A lot of kids with ADHD are risk takers, prone to acting before they think things through. In much of Peter’s life this is a liability, but in one area, it makes all the difference in a positive way. Peter is an artist, and he’s shockingly, dazzlingly good — imaginative, unconventional, daring. He can draw for hours with intense concentration. Artistically, he takes risks, and follows adventurous impulses, and it works for him.

I want to help Peter turn his ADHD into a positive in other parts of his life, too, but there is one more factor to contend with: Peter’s parents. Because they see it’s hard for him to conform, they don’t set boundaries. When Peter was arrested for speeding, his father persuaded the officer to tear up the ticket. When Peter’s history teacher complained about missing assignments, which Peter was capable of doing, his mother talked the teacher into letting him complete make-up work. Both parents blamed Peter’s experiments with drugs on Peter’s friends, without helping him see that having those friends was also a choice which he was responsible for making.

Part of my treatment of Peter has to include helping his parents realize that by sparing their son from taking responsibility for his actions, they are robbing him of the chance to learn from his mistakes. Peter needs to know that his actions have consequences. Risky behavior gets to be less risky if you are intelligent, which Peter is. He can learn to make more accurate predictions about outcomes, but only if he’s allowed to discover what the outcomes really are.

With the right kind of help — especially from his parents — Peter could easily be one of those kids who struggle in high school but as an adult turn attention deficit disorder into attention deficit benefit. Occupations that carry a high level of risk but also reward, being an actor or artist, a trader or entrepreneur, suit intelligent risk takers. I’ve known some CEOs who, if they didn’t have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, would have wound up as accountants, adding up the pluses and minuses of every decision, and ending up paralyzed by the minuses. But with ADHD you don’t see the obstacles; you just see the goals and work toward them. That’s what I want for Peter.

Some children are naturally cautious. Others, given a cliff and a bicycle, combine the two in truly hair-raising ways. When dealing with an adventurous child, the trick is keeping both the spirit of adventure and the child alive.

1. Set boundaries, but not too many.
2. Let natural consequences, barring extreme injury, take their course.
3. Teach your child to think a plan of action through to its consequences: “What will happen if you do that?” “Is it worth what it will cost you?”
4. Help teachers see the child’s strengths, but make sure the child knows he has to obey rules made for his, and other people’s, well being.
5. Do encourage a willingness to take chances, voice an unpopular opinion, follow an unconventional path.
6. Help your child develop the good character to avoid behaviors that are not just risky but unkind dishonest or unhealthy.

 Maddy, who came to me when she was 13, was a wonderful kid — bright, outgoing, and well-behaved, and so conscientious that no one ever suspected that she had a problem.

Her grades were excellent. No one realized that it took her twice as long to do her work as it did the other kids in her class. She never complained, and never seemed to wonder why her friends had so much free time. Since she first entered kindergarten she just compensated and compensated. Her parents had asked teachers why Maddy had so much homework, but no one realized that Maddy was making a heroic effort.

The crack in the facade came when Maddy entered eighth grade. The material she had to study was much more complex, the homework more demanding, and tests contained more items to complete. With so much more asked of her, working extra-hard was no longer the viable solution.

Maddy’s grades started dropping and her parents noticed that she began referring to herself as stupid. In math she seemed to give up entirely. For the first time in her life, she stopped turning in assignments and got D’s on tests. When her parents asked her what was wrong, her behavior was sullen. Just as her good behavior had masked her problem before, her bad behavior hid it as well. Maddy’s parents, worried about depression or even the possibility of drug use, which Maddy angrily denied, had her visit a psychologist.

Fortunately, the psychologist referred Maddy to RNBC, where we did a thorough assessment. Her biggest challenge turned out to be attention. There are different kinds of attention we test for. Does a child have sustained attention or do her thoughts drift? Can a child successfully refocus attention when necessary, or do her thoughts continue to dwell on the preceding activity? What about selective attention, which is the ability to choose between different stimuli and pay attention to the one that matters.

As it turns out, Maddy’s issues were with selective attention. If the teacher was explaining what a polynomial was, and a bakery truck pulled up outside the window and the child next to her was breathing oddly, it was the polynomials that would lose out and the wheezy breath or the Wonder Bread that remained in her memory.

As we worked out a treatment plan, which involved carefully calibrated medication and sessions with an expert on executive function who helped Maddy with organizational skills, Maddy regained her good nature. “It’s such a relief to know what’s happening,” she said. “All of a sudden, I just couldn’t do the work and I didn’t know why.”

