SuccessFULL With ADHD

Breaking the ADHD Stigma in Education with Dr. Christina Seamster

• Brooke Schnittman MA, PCC, BCC • Season 1 • Episode 31

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I sat down with my dear friend Dr. Christina Seamster, the Area Head Director at Fusion Academy in Boca Raton and Palm Beach, to discuss how Fusion Academy serves students with ADHD through personalized learning. As a former special education teacher and administrator myself, I used to think private schools like Fusion were only for students who couldn't make it in public school. But after hearing Christina share her insights, I realized the traditional school system simply isn't built for all students, especially those with ADHD who think differently.

Christina has over 20 years of experience working with students of all ages, including teaching teachers, and is passionate about helping students with ADHD thrive. We covered so much in this interview including:

Christina and I also gave a preview of our FREE 5th annual ADHD EdCamp 2023 event coming up on October 7, 2023 online or in-person in South Florida at Fusion Academy Boca Raton. I'll be doing a book signing of my upcoming book “Activate Your ADHD Potential”.

 

Timeline Summary:

[03:21] - Discussing the challenges students with ADHD face in public schools and how the system is not built for them.

[05:45] - Looking for signs your child is disengaging and tips for advocating within their current school.

[10:53] - Non-traditional school environments are becoming normalized.

[12:45] - Understanding district funding and using state voucher programs.

[14:55] - Making enrollment changes - risks with inconsistency.

[16:41] - The lifelong impact of one bad school year.

[21:04] - Allowing students to start the day with their passions.

[23:50] - Info on our ADHD EdCamp upcoming in October – it’s FREE!

[26:10] - Fusion Academy's approach to personalized learning and scheduling.

 

Connect with Dr. Christina Seamster:

To connect with Christina about Fusion Academy or to attend ADHD Edcamp virtually or in-person, visit the links below:

·         Fusion Academy Website

·         ADHD EdCamp 2023 Event Page

·         Email: cseamster@fusionacademy.com 

·         Phone: 561-953-9365 ext 2178

 

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Successful with ADHD. If you enjoyed this conversation, please +FOLLOW the podcast on your favorite platform and leave a review to let us know your thoughts.

Want to be ‘SuccessFULL with ADHD’ by Activating Your ADHD Potential?
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Dr. Christina Seamster:

You know, there are still students who fall through the cracks, namely, those students with ADHD. They're among the best and the brightest in the class. And oftentimes, as soon as they bear that label, they also bear other labels that say like, oh, you know, put them over there. They're difficult to deal with or you know, they can't they put them in the can't pile. And the true reality is that it's not the students that can't it's the school system, the school system. That's right. The way it's built isn't built for them and the school system can't having ADHD doesn't mean you're less than it means you are diverse. You think differently and you need more you need something different than you know being put into a box.

Brooke Schnittman:

Welcome to successful with ADHD. I'm Brooke Shipman. Let's get started. Hi, everybody, and welcome back to successful with ADHD with Dr. Christina Seamster. Here in the house. She is a dear friend of mine and a colleague and she is a passionate and dedicated educator. This is her 20th year and she doesn't look at in serving students. Dr. Seamster has experience working with students in all grade levels, K through 12 In traditional and non traditional learning environments, she also enjoys teaching teachers to teach at the university level as an adjunct professor, and her passion includes helping others spending time with her husband, her daughter and her three dogs and doing anything in the Florida Sun. I don't blame her. So welcome. Welcome.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Thank you. I

Brooke Schnittman:

love you. Oh, yeah. And before Dr. Seamster, and I started filming this podcast today. She and I were doing Facebook podcasts during the pandemic. That's right is. Yeah, so we're doing life lessons. And that was a lot of fun. That was three years ago. So a special connecting with Dr. Seamster. So I brought after Seamster on here today, she does not have ADHD, but she works with individuals with ADHD. And she is the area head director of fusion Academy in Boca and Palm Beach. And fusion Academy works with students in a one on one setting. And for those of you who don't know me, and don't know my background, I used to be a special education administrator in a public school setting. And I was also a special education teacher. And I'm going to put it out there. Before we had students go to fusion. To us, it was more like, okay, they can't make it in the public school system. So we're going to pay for a private fusion setting, because they can't work in a group with other students. But being on the outside now not working directly in the public school system, I see a totally different. So I am excited to have Dr. Seamster here today, because there's so much information for parents who are listening. And for students who are considering a private placement, like fusion to help them succeed socially, emotionally and academically. Oh,

