Re: Question regarding ADHD student

From: Mary Louise Hemmeter
Email: ml.hemmeter@vanderbilt.edu
Date: May 26, 2006

Comments

Hi Nan:

This is a very hard situation. You are never going to be able to control whether the child gets his medication. It is also the case that medication alone is almost never effective in the absence of individualized supports for the child. The best thing you can do at this point is enlist the help of someone with behavior expertise to develop a comprehensive behavior support plan for the child and provide the teachers with some support in implementing it. It may take some extra help in the classroom initially but it will be worth it if you have the resources to make it happen. Check out the PBS case study on the www.challengingbehavior.org website for step by step process for developing a behavior support plan. This case study is with a younger child with autism at home but I think it might be helpful!! Keep supporting your staff!! It sounds like you are all working hard on this one!!

Mary Louise