“I was worried about Maddy’s grades,” her mom said, “but after a while, that was the least of it. I could see my child changing—she was angry and upset all the time—and I couldn’t do anything about it. Knowing what the problem is makes all the difference in the world.” 

At Lucy’s urging, Emma asked a girl from her class to come home with her after school.  “They wound up at opposite ends of the house,” Lucy told me later. “The other little girl sat upstairs playing a computer game. Emma came and sat in the kitchen with me.” Lucy sighed. “I’m worried Emma doesn’t have any friends.”

“If you were worried that she didn’t recognize the letters of the alphabet, you’d work with her on it,” I said. “You can work with her on this.”

After all, play dates are valuable vehicles for teaching kids sociability. So here’s what you do: Before a play date, talk with your child about the person who is coming over. What does that child like to do? What will make the child feel welcome?

Help plan an activity—baking cookies, doing a craft project—where you can be present and intervene to make it a positive experience. By example, you can teach your child to show interest in what the other child does. “What color frosting are you going to put on the pumpkin cookie? Blue? That’s cool! Blue pumpkins are incredibly rare!”

That’s what I shared with Lucy.

A couple of weeks later I ran into Lucy and asked how Emma was doing.

“Great!” she said.  “I called one of the moms and asked her daughter Gracie over to play mad scientist. The girls put on plastic aprons, and I got out all this stuff —peppermint extract, food color, powdered Jello—you name it. I made sure they each used a lot of baking soda. I can’t tell you how exhilarating it was for them to make that kind of mess.

“Then I got a little bottle of vinegar out, and said, ‘This will bring your potion to life!’ Emma and her friend each dumped some in, and the stuff erupted all over the counter. They were both laughing so hard they fell down.”

Lucy smiled. “It was a huge mess, but it was worth it. You know where Emma is right now? At Gracie’s house.”

6 Steps to Helping Your Child Make Friends

(pre-K through 1^st Grade)

1. Have a discussion beforehand with your child about what the other child might enjoy doing.
2. Structure the playdate around a non-competitive  activity where you’ll be present—cooking, arts and crafts, apple picking.
3. Teach sociability by example: demonstrate sharing, patience, interest in others.
4. If your child and the visiting child are doing well together, fade into the background.
5. If you see a problem, talk about it after the other child goes home. Note what went well and what caused conflicts.
6. Repeat. All skills, including social skills, grow stronger with practice.

Megan was focused, coordinated, and a precocious talker. She was affectionate, and even in the middle of  the Terrible Twos she mostly did what her parents asked, with no fuss about meals or naptimes. She got along well at pre-school.

For Shannon, their other daughter, nothing came easily. She fumbled with small objects and had trouble drawing with crayons or markers. She spoke less clearly, couldn’t focus, couldn’t sit still. At pre-school, she wouldn’t line up, wouldn’t lie down at nap time, and struggled with constant frustration. A particularly alarming behavior, her parents told me, was leaning toward another child, as if preparing to give a kiss, then suddenly biting instead. Not surprising, there were few children willing to play with Shannon.

“We’re careful not to compare the girls to each other,” the mom told me, “but I can tell Shannon’s beginning to feel she’s not as smart or as good at things.” “Shannon’s a difficult child,” her dad said. “She’s really manipulative.”

“That’s a good sign!” I said. “Honestly, it’s the most positive thing you’ve told me, because it indicates intelligence, persistence, acuity. It means she can read people. It’s a skill we can redirect.”

“Another piece of good fortune,” I added, “is that she has a twin. That’s a built-in yardstick for assessing development.” It was much more common, I told them, to see parents worried about a child who had started school and wasn’t keeping up. Before that there would be signs that a child was developmentally delayed, but  parents would tell themselves, “Oh, he’ll grow out of it,” or “a lot of children begin to talk late.”  But  because her parents could tell that Shannon wasn’t keeping pace with her twin, she set off alarm bells years before kindergarten, which was absolutely great. The biggest bang for your buck, when it comes to treatment, is in the early years of life. That’s when the brain is most capable of change and new growth.

At RNBC there were experts ready to address all of Shannon’s problems, and to coordinate treatment so it was most effective.

When the RNBC psychologist discovered Shannon’s strong interest in playing dress up, the cccupational therapist created activities that involved buttoning, lacing, stringing beads and designing dresses for paper dolls and cutting them out.