Dr. Christina Seamster:

such there's so much to say there you said that just beautifully and eloquently. And thinking about being a special education administrator in a public school setting. Oh, that is like, precious, dedicated work there. I know that, you know, come I have a similar background as well working with special education students in a public school setting. And you know, it just breaks your heart when you know, the potential of these students is greater than what you can produce for them because they just need more than what you can give them and you know, there are times when it can make you feel like you are an ineffective teacher, classroom helper, Administrator, all of those support roles, right? Because at the end of the day, you give your all you give all you've got and you know, there are still students who fall through the cracks, namely those students with ADHD, they're among the best and the brightest in the class. And oftentimes, as soon as they bear that label, they also bear other labels that say like, oh, you know, put them over there. They're difficult to deal with or, you know, they can't they put them in the can't pile. And the true reality is that it's not the students that can't

Brooke Schnittman:

it's the school system, the school system.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

That's right. The way it's built isn't built for them and the school system can't those students can look at Brooke running this incredible company and speaking to people, right I mean, the work you do is just so empowering. We're and we have to get the word out, though that having ADHD doesn't mean you're less than it means you are diverse, you think differently and you need more you need something different than you know being put into a box.

Brooke Schnittman:

Absolutely. And what would you recommend? I know that every one is different, but students with ADHD, I'm guessing some of them would be better going straight into a setting like fusion over a public school. Of course, parents need to know their kids, and the kids need to know themselves to make that decision. But also some students do try making it in the public school system and then move to Fusion Academy. Yeah,

Dr. Christina Seamster:

oh, it's such a good question. I recommend a personalized learning environment. So some of the symptoms that you might see are, you know, starting to have a child who, you know, they start from the bubbling age of five, and they go into our traditional school system, and they're excited to learn. They're very curious. They ask a million questions. They talk about their day. And what we slowly see as students progress through the grade levels is that spark starts to get turned off. So if you notice those shifts in your children where they're no longer curious, they're not asking a million questions. They're starting to say things like, I don't want to go to school or so and so is being mean to me, or, you know, I had to eat lunch by myself, or they took away recess, you know, all of these things that we know, result in really great dedicated learners, all of those humanistic qualities are starting to be turned off, I'd say that's your time to jump right because the traditional school system isn't working for them any longer. And these are those beginning little telltale signs. I am absolutely a fan of proactive student personalized Kaseman as compared to reactive, right, because every year that you spend in a traditional school or any school, right, non traditional schools are not immune from this either, right? It's all about finding the right school for you. Those things that you start to see in your child, when that learning spark starts to go. There are some dangers in letting that go on too long. And the answer doesn't have to be stop everything immediately and move to a non traditional or another schooling model. But I do think there's some important steps to start taking, which include, you know, talk to your child about the things that you've noticed, number one, always loop them into the conversation, I like to tell my students, you are the VIP in this room, right? Every decision and conversation that we have, as educators and parents directly impacts you and your life, you need to be a part of this conversation. So I would just start small with that. I noticed that last year, you would come home from school, curious, excited to tell me about your day, what's different this year from last year. And sometimes what you'll find is that it's very difficult for for students to articulate it, or sometimes they just don't know, but as the parent as the adult, right, just start paying attention to those things and note them and see if you can do a little investigating and figure out what it is talk to the teacher to I would start there, you know, maybe there's some little fixes they can do in the classroom, to make some, you know, quick minor accommodations without going through a formal IEP or 504 process. We think that's really important. Start with the child, have those conversations directly with the teacher. And as parents know, I'm a mom of an 11 year old going to middle school

Unknown:

this year.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

It sounds it's really easy for me to say this objectively to you

Unknown:

as the parent, but when it's your baby, the emotions are there. Absolutely. I recommend

