Hello everyone! We are in our 1st year of homeschool and my 12 yr old DD is really starting to miss having "school" friends. I've been searching online for an active group/coop but I'm having trouble for some reason. I emailed the admins for some groups and haven't received a response back, which concerns me about how the group is even being coordinated? We would like a secular group AND an active one for teens/preteens, specifically. We live east of Dallas but I'd be willing to drive to other areas of the metroplex. Any suggestions??? :confused: HELP!! Thank you!!!

Thank you, newbie LOL ;)

:iagree: with everyone! I have an 12 yo DD with ADHD. As she's been getting older, I've been noticing other "symptoms". It started to bother me that her diagnosis of ADHD was just with the typical written checklist and discussion with her pediatrician when she was about 5 yo. I did quite a bit of research on neuropsychiatry testing and we've decided to go this route. After our initial meeting with the doctor (a PhD), she told us about a lot of different conditions that have the same symptoms as ADHD, so you really need to know more about your children specifically. I hate to say this, but don't rely on a professional to be supportive of your homeschool decision. I've had 2 child psychiatrists (who were prescribing ADHD meds for my DD) who were NOT fans of homeschool. I listened to their complaints and criticism for a while and now I just refuse to discuss it with them. We are actually changing doctors because I'm tired of discussing that! It was my decision for a number of reasons, so don't make me feel guilty as a parent for doing that! So we've decided to go with the testing, find out if DD actually has ADHD and/or any other underlying problems, then go from there. If she has any learning disabilities, then we'll address those as we need to. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty or affect how you feel about the situation simply because they don't support homeschooling. Do your research and make the right decision for your kiddos. The testing is most likely be the best route. As someone else suggested, google it and find a professional in your area. Good luck! I feel your frustration! :grouphug:

Interesting....do you use these as flash cards to promote memorization? Or do you use them another way?

Did you notice any changes with your ADHD DD? I keep seeing the commercials for this place and I've been wondering if it's any good. We were using Brainware Safari for a while and I don't know that it did any good for my ADHD DD either.

Hello everyone! We are in our 1st year of homeschool and my 12 yr old DD is really starting to miss having "school" friends. I've been searching online for an active group/coop but I'm having trouble for some reason. I emailed the admins for some groups and haven't received a response back, which concerns me about how the group is even being coordinated? We would like a secular group AND an active one for teens/preteens, specifically. We live east of Dallas but I'd be willing to drive to other areas of the metroplex. Any suggestions??? HELP!! :confused: Thank you!!!

Jennifer--we are actually going to do full neuropsych testing with DD too. Our insurance didn't cover it before but now they do. I think that really gives the full picture of what's going on with a child. DD had always been in gifted classes, deemed highly intelligent with her teachers in PS, then last year just fell off balance and I don't know why. You mentioned the anxiety and depression issues, we face the same thing. I wonder though, is it ADHD or something else, or could it be from the meds. Drs want to fix everything with meds, so it's really worth looking into to make sure you're doing what's best for everyone! Good luck!! I'll be riding the patience track with you! :auto:

I usually lurk around on the boards here reading advice and opinions from everyone but I just HAD to reply to your post. First of all, :grouphug: and take a deep breath. I just started HS with my 12 yr old DD. She was diagnosed as being ADHD and gifted around age 5. She's been on and off a ton of different meds and we just can't seem to find the right fit. She excelled in school until last year (6th grade) when she had horrible problems with not turning work in, lack of focus & attention. I think part of the problem is because at that age, there is less babysitting and work is more challenging. The PS teachers were worthless where we live, so we decided to HS this year. I'm total OCD, organized, love structure etc. First week of HS....:banghead: It was nothing but arguing, tears (from both of us), and me wanting to jump off a cliff. I had set her classes based on all the things I read and researched. Jumping ahead (and to your point), each child is different. You have to remember to make the classes work for YOUR child. That's the beauty of HS. I've learned this the hard way. Not only did this drive us crazy for about 3 weeks but it costs $$ as well. After 3 weeks of going crazy, I realized this wasn't doing either of us any good. We took a week off and I re-evaluated everything. I had her do a learning style profile quiz, but I already knew what her strong points were and what learning styles helped her. ADHD/ADD kids don't typically do well with things that are boring/mundane, like reading pages of a textbook and then taking a test, etc. During our week off I completely started over on her classes. I mixed and matched and tried diff things. We've moved to more classes with online aspects, videos, things to get her interested. It's still a challenge though. Unfortunately, I don't think that will ever completely go away. It's a disability and no medication will make things perfect and that's just a part of raising a child with any disability for that matter. My biggest advice to you is to #1 GET A TIMER. This helped tremendously. I have one that sits on DH's desk and I give her a certain amount of time to do a particular assignment. She knows now that if it takes her longer, that's fine, but don't spend a whole hour and have 1 problem done. Make sense? #2 Re-evaulate the classes/cirriculum you chose. Maybe you need to re-visit some things and find what works for your kiddo. In regards to the meds, I know exactly what you mean about stimulants vs. non stimulants, etc. We've been down that road and still have problems. Unfortunately stimulants have side effects most of the time. You have to find the right balance for you and your family. I've read a million books on ADHD and the best thing I've learned? Be an advocate for your child. Do what's best for them. If the doctor wants to do something that you aren't comfortable with, do your research before you agree to it. ASK QUESTIONS! Do whatever you can. I drive our dr. nuts because he says one thing and I usually throw a ton of questions at him or bring in things I've read! I've been reading alot about neurophys. testing with ADHD kids to make sure there isn't any underlying issues. That's a good idea too. Sorry for rambling, but I want you to know that you aren't alone and the most important thing is to be patient and find what works for your son. And find things that helps keep them engaged and interested. This is frustrating for them too and the older they get, the more they start to feel like something is wrong with them, they lose confidence, hate school more, etc. So try your best :001_smile: PM me if you have any questions or just want to vent! Good luck!!!