The  speech and language therapist helped her talk about her clothes and what she liked to wear. Shannon also attended group sessions to help learn skills like self-regulation (managing behavior and emotion) and playing with others.

The physical therapist helped her with large motor skills. She no longer ran clumsily. She could kick a ball and was beginning to be able to catch and throw.

The concerted effort worked wonders. Shannon’s speech became clearer and more fluent, and with greater means of expression, her remarkable intelligence became evident. She gained small motor skills, and began to take pleasure in the craft activities her mother had been doing with Megan.

One week when she came to see me, she brought me a necklace of pop-together beads she had made in occupational therapy. A few months before she would have had neither the hand-eye coordination nor the patience for that kind of effort.

By the time Shannon and Megan started kindergarten, a little more than two years later, it was much more difficult to tell them apart. “But I’ve figured out how to do it,” their kindergarten teacher said. The parents held their breath. Would it be that Shannon bit other children, or that only Megan had friends?

“Shannon loves story time. There’s a little girl who likes telling stories over again later, and you’ll see her walking around the playground with Shannon with their arms over each other’s shoulders. Shannon’s absolutely rapt. Megan’s a tomboy. She plays with the boys, she hangs on the junge gym, I’ve never seen her in a dress. Shannon almost always wears a dress.”

What the teacher was telling the twins’ parents amounted to a triumph. There were still developmental differences, which meant that Shannon would continue to have help and to be tutored. But the children were being distinguished not on the basis of  Shannon’s shortcomings, but on the basis of each child’s own nature and preferences. Treatment hadn’t really altered Shannon, it had simply allowed her to become herself.

Her 11-year-old son was complaining of stomach aches. His pediatrician could find nothing wrong, but they were more and more frequent, nearly every morning, and often so severe that Josh missed school.

They seemed to be affecting his schoolwork too: the child whom teachers described as “extremely bright” wasn’t turning in assignments, wasn’t preparing for tests, didn’t take notes or do reading for a long-term project.

When his dad suggested he was “goofing off,” Josh shouted, “That’s because I’m an idiot!” and stormed off to his room.

When Josh and his parents came to me at the end of 5th grade and we did some tests, what was really happening became clear.

Josh had a problem with executive functions and lacked the skills that help people manage time, break a task into manageable steps, focus attention, and discipline themselves. Because he couldn’t do those things, he felt the anxiety that caused his stomach aches, he avoided school, and worst, he was beginning to think of himself as a “jerk” and an “idiot.”

I explained to Josh and his mom and dad that executive functions were situated in the frontal lobes—the part of the brain that develops last. When growth is complete, the neurons in the frontal lobes grow a covering, the myelin sheath, that carries signals in the brain much faster than before. The frontal lobes develop earlier in some kids and later in others. Until the process was further along, Josh could compensate by learning organizational skills.

As Josh became more organized, the stomach aches disappeared. Josh’s sense of self-esteem skyrocketed. He learned to sort his assignments in different colored binders and break a reading assignment into parts he could handle. By September, Josh was excited to go back to school and explained why.

His exact words were, “I know I can handle it.”

And now he really could.

10 Ways To Get Organized For School

1. Create a home file system to store class papers, tests, and notes, so you can find them when you need them.
2. Set aside an area where you study where you won’t be interrupted.
3. Set aside enough time for homework and stick to your schedule.
4. Turn off your phone while you’re doing homework. Give yourself the incentive of  answering your text messages or making a (brief!) call whenever you complete an assignment. Set a time limit for this.
5. Look at your weekly schedule every day, noting exams and long term projects.
6. Break big projects down into manageable pieces and add those pieces to your schedule.
7. Be conscious of what a homework assignment is meant to teach. Read the study questions at the end of the assignment so you can look for the answers as you read.
8. At the end of doing homework look again at your assignment notebook to make sure everything is complete.
9. Before you go to bed organize your back pack.
10. Put projects due the next day in a color coded homework folder.

New Study May Help Develop Assessment Tests in Social-Emotional Learning

(CHICAGO) – Neurobehavioral researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found three key factors in a child’s behavior that can lead to social rejection. The studies are a crucial step in developing scientifically sound screening tests and treatment planning for social-emotional learning difficulties. The results from the studies are published in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Findings from the pair of studies indicate that the ability to pick up on non-verbal cues and social cues in social interaction as well as recognize the meaning and respond appropriately to them are key to helping children develop skills to maintain friendships and avoid a host of problems in later life.