Dr. Christina Seamster:

if you find those emotional objections starting to rise in you, as you're writing, the teacher asked like a trusted friend or spouse or someone who's not feeling as emotional about it, to help you draft that communication with the school. Another thing I like to help family see is that our job as a school administrator is to protect the climate and culture of this school, we want it to be a happy and inviting place. And so when parents come with that nervous emotional energy, it's it's our job to combat them with happiness and results and things like that. But also remember, like what you put into your child's school, can also cause is what they get out of it what you get out of your child's school, right? So be kind. Oftentimes, you know, the teacher isn't even aware that there's a change in the child, they're still getting to know them too. So just little tidbits to consider when you're communicating with that teacher. So give them the benefit of the of the doubt, always assume good intent, but definitely reach out and if you start to see a pattern of behavior, you know, where your child is just changing sometimes that's emotions. Sometimes that's adolescence. There are so many very intervals are happening in our kids. And so you know, you just start that investigative process and start trying to figure out what's the why that's where, you know, we're going to get to the best solutions for each student, especially our ADHD years, right? Like, why is this behavior happening? It didn't happen before. Absolutely. And then I will go from there. If if you know, you've done all of these things, you've talked with the child, you've talked with the teacher, maybe even started a 504, or an IEP process talked with administration, and still like you're doing everything you can from the parent side, and your child's environment. And the way they're relating to it isn't changing. And the results are starting today, I recommend just start looking into other schooling options over the last decade. And more recently, since COVID, we have seen so many non traditional schooling options start to pop up in our local communities. It's wonderful.

Brooke Schnittman:

It's great. People are accepting it more.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Yes, it's becoming normalized. And you know, that just makes sense. Every one of us human beings need something different. And students with ADHD in a traditional school setting, what most often happens is, you go through that IEP or 504 process, you get accommodations in place, and they're really choosing from a bank of goals. They're choosing from a bank of accommodations. So while it's more customized, it's also very putting them in a box, right? Like, oh, you have ADHD, you need more time.

Unknown:

Doesn't mean more time.

Brooke Schnittman:

Some people don't need more time, especially those with anxiety, sometimes more time hurts them rather than helps them.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Excellent point. Excellent point. Or they'll say things like they just need flexible seating options. Oh, yeah.

Brooke Schnittman:

But that is the usual Right? Like the advocates, this is what they need, just check off the boxes. More is not always better.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Exactly, exactly. And so going through those processes is smart. And it's important. And it might be the thing that changes it for your child, but it might not be. And so I would really look at those things and start paying attention and see if you're seeing improvements, or if it's a matter of like Brooke said, they're checking those boxes to say that they've met an accommodation,

Brooke Schnittman:

I also just want to share and I'm bringing it back to Dr. Seamster. Some school districts will not pay for a private placement like fusion. So if your child has an IEP, and traditional schooling is not working, so they're going from the least restrictive environment all the way to the most restrictive environment with in the placement of the public school. So Least Restrictive would be something to the extent of being in a general education classroom and then having a pull out or pushing for part time of the day to most restrictive as a small self contained class. And not every school district even has that. So sometimes from there, they'll recommend an out of district placement. But it has to be funded usually through the public school system and the district. Fusion is not. Now I've worked with parents in the past who said, I don't care, I'm going to fusion. And I'm going to pay out of pocket or I'm going to sue the school district. There's so many different ways. And I'm not telling you to do that. But I'm just saying like there, there are many different options out there. So don't limit yourself. But also, I know this is personal for a lot of you but don't also run to a private placement right away. Really work with your child's their team and look objectively to see is this school placement, hurting them helping them and how long has this been going on for? Like Dr. scenester said,

Dr. Christina Seamster:

I think you hit on a lot of really great key points there. The first one that comes to mind is in terms of district funding, depending on where you are in the country, there are some districts who will district pay for fusion. It does not work that way here in Florida. Unfortunately, however, you are now able beginning in the 2324 school year, able to bring your public school funding with you to a private school in the state. You can do that through applying on the triple A scholarship website or the step up for students scholarship website. And unfortunately, it does pay a very small portion of the cost for fusion but it's something right and that's your state money and you know you've earned that so you should be able to take that with you. So I'm glad at least we can offer that. The other thing that you were saying don't just jump to another non traditional or traditional private school option. A lot of times students with ADHD in particular really thrive with consistency. And so you know, you want to make them a big part of this decision. And also put on, you know, your parent hat, who knows your child like is, are they bucking this or rejecting it because they're afraid of something new, or because they're not bought into it. So thinking through those processes is really important too. But listen to them help them to be a part of that solution. And that choice and do so at a time that makes sense. You know, getting fed up with the school and saying, we're out of here, we're enrolling in another school on Monday might cause more trauma for the child in the short term. So

