Introduction to School Choice

This is an awesome video about school choice in the state of SC.

The School Choice Bill

As most of you know, I am a School Choice advocate. If you go to our POPS website at www.pops-supportgroup.webs.com, you will see a blog posted by me concerning our trip to the State House to talk to a few senators about the new School Choice Senate bill number S520 that will be on the House floor the week of the 24th of March. There is more information about this bill on the POPS website blog.. But, here is the bill itself. You may have to double click on the picture to make it larger to read though..

Can Children Outgrow ADHD??

I found this article off of the ADDitudeMag.com website. It was actually an article from the August/September issue of ADDitude. I hope this will be very helpful to you & your family....

Can Children Outgrow ADHD?
Parents of children with attention deficit disorder often wonder if their kids will stay on ADD drugs for life. A medical expert explains.

by Larry Silver, M.D.

I recently diagnosed eight-year-old Aidan with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD). When I met with his parents to explain the disorder, each time I described a symptom, his mother exclaimed, “That’s me!” or “I’ve been like that all my life, too.” At the end of the appointment, she asked me if she should be evaluated, as well.

As an adult, Aidan’s mother had jumped from job to job, and had difficulty meeting household demands. As a child, she had struggled through school, often getting into trouble and getting poor grades. After a thorough evaluation of her chronic and pervasive history of hyperactivity, distractibility, and other symptoms of ADHD, she was diagnosed by a psychiatrist who works with adults.

Aidan and his mother both started on ADHD medication. Aidan’s grades and behavior improved. His mom reported being more relaxed and efficient at work and at home. On a follow-up visit, she remarked, “If only I had been on medication as a child. I could have finished college, I could....” Then she paused: “Oh, my gosh, does this mean that Aidan will take medication for the rest of his life?”

Good question. The best answer I could give was, “Possibly.” Why can’t I be more specific? Didn’t she deserve a clearer answer? Until the early 1990s, the medical community considered ADHD a “childhood disorder.” Believing that children “outgrew” the condition, physicians routinely took them off medication before high school. In many cases, however, the teens struggled socially and academically, making it clear that ADHD symptoms had not gone away. And, as greater efforts were made to educate parents about ADHD, more and more of them, like Aidan’s mother, began to recognize their own ADHD symptoms.

Clinically, we have seen that some individuals do show enough improvement after puberty that they no longer need medication. But the American Academy of Family Physicians reports that two-thirds of children with ADHD continue to grapple with the condition throughout adulthood.

How do I determine whether a particular child still needs medication? I advise taking children and adolescents off medication once a year. If the symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention, and/or impulsivity are no longer noticeable, they stay off. Should these behaviors return, medication should be restarted. This process teaches adolescents about the challenges ADHD presents in their lives, and how to determine themselves whether medication is needed in school, at home, with friends, and so on. Medication should be used whenever symptoms interfere with the demands and expectations of a specific task or activity. It is not necessarily needed all day, every day.

For example, a college student may learn that she benefits from an eight-hour capsule to cover morning and afternoon classes, but can be off medication while she relaxes, exercises, or socializes later in the day. On evenings when she needs to study, she can take a four-hour tablet at about 6 p.m. An adult may find that he needs medication at work but not at home, or for some social functions, but not others.

Will your child need medication for the rest of his life? Possibly. You can find out one year at a time. And, if medication is needed, you can teach him to use it for specific times and situations. In the future, I hope that fewer adults will tell me, “If only I had been on medication as a child....”

Introduction to Special Education

This is an AWESOME video.. It's a great informational video explaing the processes of Special Education eligibility.. Please take a look at it, especially if you don't understand how these processes work.. Wonderful video..

Tips for IEPs & Section 504 plans

Hi you guys,

These are some Tips for IEPs & Section 504 plans. I know the picture seems small, but if you double click on it. It will become larger so you can read it better.. Just don't click the close button after you have done reading, it will close the blog altogether.. Just hit the go back arrow button & it will take you back to the blog...

Take care for now,
Bridgette

Sharing a video with you guys..

I found this hilarious video on Youtube concerning the craziness of the bureaucracy of the public education system. So, I thought I would share it with all of you. Please click on the above title & it will take you there...

It is truly hilarious, when they talk about giving the Parents the right to choose the right schools for their children. What's so bad is that some of the SC educators, actually do think that way about parents in our state.

It was also hilarious about how much paper driven paperwork it takes just to block school choice. Boy, this is certainly true here in SC, isn't it?? LOL!!!

Take care for now,

Bridgette

Stupid in America- How we cheat our kids

This is an awesome video about school choice in America..

It's also a video that a few parents & I went to Bishopville, SC to star in. We come in about 24 mins.into the video.

Please click on the title above & it will take you there...