A child who experiences social rejection is more likely to suffer from academic failure, drop out of school, experience depression or anxiety, and experiment with drugs.

“Children’s ability to develop positive peer relationships is critical to their well-being,” said Dr. Clark McKown, study principal investigator and associate executive director and research director at the Rush NeuroBehavioral Center.  “Compared to children who are accepted by their peers, socially rejected children are at substantially elevated risk for later adjustment troubles.”

Researchers observed two groups of children. One was a random sample of 158 children in the Chicago school system.  The other group was a random sample of 126 clinic-referred children.

The studies indicate that some children have difficulty picking up on non-verbal or social cues.

According to McKown, “They simply don’t notice the way someone’s shoulders slump with disappointment, or hear the change in someone’s voice when they are excited, or take in whether a person’s face shows anger or sadness.”

A second major factor is that some children may pick up on non-verbal or social cues, but lack the ability to attach meaning to them.  The third factor is the ability to reason about social problems.

“Some children may notice social cues and understand what is happening, but are unable to do the social problem solving to behave appropriately,” said McKown.

A child who can take in social cues, recognize their meaning and respond appropriately, and who is capable of “self– regulating,” or controlling behavior, is more likely to have successful relationships.

“The number of children who cannot negotiate all these steps, and who are at risk of social rejection, is startling,” said McKown.

Nearly 13 percent of the school age population, or roughly four million children nationwide, have social-emotional learning difficulties.

For some time, behavioral scientists have known the social costs associated with this problem.  Illinois is one of a handful of states which require school districts to assess and monitor the social-emotional learning needs of its students.

“Because it was not known exactly which behaviors set a child up for failure, or how to measure these skills, it was difficult to provide support,” said McKown.  “Now, it will be possible to pinpoint which abilities a child needs to develop and offer help.”

According to researchers at Rush, the results of the studies could potentially help develop tests to assess for social-emotional learning that are easy to administer and scientifically sound.

The study was funded by the Dean and Rosemarie Buntrock Foundation and the William T. Grant Foundation.

About Rush NeuroBehavioral Center

Rush NeuroBehavioral Center (RNBC) serves the medical, psychological and educational needs of children with neurobehavioral issues with a special emphasis on social-emotional learning disorders. .These children have difficulty focusing, forming relationships, regulating behavior, or functioning effectively because of differences in the way their brains receive, process, and manage verbal and nonverbal information. Through  research, clinical practice, and education, RNBC seeks to enhance the understanding of the needs of those with neurobehavioral disorders, build on their strengths, and help them achieve their full potential.

Since 1997, RNBC has treated more than 12,000 children with such problems as Tourette’s Syndrome, Asperger’s Syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and language-based and non-verbal learning disabilities

About Rush University Medical Center

Rush University Medical Center is an academic medical center that encompasses the more than 600 staffed-bed hospital (including Rush Children’s Hospital), the Johnston R. Bowman Health Center and Rush University.  Rush University, with more than 1,730 students, is home to one of the first medical schools in the Midwest, and one of the nation’s top-ranked nursing colleges. Rush University also offers graduate programs in allied health and the basic sciences.  Rush is noted for bringing together clinical care and research to address major health problems, including arthritis and orthopedic disorders, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, neurological disorders and diseases associated with aging.

Additional Information

For more information about Rush NeuroBehavioral Center’s services and research initiatives please contact Jessica Eustice, RNBC Director of Development & Communications, via email to jessica_eustice@rush.edu or by calling 847.763.7935.

October 12, 2009
Contact: Michael Mesic  (847–644-9151)

Dr. Stephen Nowicki, Jr., renowned psychologist and behavioral researcher,
will present a talk on the dynamics and value of friendships from childhood through adulthood.

Annual Awards will honor Michael W. Ferro, Jr., a well-known entrepreneur and civic leader; Susan Noyes, a generous North Shore philanthropist and web site founder; and Joe Franco, an Aurora, Illinois, 12-year-old, and his family.

Chicago – Rush NeuroBehavioral Center (RNBC) celebrates thirteen years of helping children with learning disorders build on their strengths at its annual awards dinner, Wednesday evening, October 21 at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 East Delaware Place in Chicago. This annual event raises funds to support RNBC’s educational, community outreach, and scholarship programs for underserved children in the Chicago area, as well as its nationally recognized research projects.