Brooke Schnittman:

yes, think about them socially and emotionally to if they have friends, or they've, you know, created systems in the school system that they're at, whether it be in fusion or out of fusion, pulling them from the school mid year, is only going to cause confusion very often, it's also showing that subconsciously, you don't necessarily trust that your child can make it in the current placement. So we have to be really careful. I'm a parent too, with two ADHD, stepchildren, 10 and 12. And they go to private school, I was thinking one of them should go to fusion, but you have to really listen to your child like Dr. Seamster was saying, because this is going to create memories for the rest of their lives.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Absolutely. And there's research out there that says that you never recover from one bad school year that trauma lives on with you forever. So that's also something to consider, right? If if it's at the level where your child refuses to go to school period, you know, the anxiety becomes so strong that they don't even want to get in the car, or maybe it starts Sunday night, the stomachache start coming the complaint start coming. And sometimes the complaints aren't directly related to school. But it's because school is coming up the next day for them. So, you know, these are the more severe cases. And this is one of the reasons why we have rolling admissions at Fusion because sometimes it does make sense to move the mid year. And I know there are lots of schooling options us included where you can ease in so it doesn't have to be cold turkey, he left one school, you're in another school full time, you can start with one course for credit, become comfortable, build relationships, increase your confidence, and help to have it on your terms, which is really helpful for ADHD ears, too.

Brooke Schnittman:

Yeah, yeah, it's funny that you say one bad school year can really throw off and be a memory for life. I remember in fourth grade moving from private school to public school, my dad owns a private school growing up and I wanted to be with my friends. And they were in the public school system. So I went in fourth grade, which was in the middle of elementary school, they already had their established friends, and they weren't accepting of me. So I remember that fourth grade experience was terrible. And it kind of just carried on throughout my life. I'm doing EMDR, I started it last week, to, to re wire my thoughts and emotions and responses, my trauma responses to those situations. So we're not trying to scare you, as a parent, you have so many things to think about, right? And we're not always going to make the right decision. So don't feel bad. If you waited too long to move placements for your child, or if you move to them, and it wasn't the right placement, you know, they're changing as where to learning new information. So I would say to speak with people you trust, meet with the counselors in the school, who know your child, and see what they have to say to.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Yeah, that's an excellent point, too. And, Brooke, thank you so much for sharing that, you know, we've been friends for years, I never I saw you starting to tear up when I talked about, you know, the lack of recovery from you know, one bad school year and to see you as a well high functioning adults. So going through that just breaks my heart as your friend.

Brooke Schnittman:

Thank you. Thank you. And you're right, like, I am a high functioning adult. I didn't know I had ADHD back then. So there was that on diagnosis on manage symptoms of ADHD to attend to me and with that being said, you know, I came from parents who made me go to school, you know, it was no like, I'm sorry, you can't go to school today. I had school avoidance up the wazoo, you know, I would go to the nurse and pretend like I was sick and sorry, you got to stay in school and I dealt with it. And I don't know if it's better or worse, right? We all have different thickness. We all have different sensitivities. We all have different ways. Things are manifesting, you know, someone who's not highly sensitive, that wouldn't matter to them, right. But someone who is highly sensitive, it does stay with them for a long time. So, anyway, we want to give you as parents, all of your options to understand that the stigma behind going to a private placement, like fusion is definitely lessened a lot. And it's not just people with ADHD, it's people who are athletes, people who need flexible scheduling. And if you think about it as an adult, let's say you're an entrepreneur, you need flexible scheduling very often, right? You set your own schedule. So why, why are we making students growing up into this rigid schedule where they have to, you know, fit in the same way as everyone else. I was talking, and then I know, I'm going off on a tangent here, but I was talking to an artist that I'm gonna be bringing on. And he has ADHD, severe ADHD. And he was saying, start with art. He's like, if everyone started school with some thing creative and something that they enjoy, rather than a subject that might give them anxiety, wouldn't that energize them and start their day off much better than having to go straight into something that is more challenging for them? And something that brings up these negative feelings?

