thing on medication denial. We are going through the hoops right now, but I would suggest filing a complaint with your state's insurance division or board or whoever has regulatory authority over insurance in your state.

their job is to collect money and avoid paying whenever possible. To that end they are very well versed in throwing every obstacle and roadblock in your way.

In our case we received several denials from the pharmacy processor and then magically the very drug they denied arrived via UPS yesterday. I have found that in most cases they are so well versed at saying no in such convoluted ways that the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing and in the end they just make themselves look rather stupid.

Good Luck.

I have never supported the idea that "insurance for all" was the proper solution to getting people the health CARE that they need.

Or, at least one of the reasons.

I'm a teacher, the daughter of a woman with moderately severe ADHD, and the grandmother of a boy with the same. I see lots of ADHD. All day. Every day. I know there is a continuum of severity, and I work with families to help kids develop coping skills, medicated or not. I also know, that for those on the more severe end of that continuum, doing without the meds sets them up for failure, and that failure leads to frustration, acting out, giving up, and limits them in every arena. Life-long.

I don't know what happened. She doesn't do her homework, for which SHE is to blame. but she isn't a case where we just threw some drugs at her. we had her diagnosed and everything, no thanks to the school (except maybe a list of places we could take her). I just want her to be able to think before she reacts. her brain is going a thousand miles a minute. I know the CEO of the insurance company doesn't care. they have no incentive to provide it. this is the first time we've had to fight with them, though. And I can understand their desire to try less expensive things. but we DID try the other things. we need something else.

they aren't qualified. Plenty of experience dealing with ADHD means that we can spot someone likely to be diagnosed from miles away, but we can't officially diagnose. Doctors do that. We can, though, put students with ADHD on 504 plans or IEPs. We don't always do that; it's generally a parent choice. The only real reason would be to document the problem so that accomodations are mandated, and so that every new teacher is notified.

There ARE things we do to help, like special seating, more frequent check-ins and re-directions, providing quieter places for independent work when available, etc..

The bottom line, though, is that the standard over-crowded classroom provides way too much external stimulation for those with ADHD to be able to maintain focus, and the older they get, the more in-depth assignments tend to be, requiring longer periods of focus. Students who are better able to self-manage at home, in more informal settings, in smaller groups, often can't manage at all in a crowded classroom of 30 - 35 or more peers.

In multiple-subject elementary classrooms, you can talk to a single teacher and set up some supports informally. Once they hit secondary ed with departmentalized staff and several teachers, a 504 may come in handy, since it's hard to get all those different teachers on the same page.

Generally, in addition to meds, what they need both at school and home is extra support and structure, and often extra support staying organized. The main goal is to complete tasks before moving on.

At home, reduce the external stimulation and distractions, provide a structured schedule for getting homework and chores done, and break it up; a task isn't done until she can show it to you, complete, and show you that all items/tools/supplies needed have been put away where they belong. Then an active, physical break before the next task. I once had a student that had a custom pass I made for him, with admin permission; when he finished an assignment completely, including remembering his name, and turned it in, I'd give him the pass and he was "rewarded" by heading out to run some laps without supervision. Most kids wouldn't consider that a reward, but this kid needed to move so badly, he loved to run. He'd be back in 5 minutes or so, breathless, glowing, and grinning, and dive into the next thing.

These days, I provide frequent PHYSICAL breaks in my classroom for everyone, transitioning from one activity to the next with dance breaks, yoga breaks, and anything else I can think of to get them on their feet, moving, and get the twitches out and the blood flowing. Not surprisingly, some of the most enthusiastic dancers are those on the more intense hyperactive end of the spectrum.

I also provide special seating, extra attention and support, fidget toys, and extra structure for those that need it. Still, there are some that simply cannot focus long enough to accomplish anything without their meds.

a direction to go in. it just seemed like we were fighting an uphill battle. her doctor only wanted to push some pills at her. we didn't want to medicate her for something if that wasn't what was going on. even if we thought that's what that was. When she was younger I would reward her if she had a good day at school. a half an hour of tv. it's harder now when she is in high school to give her that kind of reward. but I like how you managed it. and I like that you give the kids a break between tasks. every kid gets fidgety after awhile when they have to sit so long. thanks for the tips.