Dr. Stephen Nowicki, Jr., presents “Relationships for a Lifetime”

The evening begins with a presentation by Dr. Stephen Nowicki, Jr., world renowned psychologist and behavioral researcher. Called “Relationships for a Lifetime,” the presentation focuses on friendships from childhood through adulthood, as well as the necessary skills for a lifetime of healthy relationships. Dr. Nowicki will also answer questions after the presentation.

Dr. Nowicki explains, “Though the type of friendship differs dramatically over a lifetime, being connected to others in a close, positive way provides not only a reason to live, but also an impetus to thrive and prosper.  Learning how to relate begins at birth and continues throughout life.”

Dr. Nowicki taught at Emory University for 40 years where he served as Director of Clinical Training, Head of the Psychological Center, and Head of the Counseling Center. Among his many distinctions, he is the recipient of two Fulbright awards, was twice named a von Humboldt Scholar for Research in Germany, and has been awarded the Benjamin Meaker and Leverhulme Fellowships for research study in England.  He is also the author of more than 350 books and publications. He currently serves as a consultant to public school programs and maintains an active clinical practice.

Award Presentations to Michael Ferro, Susan Noyes, and Joe Franco

Following Dr. Nowicki’s talk, there will be cocktails and dinner and the presentation of awards to three remarkable individuals: Michael W. Ferro, Jr., Susan Noyes, and Joe Franco.

Michael W. Ferro, Jr., receives the “Living Proof Award”

Mr. Michael W. Ferro, Jr. will receive the “Living Proof Award,” given to recognize an individual for a lifetime of achievements. Mr. Ferro is Chairman and CEO of Merrick Ventures, LLC, and Chairman of Merge Healthcare (Nasdaq MRGE) a healthcare technology company.  As the Founder of Click Commerce, Mr. Ferro was an early pioneer of enabling business-to-business commerce over the Internet and is credited as the father of the “Extranet.”

Mr. Ferro is the Chairman of the Sports Advisory Council for the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid.  He is also a Director on the Board of Trustees of The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, The Field Museum of Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Northwestern University and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He also serves on the boards of Children’s Memorial Hospital, The Northwestern Memorial Foundation and the Executive Committee of The Chicago Community Trust.  Mr. Ferro is the Vice Chairman of the World Health Imaging Alliance, a board member of the Economics Club of Chicago and a member of YPO and The Commercial Club of Chicago.

Mr. Ferro has received numerous awards and honors, including becoming a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, winning the KPMG Illinois High-Tech Award, the 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Technology and the 2005 CEO National Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Susan Noyes receives the “Pearl H. Rieger Award”

Ms. Susan B. Noyes will receive the “Pearl H. Rieger Award,” which pays tribute to an individual or institution that has made a significant difference in the lives of children with neurobehavioral issues. Susan Noyes’ support and insights have benefited not only RNBC, but many other organizations that help children learn and thrive.

She has worked to help every child feel special and recognize their own abilities and strengths through her efforts at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, where she contributed generously to the launch of their new educational leadership degree, Howard Gardner’s current research on collaboration and state-of-the-art facilities; the Chicago Public Education Fund (for which she was recruited by then State Senator Barack Obama), which focuses on improving education for the neediest children, and the board of New Trier High School, where she helped mitigate the effects of a culture of competition by working to ensure that every child had a meaningful experience and opportunity to participate in activities promoting personal growth.

Finally, as the founder of the online community resource Make It Better (and a new magazine of the same name), Susan B. Noyes is working to keep the idea of contributing to organizations benefiting children fresh and vital in the minds of her readers.

Joe Franco and his family receive the “Creating the Future Award”

Joe Franco and his family will receive the “Creating the Future Award,” which celebrates the success of a child affected by neurobehavioral issues and the family that has created an optimal environment for their child’s development.

We first saw Joe Franco at RNBC when he was 5 years old and frustrated by having social and language skills that couldn’t keep pace with his superior perception and reasoning skills. In the past seven years, Joe and his family have done absolutely everything they could and Joe has made fantastic progress.

He’s gone from being a boy who did not understand that others had thoughts and feelings of their own to a friendly and sensitive guy who always asks “How are you.” And after he asks, he listens to the answer. Joe exemplifies the enormous distance a child and his family can travel together.

