Let me know if this should be posted on the other forum...
Does anyone know anything about ANY international schools anywhere that they would recommend for a kid with ADHD? My son is almost 10, in the 4th grade, smart, no known learning disabilities, but has many behavior issues at my present (international) school. I'm looking to relocate but I want to go somewhere that has some kind of program in place, understanding of ADHD, etc.
THanks!
Schools for kids with ADHD
Re: Schools for kids with ADHD
Can't really name any on this forum, but in general terms I think you'd be looking for a school which was well established and which probably has a large number of Western students. Sadly things like ADHD, dyslexia and other problems are often either swept under the carpet by international schools or the culture in the host country means that they're ignored completely.
Response
Concur with @expatscot, ADHD is one of those conditions that are either ignored, or not served in IE. If the child is a behavior problem that disrupts the IS, they usually just dismiss the student. The ISs you are going to want to look into are those in 1st/Elite tier ISs that have large western student populations, and have some type of relationship with an embassy.
Re: Schools for kids with ADHD
I've worked only in learning support/special ed and been on admissions teams at my schools. In general, it is not the label a student has--it's how it manifests itself. Schools can be willing to be flexible on academic needs if they can be reassured that the student can be successful with the services provided. In general, behavioral issues are a red flag. I would agree that you would want to investigate what types of services are provided in general, but I would also consider how to mitigate any potential reports and evidence that would be provided that would detail behavior incidents. Most schools ask for classroom teacher reports--teachers don't want to sandbag a student, but they also need to be able to give an accurate picture of how that student performs. Any information that can show an improvement or decrease in issues, a positive response, good academic skills, etc. would be helpful.
Also consider when you would want to disclose that information. Right at the beginning and you might not get any further...but you want to make sure they'll accept your son before you accept the job. We had to have documents rushed to a job fair once for a school in order to ensure school acceptance and a job.
I also agree that in general it's the bigger schools that have the better services and the mindset/ability to be flexible, but sometimes those schools also put a premium on high achievement and have a narrower definition of success--and the stress (esp. in Asia) can be daunting. It's worth looking at smaller schools with good international reputations as well.
Also consider when you would want to disclose that information. Right at the beginning and you might not get any further...but you want to make sure they'll accept your son before you accept the job. We had to have documents rushed to a job fair once for a school in order to ensure school acceptance and a job.
I also agree that in general it's the bigger schools that have the better services and the mindset/ability to be flexible, but sometimes those schools also put a premium on high achievement and have a narrower definition of success--and the stress (esp. in Asia) can be daunting. It's worth looking at smaller schools with good international reputations as well.
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wrldtrvlr123
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Re: Schools for kids with ADHD
Agree that it's the behavior issues not the ADHD that is going to potentially limit your options on new schools. We had similar/more significant problems due our child's Autism (in our case it wasn't behavior issues so much as the level of his disability). We were able to get jobs in part due to my being a SPED teacher and taking jobs at more niche schools where our child could attend,
The bottom line is that the closer he is able to having success in a general education classroom with minimal support, the less of an impact it will have on your hire-ability. Until then it is going to be very hit or miss for you unfortunately. We solved the problem by joining DoDEA. I know it's a difficult and personal decision but is he on medication? It's not a magic bullet but it can definitely give students a fighting chance to be successful in many cases (or at least take the edge off many of the more problematic behaviors).
The bottom line is that the closer he is able to having success in a general education classroom with minimal support, the less of an impact it will have on your hire-ability. Until then it is going to be very hit or miss for you unfortunately. We solved the problem by joining DoDEA. I know it's a difficult and personal decision but is he on medication? It's not a magic bullet but it can definitely give students a fighting chance to be successful in many cases (or at least take the edge off many of the more problematic behaviors).
Discussion
I would also concur that the label means a lot less than the manifestation. ISs that have SPED/SEN/LB generally serve at most lite/mild needs and high functioning students, your childs diagnosis is going to matter a lot less than what type of workload and disruption it means for the IS. If your childs issues are going to require a counselor, or a librarian or someone on senior leadership to babysit them on a constantly reoccurring basis things arent going to be good for you and everyone is going to get really sick of it really quick and everyone is going to hate your child and you, and I mean everyone. Students are some of the least tolerant, especially in Asian cultures, where students care about learning and inappropriate behavior in the classroom just isnt tolerated. They will complain to their tiger moms, who will complain to leadership and then to their friends which will eventually get its way to ownership, and for an ITs child who is there for free, they easily may conclude well before contract expiration that you and your child arent wort keeping around anymore, especially if your childs behavior essentially monopolizes another staff members time and resources.
This is a another part of the rational you want a larger, stable western IS, with actual westerners. Your child is more likely to assimilate into the culture and have a meaningful social life, in large host nation ISs the kids will likely shun someone who doesnt conform.
I dont entirely agree with @mamava, there are ITs that will happily sand bag kids out of spite, solely because the student was a PITA. Of course they also dont want the problem student anymore and sometimes the easiest and most convenient way of solving that is making the student someone elses problem.
The concern of @mamava regarding when to disclose is a difficult one, for all the reasons cited, my strategy would be to dsclose earlier in the process after the interview but at contract negotiation the earlier in the season, and as the recruiting season ages, reserve disclosure for later, much later like after youre there and its too late for them to get someone else, and they realize that this isnt an isolated incident.
This is a another part of the rational you want a larger, stable western IS, with actual westerners. Your child is more likely to assimilate into the culture and have a meaningful social life, in large host nation ISs the kids will likely shun someone who doesnt conform.
I dont entirely agree with @mamava, there are ITs that will happily sand bag kids out of spite, solely because the student was a PITA. Of course they also dont want the problem student anymore and sometimes the easiest and most convenient way of solving that is making the student someone elses problem.
The concern of @mamava regarding when to disclose is a difficult one, for all the reasons cited, my strategy would be to dsclose earlier in the process after the interview but at contract negotiation the earlier in the season, and as the recruiting season ages, reserve disclosure for later, much later like after youre there and its too late for them to get someone else, and they realize that this isnt an isolated incident.