some kids, one of these differences in abilities centres around neurological brain function and brain chemistries that shape the way they react and reflect on the world around them.
Understanding your child’s needs and potential differences is an empowering first step in moving forward to create opportunities for them to use their abilities to their highest potential. Attention, focus, executive functioning skills, behavioural challenges and impulse control all really vary on a spectrum just like all other abilities. However, when you determine that your child’s ability to keep focused and pay attention has affected their learning abilities in school or their relationship building with friends and family members, this is when you may decide to start investigating things a little further.
Initial Steps:
One of the first things you’ll want to do is speak with your child’s family doctor and teachers about your concerns to understand their views and opinions. They will provide you with additional insights and potential options for next steps.
Professional Assessments and Opinions:
A formal psychoeducational assessment can take place usually after the age of 7 or 8, although each specialist may recommend a different timeframe based on your own personal situation. There are many additional professional assessments that you can do in advance with your family doctors, teachers and other specialists.
Ruling out any vision, hearing, dietary, and speech or other medical issues is a necessary first step in order to gain a clearer picture of what your child’s needs are and what accommodations may need to be put into place to assist them.
Your family doctor may then refer you to a specialist who can then work with you to complete a series of questionnaires and assessments based on their experience and details they collect from you and your child’s teachers, doctors, daycare providers, etc. Often local community programs have social workers, child psychologists, and family counsellors who are available to assist in the review process in order to help document the necessary steps forward. Additionally, the school may offer a Sensory Sensitivity Assessment (SST) to understand how your child interacts and reacts to certain stimuli in their environment.
Occupational Therapist (OT):
Depending on when you start working with an OT they may either help complete the full assessment and provide next steps for accommodations and adaptations that need to be made for your child, or they may assist after the assessment has been completed in order to provide your child with concrete programs to help increase executive functioning skills, build on time management skills, set programs for behavioural modification programs, etc.
Psychoeducational Assessment Process:
Depending on your child’s age, this assessment may be one of the initial steps that you take in order to get your child’s needs identified and documented. However, this usually does not happen until your child is in grade 3 at the earliest and without private insurance programs you may be placed on a very lengthy waiting list.
- A simple google search will show you the psychologists in your area that offer private assessments however you may wish to start by speaking with your school board and your family doctor to see if they have a psychologist that they would recommend or a process in which you can go through with the school.
- Psychoeducational assessments often have long waiting lists, so try to get on a list as soon as you can.
- The process will also take a number of weeks/months and will consist of a variety of interviews with your child, you and your partner, and often the teachers.
- Once you have completed the process you should come away with a detailed report on your child’s strengths, areas for improvement, and recommendations for next steps, along with potentially a formal diagnosis and required actions for the school programming.
Working with the School:
- Submit in writing a request for an IPRC (Identification, Placement and Review Committee) meeting with your principal so that you can learn about the specific program offerings that are available at the school. The school’s Resource teacher should also be in attendance for this initial meeting.
- Get an IEP put in place for your child and review it in detail with the teachers and resource teacher.
- Understanding what resources and modifications that can be made in the classroom to set your child up for success is key. The school will also be able to determine then if your child will learn best in their current classroom or if they should consider moving them to a different class either fulltime or parttime in order to better meet their needs.
Community Support and Information Resources:
A quick Google search and Facebook search can give you a number of options for resources in your area. Also reaching out to your local community centre can prove to be beneficial.
Here are a few sources for groups in the Ottawa area:
- https://www.opendoors.on.ca/
- Facebook group: A Mom’s View of ADHD
Additional Types of programs to consider:
- Neurofeedback Therapy
- Medications specific to ADHD
- Vitamins and supplements to help calm the brain activity
- Dietary tests and allergies
- Calmer earbuds by Flare
- Frustration & Anger workshops through your local child psychology clinics
- Family counselling programs
Podcasts, shows and books:
- Podcast: ADHD & How Anyone Can Improve Their Focus
- Podcast: Beautifully Complex
- Documentary: The Disruptors on AppleTV
- Book: Super-parenting for ADD
- Book: What to Expect when Parenting Children with ADHD (online course available too)
- Book: The Explosive Child
Financial Assistance:
- Private health insurance may help with therapy and medication options.
- Vitamins and supplements can be considered for review at tax time.
- With a formal diagnosis you may be eligible for the DTC (Disability Tax Credit) that can be applied to your monthly child tax benefit payments.
- There are a number of financial accounting professionals that can be of assistance so research your area for more service options.
Tips:
- Talk to your child about all of the amazing benefits to the way their brain works. You’ll find a high number of successful individuals across all areas of life who have been able to do what they do because of the way their brain works in such a special way.
- Routines and calendars that are structured and easy to follow will help create consistency.
- Chores and checklists that reward organizing their thoughts and actions can reinforce good habits that will support their development.
Related Pages:
- Anxiety
- Self-Esteem
