***Our son was not diagnosed with add until the 3rd grade. It did explain why we were having problems in the past. We have worked with the local school systems in an effort to minstream our son and NOT to isolate him, make him feel handicapped, or excessively disadvantaged. It is vital to our son and ourselves that he fit in with the mainstream of society, and learn to adjust to the realities of dealing with this condition. I have this condition in a mild form myself, and learned to adjust when there were no drug treatments available. Take whatever special education help is available, and work closely with the school to get your child in as normal an environment as possible.

***I am waiting to start my 5 year old one more year because of behavorial problems, this was also suggested by his doctor, so in answer to your question, I would have to say yes, also I think home schooling for these kids is great, as they do much better one on one.

***I think it depends on the child and the options available in your community. Some people even find that the public schools will work with them, and their children do well, while others find a private school that will do well for their child. I have tried public, private, and homeschooling with my adhd son. Public school worked fairly well for us from 2nd - 5th grade, but upon entering middle school it was no longer the answer for us, and we began homeschooling, just this last year(7th grade), and that has been a good fit for my child. Prior to 2nd grade, we had him in a priviate schools. In 1st grade, private school was a great fit for my son, but the first 3 weeks of 1st grade, at another private school, it was a nightmare, and we removed my son from that school. In kinder, we were in private school, and after 3 weeks we had to change teachers because of a terrible mixture with my child and the teacher. We placed my son with another teacher, in the same school, for the rest of the year which worked well for us. So each individual must assess their child, and what education resources are available, and how willing the staff is to work with your child, and also how knowledgeable they are in dealing with add. I find school placement, like placing our child in day care. If your child is terribly unhappy and miserable you probably will find another option that works better. I think it should be no different for finding the right school environment for our children.

***My daughter, who is now 7 started nursery school at the age of 2 1/2 just when we were starting to notice symptoms of ADHD. Luckily for us she went to a private Montessori nursery school where the emphasis is on the child. They learn at their own pace with no one putting any pressure on them to achieve anything specific. At the same time as this my daughter attended a state run 'playschool' 1 morning a week which just encouraged her to hype. I do not feel it is the age at which the child begins education but the system they are in. When my daughter started mainstream school at the age of 4yrs 10mths she found the adjustments that needed to be made very difficult, she was bullied because she couldn't sit still in class, because she shouted out the answers etc. Again I don't feel it was her age but the system she was in. Here in the UK montessori education is only available up to the age of 7 and is very expensive. If state schooling is the only option and the school!

that your child would attend is not sympathetic to their needs then home schooling is probably the best option. I have a group of friends locally who home school their children - not because of ADHD and the really enjoy it and feel the children are doing better. Even though I have that option there for me I could not home school my daughter as I need the time she is away from me to recover from the time when she is with me. She's doing well at school, i think the montessori start helped, she's up with her peers in most subjects and ahead of them in the others. She has a very small circle of friends and bullying does crop up every now and then. Fortunately we discuss it and I deal with it immeadiately - the school have finally learnt that when I say I wanted it dealt with I mean it, I don't mean for that to sound as though I go in screaming, I had to go into school a while back and really push to get them to understand what the difficulties are for a girl with ADHD.

 I hope this helps

 Thanks

***I think children with add/adhd should start school like any other child. The school must provide support for the child concerned ,the teachers and the other pupils, so that they  can understand the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the condition. Obviously not all children  with the condition are able to attend mainstream schools but the more there are in mainstream education the less stigma will be attached to the condition

***As a volunteer in a successful preschool (full day) program I wish I had started my (ADD) son in a challenging preschool program when he was 4.  ADD children are just as capable as the next child to learn. The problem  is that many schools and teachers are ineffective or unable to teach these gifted children. Just because their minds work faster and on a more visual  base doesn't mean that they can't learn. With a positive approach to learning > and a lot of patiences anything is possible.  Try reading "ADD a different perspective" by Dr. Thom Hartmann. This book takes a very positive stance on ADD. It helped me to understand many reasons why the ADD or ADHD persons mind might work the way it does. I would  also like to add that a positive and structured approach gives great results. I say this from experience because I'm a Mom with ADHD!

***I believe it is more beneficial for children with ADHD to start school > later. It was even difficult for my son when I did send him. He is almost  the oldest student in his class. He is doing pretty good now, but early on  school was way too stimulating for him. If parents have the where-with-all > to stay home and do home schooling...this would be best in my opinion.  Parents can always get their children involved with social groups and  activities when appropriate. This is a strong concern since these children > really need to develop social skills and need close supervision while in the  process. Interactions should be kept short if actions turn unpleasant, at  the same time constructive problem-solving needs to be guided. 

For what it's worth, I also waited another year to send my daughter to  school. She does not have any "issues" to deal with, but this allowed her > time for more development and maturity. She is doing very well in school  and is a very bright little girl.  I am proud of both of my children and love them immensely! 

 Lori Jones

***I don't believe starting school later is the answer. As a retired educator who worked and tutored ADD as well as ADHD, I can say that my success rate with these students was to first identify their preferred way of learning, respecting it and addressing it in the presentation of the information to be retained. As far as homeschooling ADD children to reduce pressure, that might alleviate some of the problems, but they will still have to learn, (and I do place the emphasis on the word" learn"), what works best for them. However, should they be placed in stressful situations, and they will, learning self-discipline will be the key. That also can be learned by working with an individual who understands them and is willing to be patient with them.

Diane Bisson

special needs.

Joan