RNBC is part of the Pediatrics Department of Rush University Medical Center

We celebrate the achievements, dedication, and success of our three award recipients, and all the children who have been helped by the clinical, educational, and research staffs at RNBC.  RNBC serves the medical, psychological and educational needs of children with learning and behavior disabilities, specializing in social-emotional learning disorders, including ADHD and autism.

RNBC Annual Awards Dinner details:

Location: Four Seasons Ballroom, 120 E. Delaware, Chicago

Date: October 21, Wednesday evening

Time:
5:00 PM: Dr. Nowicki Presentation
6:00 PM: Cocktails
7:00 PM: Dinner and Awards Program

Tickets must be purchased in advance
Tickets begin at $500 per person or $5,000 for a table of ten
Higher levels of contribution are available
To purchase tickets, please contact Bridgette Battaglia (RNBC) at 847–933-9339
Business attire required

For information about the Annual Awards Dinner or RNBC programs and services, please contact Michael Mesic (Mesic & Company) at 847–644-9151 You may also visit the RNBC website at www.rnbc.org.

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This article is the first of a three-part discussion designed to educate and assist parents as they work with their child’s school. Part I focuses on interacting with the school through the various stages related to conducting a psychoeducational assessment battery. Part II, which will be featured in the next newsletter, will give parents a better understanding of the procedures followed during an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) or a 504 meeting and will explain the different forms generated at the meeting. Part III will appear in the fall newsletter and will address the topic of “Response to Intervention” sometimes called “School-based Problem Solving.”

Getting Started
For a parent whose son or daughter is struggling academically, emotionally or socially, finding the right help becomes a primary concern. Securing the appropriate school accommodations and/or support services is fundamental to a child’s success. In my role as Rush NeuroBehavioral Center’s Educational Specialist/School Liaison, I am often asked by parents for recommendations about how to begin this process.

The first step is contacting the school to request a psychoeducational evaluation. The person to whom you direct your request could be the principal, school psychologist, case coordinator or district special education administrator, based on the district’s procedural system. After locating the correct contact person, parents should then formally (in writing) ask that an evaluation be initiated.

At this point in the school process three pathways are delineated: (1) The school agrees to explore the parent request for an evaluation, (2) Parents request a meeting with their child’s teacher to put together an informal plan to address the areas of concern, which may include contacting the district representative to discuss the possibility of going through the “response to intervention” or “school-based problem solving” process, (the topic of Part III in the fall issue of the RNBC Newsletter) and (3) The district provides written notice declining the parent request for an evaluation. Pursuing a private of independent evaluation is an option especially related to the third response by the school, but the choice by parents to seek a private evaluation could be incorporated into the other two scenarios, as well.

The School Evaluation Process, Step One: The Domain Review Meeting
When the child’s school district agrees to evaluate your child, as a first step, you are invited to a Domain Review Meeting. This meeting must be held within 14 school days of the initial request. At the Domain Meeting a team of staff members along with the child’s parents determine what type of assessments (or additional evaluation procedures) are necessary to get a full understanding of the student. Parental input is an integral part of the Domain process. The composition of the team will vary depending upon the nature of the child’s symptoms and other relevant factors.

The domain meeting may involve the parents and one representative from the school, or parents may meet with a number of school professionals. The following areas or “domains” are discussed at the meeting: Health, Vision, Hearing, Social/Emotional Status, General Intelligence, Academic Performance, Communication Status and Motor Abilities. (See the adjoining page for a sample Domain Meeting form.)

The team will discuss the following personnel and assessments to decide which are relevant and should be included in your child’s evaluation:
•    School nurse — hearing or vision screening and other health evaluations
•    School psychologist — intelligence and achievement testing
•    School social worker — a social-developmental history
•    School educational specialist – supportive cognitive and other learning testing
•    Speech/language professional — communication skills
•    Occupational and Physical therapist – gross and fine motor abilities
•    Classroom teacher – evaluation of classroom performance

When parents make a private evaluation available to the school, Illinois school law dictates that this independent educational evaluation must be considered by the district in any decision made with respect to the provision of a free, appropriate public education. Upon reviewing the evaluation(s), the district can decide if the findings are relevant to the child’s ability to access the school curriculum. The school team determines if they will accept any part of the information in the private report, within the relevant domains, in lieu of conducting a school evaluation. For example, if the parent provides a private report from a psychologist presenting general intelligence and academic scores, the team might accept these results from a private source and determine that no further testing is needed in these domains.

