My child is struggling 
Now that my child has 
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Scenario #3: The Teacher
View from the classroom: I swear he's the funniest kid I've ever had in class. Sometimes I have to pretend I'm coughing and put my head down so the class won't see me cracking up! He's spontaneous and witty, making connections between ideas at lightning speed. He comes up with creative solutions that reveal a super-smart brain. But here's the flip side of this kid: He disrupts the flow of my teaching, the learning of other kids, and his own learning. His impulsive calling out, his constant movement in and out of his seat are, well...annoying. But I know that the behaviors I see are a smokescreen that this vulnerable boy is hiding behind.I had a conference with him last week. I let him know how much I enjoyed having him as a student and encouraged him to use more of the many strategies he's been taught by his parents, counselors, and teachers (including me). He looked down, dropped his voice and said, "I know everything I'm supposed to do, but doing the right thing at the right time has always been my biggest problem." Then he told me something that absolutely shocked me. "I'm sorry I'm such a pain in the butt," he said. "You must really hate having me in your class. I know the kids do. On the bus, they’re always yelling at me for talking too much, and they tell me to stop being such a jerk. One of the kids said his father was going to ask Principal Brownell to put me in another class. I know I may seem funny in class, but there a lot of mornings that I just want to curl up and go back to sleep. My dreams are so much better than my real life.”
My take on this: Many kids with AD/HD are quick thinkers who can make connections between and among different and often disparate ideas or concepts. That's why so many of these kids are such good jokesters. Professionals like teachers, psychologists, and others who work with students with AD/HD often see this behavior as attention-getting, or the child's desire to have the spotlight shine on him. While it’s true that some children are attention seekers, acting out or acting up are often warning signs that there's something else going on. It's more fun to be funny (even if it gets you in trouble) than it is to be sad, and it's better to have people laughing with you than at you. AD/HD and depression often live in the same brain, and antidepressants can sometimes help with inattention.
My advice: If kids are seeking attention, perhaps they need something to boost their status and self-esteem. If this is your child, you might want to suggest that your child’s teacher does something like what Jim Carrey's teacher did. According to this wildly successful comic actor's website, jimcarrey.com, his teacher gave him the last 10 minutes of every class to "perform" if he promised not to disrupt the first 35 minutes with his antics. Carey claims she was the best teacher he ever had and that she set him on his path to success.
If your child’s sadness gets in the way of success, you might consider a consultation with a psychiatrist who has experience treating kids with AD/HD and associated depression.
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