Inattentive intelligent boy

My 7 year old son, who is doing very well at school, gets complaints about being inattentive in the class. His teacher thinks that he needs some medical treatment whereas his pediatrician fully disagrees as he found him rather well behaved intelligent boy who is bit imaginative but completely fine. I am distressed as I hate to receive notes from his teacher. Don’t know what to do.


This discussion is related to Focusing issue.

[RockRose]

ishumom,  can you clarify?  If he's doing well academically,  and doing well socially,  it really seems unlikely the teacher would complain a lot about him being inattentive.  

I have to say,  I had a child like this.  His pediatrician,  and his preschool teachers sung his praises - in small groups or one on one  he did great.  The school actually tested him and found no problems whatsoever - with a one on one testing situation.  In a larger classroom he zoned out.  He always had friends and did well socially,  but he would just completely tune out when the teacher would drone on and on.  Most of the kids could keep up in the room,  he would absolutely go into "zone out mode".  I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it myself.  

I don't know what to tell you.  I had to put him on a low dose of Ritalin,  or he wouldn't have made it out of elementary school.  As much as I hated to do it,  I don't know what else I could have done - sat behind him and poked him every 2 minutes to make him pay attention to the boring lessons?    

He's now in college and doing well in a very competitive program,  and hasn't had a single dose of Ritalin since 5th grade.  

Sorry to be so wordy,  but I've been there.  I still think back every once in a while,  and wonder why I didn't ask the school,  can you not bore my very bright son to death,  to where I have to medicate him to pay attention?    At home and in all other settings he did fine - it was just where he had to sit for extended periods of time listening droning voices that he struggled with.

Best wishes with whatever you decide.    Traditional school classrooms are intensely boring.  

[ishumom13]

Thanks for the comments RockRose, academically he is great even his teacher admits. He is reading at higher level, maths is wonderful, science is excellent, very reasonable in all brainy sessions. But his problem is imagination (which I know not his teacher as this is not her job). Talk about his interest lets say: Dinosaur and he can tell you about 35 names and their features and habitat. actually at home I've no complaints against him as I (even all friends) find him rather social and very jovial kid but that is his school where I have no control.
His pediatrician doesnt believe in giving any medication or treatment but his teacher clearly thinks that he has a definite attention disorder.....GOD.....

[benjimom]

Yes, I think teachers are very inclined to recommend medications for every single symptom children present. I took my child the other day to a psychiatrist and I'm sure the school is VERY disappointed to hear he did not prescribe him pills.  I wish teachers and educators would get more training in this area.   I am sure lots of doctors and psychiatrists hear this all the time about the teachers wanting children on medications they rae not medical doctors, remember that!!

[ishumom13]

problem is that all of his teachers are/were either pregnant or came back from maternity leave and seem tired and exausted....I am not blaming them for that but they are sometimes cranky (my son told me so many times). Sometimes they give positive reaction about him (in meetings they never point out) then what happens after sometime....I dont know......

[benjimom]

Yes, I'm sure their patience levels are down if they just had a baby and came back to work, etc.  My son used to tell me his old teacher ignored him.  Sometimes I have found the schools to not communicate well, or you find out way after the fact that teh child is having issues.  Rememeber the teachers are not doctors and really should not be recommending or saying that a child has any sort of disorder.  IT's like me telling you your child has adhd or another disease, I am not trained in that area.