A common question parents have at the beginning of the school year is: What should I share with the school/teacher about my child's ADHD? This may come up as part of discussions you have with the child's teacher, or with their IEP team. Some questions may be well meaning, but overly intrusive. Your child's diagnosis and treatment information are privileged medical information. It is your job as a parent to protect that information. However, since school is a place where your child spends the majority of his or her waking hours, the school may need certain information to keep your child safe and help with treatment.
Your child's teacher probably should know your child's diagnosis. A teacher who is aware can be a valuable help in securing and suggesting appropriate accommodations. Their feedback is vital in making an accurate diagnosis and in adjusting your child's treatment plan. If you make a change in your child's medication regimen, notify the teacher and ask for their feedback. If the psychologist or therapist is working on certain areas which impact school, definitely tell the teacher. Many times behavioral therapies will not work as well if they are not consistently applied at both school and home.
However, do not discuss your child's diagnosis or medical treatment in public areas. Its best not to mention the name or dose of your child's medicine at all to teaching or administrative staff. This is important because children with ADHD can be preyed upon by drug seekers and dealers. No one should know your child has access to a controlled substance but you and those providing medical treatment. If a teacher asks for this information, politely tell them that for the sake of your child's safety, you cannot release this information. Medication names and doses are not necessary. It is inappropriate for teachers to pressure you to treat your child with medication or certain medications as they are not licensed medical professionals.
Sometimes parents wish to reassure school officials that they are doing their part in addressing their child's ADHD. Sometimes this is necessary if there has been no progress, in order to avert suspicion of medical neglect. In this case, you may mention that you are bringing the child to the doctor/specialist regularly and that you have tried a certain number of different medications and doses, or different behavioral techniques, without necessarily bringing in unnecessary specifics. If they press you for more, you may wish to point out that discussing unnecessary details is a hazard to your child's safety.
Busy teachers may wish to discuss matters with you in front of other children or parents. It is important to respect and encourage the teacher's desire to communicate. In this case, you might want to say something like, "I agree that we really should talk about this, but its important to me to keep my child's medical information private. Can I set up a conference with you, email you, etc?" Be aware that a child with ADHD may or may not be a reliable messenger and phone conversations cannot be considered private.
Your school nurse or clinic may need to know all or only some of the details of the treatment plan. Even if your child is not receiving medication in school if there is an emergency, the medication they are taking may become very important information for the treating doctor. It is best for the nurse's office to have this information on record should you not be available. If your child is receiving treatment for ADHD or other behavioral issues through school, then other treatment details may become important and should be released to the persons doing the treatment only.
Most of the time, unnecessarily intrusive questioning from the school is either innocent curiousity or a desire to be helpful, but in an inappropriate way. Always do your best to keep your teacher and school on your side, but protect what you can of your child's medical information as it is a safety issue.
Everything ADHD Medical Disclaimer
Everything ADHD Privacy Policy
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