Unknown:

So that's such I

Brooke Schnittman:

can't wait to talk about that.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Oh, my gosh, yes, let's do it. Let's talk about it. That's one of my favorite things to do is is to personalize those schedules. So I spend during the admissions process about 90 minutes with each family talking about just that. When are you sharpest? When do you want to do? Or when do you think it's best to have the most challenging subjects for you? Is it better for you? Are you a morning person? Do you want to come in and get math out of the way? Does that decrease? Anxiety? Can you focus better, can you achieve more, or maybe you're not quite woken up yet, and you need it to be your last class of the day. And so or maybe you need to come in and start with music or art. We those are all of the things that we talk through and learn about each student before we customize their personal school journey. We want to know about teachers that you've worked with that were an amazing fit for you. I want to know about teachers that you've worked with that just you know, aren't the best for you. Because you know, that's what we're doing. We're going behind the scenes, and we're really personalizing with a lot of thought and intention. Who is the best English teacher for you? Who's the best math teacher for you? When is the best time of day for you to learn? Do you want to start your school day at 1130 in the morning, and that works for your family dynamic too. That's also important carpool. I am a mommy Uber, it's it's not easy. But all of those things are taken into consideration. And we truly personalize each school journey for every student beginning with the end in mind. So we shoot for the moon, what do you want to do? You come in as a sixth grader. You want to be an astronaut, okay. Math and science are really important for you. You're not strong in those areas yet. Okay, we have time.

Brooke Schnittman:

We'll work on it.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

You will work on it and you will love it. So if we can lead with that passion of being an astronaut. Oh my goodness, math and science now are going to be a breeze for you. Because we've got that that why?

Brooke Schnittman:

It's going to be fun. Yes. I love how you quoted Stephen Covey like begin with the end in mind if you're an adult professional read his book, The highly The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People but he also has so many other books that are made for students as well.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Yeah, so we teach one.

Brooke Schnittman:

It's so those of you who have followed me for quite some time you might recognize out there same sir because we have been doing ADHD Ed camp, which is a free day of learning. And we've been doing a yearly our fifth one is coming up this October 7 2023. It's hybrid. So for those of you who live in the south Florida area, you can come in person, a fusion Academy, Boca Raton, and it's from 12 to 3:30pm. Eastern time. For those of you who don't live in the area, you can attend virtually and we do this for free. We have experts throughout the country who join us and they share their wealth of information. If you're a parent, if you're an adult with ADHD or even a college student or high school students with ADHD. This is definitely a must attend. Again, you can attend virtually or in person. So we'll put those links in the chat. And Dr. Seamster. And I talked just before this, I'll be doing a book signing, signing of my new upcoming book, activate your ADHD potential. So she wrote and endorsed that book as well. So I'm looking forward to I can't believe our fifth ADHD Ed camp.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

I can't believe it either. Where has the time gone?

Brooke Schnittman:

Yeah. I'm so being in the know, I'm being friends with someone like Dr. Seamster, who does not have an ADHD diagnosis, she does not have ADHD. She is an ADHD ally, that's also really helpful. Someone who can help guide you and see outside of your emotions, and just give you all the facts and logical information is super helpful.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Thank you so much. I love connecting with community members and experts such as Brooke, because together we can do so much by ourselves, we can do so little. And you know, sometimes the program that I represent here at fusion is the best option for you and your family. And sometimes I need to call upon my colleagues in those community connections that I've made and make some other recommendations. And I'm very confident and comfortable in doing that with the connections that I've made, particularly in the Boca Raton community, actually, with fusions national. So we have connections really, and we're almost 100 schools strong, which is pretty remarkable. And we're international with Fusion global Academy. So you can literally get a fusion education anywhere in the world today, which is, I mean, pretty remarkable. We are the most personalized school in the world. Because everything is customized for one student and one teacher. And socialization opportunities, of course, are embedded throughout the school day as well with clubs and lunch dates, and field trips, and prom and graduation. And all of those fun things that make a teen a team, we incorporate that as well. So it's a school where you get a tutoring environment, which is so powerful.

Brooke Schnittman:

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for having us. And again, we'll put those links in the show notes. But Dr. Seamster if people want to reach out to you for more information about fusion or advocacy, where can they find you?

Dr. Christina Seamster:

Please do first initial see last name Seamster see Seamster at Fusion academy.com Is my direct email address. You can call me to 561-953-9365 hearin boek Ahmed extension 2178 If you leave a message, I will call you back.

Brooke Schnittman:

Thank you so much for being unsuccessful with ADHD.

Unknown:

Thank you so much for having me.

Dr. Christina Seamster:

I wish you were in prison so I could have you

Brooke Schnittman:

soon. Thanks for listening to this episode of successful with ADHD. I hope it helps you on your journey. And if you need any additional support for you or a loved one with ADHD, feel free to reach out to us at coaching with brooke.com and all social media platforms at coaching with Brooke and remember, it's Brooke with any Thanks again for listening. See you next time.

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Brooke Schnittman MA, PCC, BCC

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