Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
2 yar old unable to follow direction.
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
2 yar old unable to follow direction.
by HepCinLA, Oct 21, 2003 12:00AM
My son is 28 months old. He is a very curious and independent little boy. The problem is whenever we are out or in a situation my son finds personally interesting, he doesn’t want to listen or follow directions (he seems to be good when we are at home and where there are few distractions).
For the past year, I have been enrolling my son in various activities geared toward children his age such as story time, a gym class, a music class and a pre-school prep class. Each time I enroll him in a class, my son is the only child in a roomful of kids that is unable to sit still, follow direction or focus on the activities. I have observed other children participating quietly with their parents, following along with the teacher as she goes through the movement of a new song or dance, or follow their parent’s instructions as they participate together in an activity or arts and crafts project. In the meantime, my son is content to run from one end of the classroom to the other or continue to play with toys when the class has moved on to another activity, etc. Any attempt to get him to sit quietly for a few minutes results in a meltdown. It's as if, he only has a short time to explore things and is trying to make the best of his time. Even if my son does sit and watch the teacher for a few seconds, he doesn’t seem very good at replicating the teacher’s instructions. I try to get him to copy along with what the class is doing but he either doesn’t seem to get the gist of what is going on or just doesn’t care. He’ll sit for a few minutes, get bored and then decide to move onto his own agenda. It's frustrating when it seems that my child is the only one in a group that isn't listening or focusing on what's going on. To make matters worse, his teachers have now begun to ignore my son. They will instead work closely with the other children in the class but pretty much let my son do what he wants as if he were a lost cause.
At first I thought it was a maturity thing and that my son would eventually catch on but that hasn’t happened yet. On one hand, I want to stop enrolling my son in these activities until he’s a bit older but am afraid if I do so my son will be at some sort of disadvantage. Please note so as not to over-schedule my son, I only enroll him in 2 classes per semester. Each class is once a week and is only an hour long. Hence no more than 2 hours a week on structured activities.
I described my situation to my friend and she said my son sounded like her nephew who had been diagnosed with ADD. I don't think my son has a concentration problem. When we are at home, he is able to play quietly and for a long time on an activity that interests him such as working on puzzles, reading stories together or playing with his trucks. His vocabulary seems fine. Will he ever grow out of it or is it an early sign for ADD. Is this a behavioral problem or a disciple problem? Is my son overly curious or do I have to worry.
For the past year, I have been enrolling my son in various activities geared toward children his age such as story time, a gym class, a music class and a pre-school prep class. Each time I enroll him in a class, my son is the only child in a roomful of kids that is unable to sit still, follow direction or focus on the activities. I have observed other children participating quietly with their parents, following along with the teacher as she goes through the movement of a new song or dance, or follow their parent’s instructions as they participate together in an activity or arts and crafts project. In the meantime, my son is content to run from one end of the classroom to the other or continue to play with toys when the class has moved on to another activity, etc. Any attempt to get him to sit quietly for a few minutes results in a meltdown. It's as if, he only has a short time to explore things and is trying to make the best of his time. Even if my son does sit and watch the teacher for a few seconds, he doesn’t seem very good at replicating the teacher’s instructions. I try to get him to copy along with what the class is doing but he either doesn’t seem to get the gist of what is going on or just doesn’t care. He’ll sit for a few minutes, get bored and then decide to move onto his own agenda. It's frustrating when it seems that my child is the only one in a group that isn't listening or focusing on what's going on. To make matters worse, his teachers have now begun to ignore my son. They will instead work closely with the other children in the class but pretty much let my son do what he wants as if he were a lost cause.
At first I thought it was a maturity thing and that my son would eventually catch on but that hasn’t happened yet. On one hand, I want to stop enrolling my son in these activities until he’s a bit older but am afraid if I do so my son will be at some sort of disadvantage. Please note so as not to over-schedule my son, I only enroll him in 2 classes per semester. Each class is once a week and is only an hour long. Hence no more than 2 hours a week on structured activities.
I described my situation to my friend and she said my son sounded like her nephew who had been diagnosed with ADD. I don't think my son has a concentration problem. When we are at home, he is able to play quietly and for a long time on an activity that interests him such as working on puzzles, reading stories together or playing with his trucks. His vocabulary seems fine. Will he ever grow out of it or is it an early sign for ADD. Is this a behavioral problem or a disciple problem? Is my son overly curious or do I have to worry.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Oct 21, 2003 12:00AM
, Oct 21, 2003 12:00AM
It sure sounds like it's premature to be introducing your son to such activities. An informal play group, perhaps in the neighborhood, might be more worthwhile. It's too early to conclude that he displays ADHD. Yes, he's very active, moreso than many of the other children you are seeing. However, he's very young and young children tend to be active by nature. I think the most prudent approach is to wait and see. Children can be introduced to activities as they are ready. Perhaps it's fair to say that too many children 'these days' are introduced to peer group activities too early. Your son has plenty of time. If he's more prepared developmentally to be home, that's fine. He won't be at any disadvantage.
If you have always heard bad things about Chiropractic Medicine - It's a Myth...Go to one that actually does
X-rays to determine if such a condition exists.
For Testimonials about The Chiropractor - there is a book:
Chiropractic Works (Adjusting to a Higher Quality of Life)
by: Timothy J. Fueling
If your child still seems to be having problems or has been diagnosed as ADD or ADHD - there is help without the side effects of drugs (such as ritalin) "guaranteed".
Need More Information - contact me, by e-mail at:
***@**** or call: 1-760-243-4622
TOLL FREE 1-877-891-1532