What Is a RAM Report and How Do You Get One for ADHD?

The family of a child diagnosed with ADHD runs into a second process after the diagnosis: the school side. And the first abbreviation heard there is RAM (the Guidance and Research Center).

This article explains what that process is, what it provides and what it does not. The practice can vary from center to center; what is binding is what the RAM and the school you are attached to tell you.

What RAM does and does not do

RAM is an institution attached to the Ministry of National Education. Its job is not to make a medical diagnosis; it is to carry out an educational assessment.

The difference between the two is important:

• A medical diagnosis is made in a hospital, by a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
• An educational assessment is carried out at RAM by the Special Education Assessment Board and determines the child's educational needs.

That is, you do not go to RAM to find out "whether there is ADHD." You go with the diagnosis in hand, to determine what that diagnosis will turn into at school.

An application to RAM can be made not only for the disability types but also for ADHD and giftedness, which are not in the disability group.

How the application is made

There are two ways.

Through the school. The classroom teacher or the school guidance counselor fills in the Educational Assessment Request Form in the e-guidance module of MEBBİS (the ministry's school information system). This is the most common route for students enrolled at a school.

Directly as a parent. The parent can also make an appointment request.

Appointments run through the RAMDEVU system (ramdevu.meb.gov.tr). For first applications some centers give appointments by phone; for report renewal, appointments are made through the system. Both the child and the parent need to attend the appointment.

Documents asked for

The list of documents can vary by center. Commonly requested:

• The identity of the child and the parent (with photocopies).
• If there is one, a health report or health board report obtained from a hospital (the original and a photocopy).
• The Educational Assessment Request Form prepared by the school.
• For report renewal: additional documents such as a photograph, a performance record table and the end-of-term individual performance assessment form.

I am not writing a definitive list here, because there are differences between centers and the lists get updated. The only right way: call the RAM before the appointment and get the list.

Making this phone call is one of the jobs that are easily postponed in this picture. Waiting until appointment day and going with a missing document stretches the whole process by another month. In the paperwork article I wrote how I carry this kind of job.

What happens in the assessment

The Special Education Assessment Board evaluates the child's characteristics in the developmental areas and their academic competence; it determines their educational needs and in which setting it is appropriate for them to be educated.

The tools used vary according to the child's age and situation. The process is not made up of a single test; information from the school, what the parent tells and the board's assessment are considered together.

The decision that comes out of this is a referral: for example, benefiting from a support education room, education within the scope of inclusion/integration, or special education services.

What the report is good for

The board's decision turns into concrete things at school:

• Preparing a BEP. The BEP (Individualized Education Program, known as an IEP elsewhere) is prepared by the BEP development unit at the school. I explained this in detail in the BEP article.
• Support education room. One-to-one or small-group support in certain classes, within the school.
• Classroom accommodations. Seating arrangement, the way of giving directions, accommodations in exam practices.

I wrote how the school side runs in the article ADHD at school and university.

What it is not good for

Knowing this part reduces disappointment.

It is not a disability report. The board decision RAM gives is an educational document. It does not determine a disability rate and does not form the basis for social rights. That is a separate process; I explained it in the disability report article.

It is not an automatic accommodation for success. The board decision does not work by itself if it is not applied at school. Following up on the application is left to the parent.

It is not a path for adults. The RAM process is for students. Adult diagnosis and accommodations run differently; you can look at the article on adult diagnosis.

Practical notes as a parent

• Write the appointment date in the calendar and set two reminders. In this process a missed appointment means weeks.
• Be ready to be the messenger between the school and RAM. The form leaves the school, the decision comes from RAM, the application happens at school. The breaking point of the chain is usually the second link.
• Get a copy of the board decision and keep it. This is the document that helps most when changing schools.
• Plan the meeting with the teacher separately. The board decision is a framework; the real application in the classroom happens by talking with the teacher.

What it leaves me with

The most tiring thing in this process is that no step is written in a single place. The school fills in the form, the system gives the appointment, the center asks for the document, the teacher carries out the application, and the person who connects all of it is the parent.

That is why keeping a single file is the most useful part of this job: the board decision, the hospital report, the appointment dates, who was met with and when. In the next term you do not have to gather the same information from scratch.

The information here is a general framework. Since documents and practice can vary by center, get written confirmation from the RAM you are attached to and from your school.