The designated recorder at the meeting will complete the Parent/Guardian Consent for Evaluation Form for each domain, describing the assessments determined as necessary and explaining why, in certain areas, assessments are not mandated. At the conclusion of the meeting, parents are asked to sign a consent form enabling the district to conduct the evaluations stated in the Domain Review and agreeing that no further information is necessary. (A Domain Review meeting is also convened when a child who is currently receiving special education services is up for his/her triennial review.)

Next Steps
Upon completion of the assessments identified in the Domain Review, but no later than 60 school days following the date of written consent, the determination of eligibility shall be made as part of the IEP (Individual Educational Plan) meeting. Part II of this discussion, appearing in the next newsletter, will examine procedures for an IEP meeting or a 504 plan meeting, including a discussion about the sections of an IEP and the information included in that document.

About the author: as an RNBC Educational Services Department team member, Barbara Resnick, M.S. has worked as Educational Specialist at RNBC for five years. Before coming to Rush, Barbara was a Learning Disability Specialist in the Evanston School System. Barbara has worked with many families to help them better understand their child’s educational differences as they pertain to the school setting and how to work effectively with the schools to secure the appropriate supports.

Contact the Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois for a copy of The Parent’s Guide to Response to Intervention, which was referenced for this article, by phone at (708) 430-7LDA or by email at LDAofIL@ameritech.net

Hey, it’s Alex. Hope you are having a good year in school. I know making the transition to middle school was tough—to be honest with you, making that transition for me was harder than making the transition from middle to high school. You really have to stay organized, and I know you can, it’s much easier than you think it is. Here is the basic outline about the system, and what you HAVE to do to make it work. I promise, it’s very easy, but you can’t take shortcuts!

1. If Mom hasn’t made one for you already, get a three ring binder, and then put individual folders/sleeves for your homework and problems in. Label those sleeves with each class that you have. Preferably the sleeves are two-sided, so you can put homework and other assignments in both sides of them. Put the homework that you HAVE TO TURN IN for each class in the front of each class folder (so you can just open up your folder and have it ready to hand to the teacher instead of looking for it), and put the homework THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON in the back of the folder for each class.

2. Get three-ring binders for each class (besides your main three-ring folder with all of your current work in it), and once work is done or the teacher hands it back to you, you can put it in there just in case you need it later. That way you don’t clutter up your folder (like I did in middle school and high school) and you know where everything is! You can keep those three ring binders in your locker at all times unless you need them to get old work from them.
Here are tips that YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW while you are at school:

3. If I know you at all Liam, you are very outgoing and very social, and right after the bell goes off at the end of class, you want go pack up and leave as soon as possible. Please, for your own good, take at least a minute to make sure that you put all of the assignments that your teacher gave you for that class in the WORKING ON part of the folder in your main three-ring binder. Don’t just stuff it in your backpack or folder. In the end, if you do this, you’ll actually get to hang out with your friends more, because you won’t be looking for your stuff all the time when you could be hanging out with your friends. Spending one minute to get organized after every class (I do it still at college– I am always one of the last people out of the classroom, I promise) will save you so much time!

4. Also, try to get to class a couple minutes early. Have all your work out and books out that you will be working on in class. It’s such a good habit to have for high school and college especially! Once again, if you have all your stuff out before class, you can always talk to friends once you’ve done this. It’s probably a lot easier to ask a friend how he’s doing while he’s sitting down rather than while he’s running to class.

5. Don’t make excuses! Just go to class and give yourself plenty of time to get there. I promise that your friends will not think less of you if you just say hi to them while you’re walking to class instead of talking to them for a longer period of time. I stopped and talked to people a lot in high school, and I was late to class a lot. Plus, being late annoys the teacher and maybe not now, but later in high school and college, will annoy students. As I said, I really think the best way to get to know people is to get to class early and talk to them and ask them what they’re doing on the weekend, or how their sports are going, or whatever. And to your credit, only this year have I made a vow to try to show up early not only class, but practice and study sessions as well. You’ll also learn a lot better if you’ve given your brain some time to adjust to class rather than unpacking your bag as the teacher is talking.

You’ll do great Liam, and get great grades if you just follow this. Don’t make the same mistakes that I made! That’s the good thing about having an older brother– he makes mistakes for you! It really made middle school miserable for me, even though I was just as smart as anybody in my class.

Love, Alex