Thanks, Kim. We're going the route you've gone, and we've learned a great deal already. Just being 'aware' seems to have had an impact. So far he's really showing a lot of pride in his accomplishments - and has even shown some initiative in completion of tasks (homework or otherwise) un-prompted. Sometimes I wish that time meant as little to me as it does to him! :D
Wishing you (and everyone above) the best, as well.
Jim
It is quite possible, but thorough evaluation would be required to say with certainty, that your son displays Inattentive-type Atention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a neurointegrative condition that results in the very symptoms you describe. To some extent, depending on the degree of severity of the condition, a child can improve their attention, focus and follow through through some systematic methods. For example, issuing single directions, monitoring the completion of the task, prompting. However, if the condition is sever enough, such common-sense environmental measures may not be sufficient and pharmacological treatment can be quite useful. Please, though, do not rush into such a diagnosis. Rather, arrange an evaluation by a child psychologist and let the results speak for themselves.
I too thought my husband had written the scenario involving your son. Our son (Ryan, also) exhibits all of the behaviors you have mentioned, and somehow manages to maintain A's and B's. We have seen the psychologist who diagnosed him with an Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder. We have opted to use behavioral therapy rather than pharmacological therapy at this time. Each day presents it's own sets of challenges, but we are determined to equip our son with the necessary tools so that he might succeed during these school years without a tarnished self esteem.
I wish your family the best!
I on my way to speak to my sons 2nd grade teacher about this very same problem. I watched him in class today just sit and not focus at all on the work he was to be doing. He has developed an eye blinking thing as of late, but the pediatrician said it has to be ongoing for 6 months to be considered a tick. I thought maybe it could be allergies. Your comments have been helpful encouraging. I will definitely pursue the medical side of this issue further.
Hi Jim!
Thanks for the reply. Our son also has the "racoon eyes" thing going on. I appreciate your reply and will write back here if there are any interesting findings or ideas that have worked for us. We are off to the pediatricians next week.
Good Luck
Tina
Hi Tina,
I'm not sure this will get to you - since I can't seem to find a personal message feature on the site, and I don't know your e-mail address.
My wife and I are in the process of having my son evaluated by a few professionals - psychologist, allergist (sp) - We're reading a whole lot about the subject, and are experimenting with a few techniques to help him with multiple directions and time limits. He seems to be making some progress with completing homework in timed 'pieces'. We've read some material mentioning allergies/environmental sensitivities, and have noticed that Ryan commonly has dark circles around his eyes (we call them raccoon eyes, and this is listed as a possible symptom of allergies in some of the reading materials) - We want to at least make sure that he's not ingesting something, or is in frequent contact with something that causes him concentration or sleep problems.
I'll let you know (if you even see this..) what works for us - And wish you the best of luck in helping your child!
Regards,
Jim
wow!!! If I didn't know better I would have thought that my husband wrote this question regarding my son(8yrs old) I have been discussing this with his teacher and trying various behavorial modifications in the class room for about 5 weeks. Unfortunately without much success to this point. The comment you made regarding giving directions at bedtime I have said and used as an example in our house!! Could you please email me back with things you have tried and or found out about your son. We would appreciate it. We are off to the pediatrician office next week to start our process medically. Good luck to you and your family.
Tina
This is probably not the problem but something to think about. My daughter is also in second grade and has alot of the same issues. Not staying focused, day dreaming, etc. We had her tested for ADD but was told diffently not. Then her doctor decided to send her for an EEG (just to cover all bases). The results were a complete shock for all of us (I think also her doctor). It turns out the my daughter was and is having petit mal seizures (also know as absence seizures). You cannot tell when they are having them and they can have 100's a day. It makes it hard for them to focus and appears as if they are day dreaming. She is on medication to help with the seizures and it seems to be making a big difference. An EEG is a fairly simple test for your child (not at all painful). It might be worth looking into.
Good luck!
Thanks so much for your response(s) - we'll set up something with a specialist. We've already begun the process of reading everything we can get our hands on!
Kind regards,
Jim