staying focused/paying attention

[jwright]

Today was the first parent/teacher conference since school started. Jason is in 2nd grade this year and his teacher has been telling me that he's doing good. He is doing well academically, but . . . he struggles with staying focused on the work he is to do; paying attention to his teacher, etc. I am clueless as to what to do - how do you help your child learn to pay attention better or stay focused??? Supposedly the speech/language therapist at school has been trying to help out with that but he goes to her office and does work on the computer (which he loves) so I don't see how that really helps him. Occupational Therapist has suggested putting him at a desk by himself where he can't see anything or be distracted (he gets distracted VERY easily) but he always finds something to distract him away from his work.

HELP!!! Anyone have a child similar? What do you do?

Janell

[Cheeseburger]

Yeah i can't pay attention either if I were bored stiff sitting in a chair for 6-8 hours a day.

If he does work on the computer does he pay attention to that? Maybe it's just the other stuff isn't interesting enough to him. It's easy to get distracted from boring drivel, that is for sure.

You said he was doing well academically so I doubt it's an intelligence problem, I'm sure he's very smart! I used to get distracted in school because I already understood what was being taught, and got a's, and it just pained me to sit there... being taught something i already understood.... so I tried to find other ways to amuse myself like doodling or whispering or passing notes. Or claiming I had to use the bathroom to get a bathroom pass, just to get out of that stifling enviroment. Of course, that got me in trouble LOL... my mom eventually pulled me out of school cause i wasn't learning much, even though I got all A's.

I think sometimes schools do not allow young children to burn off enough energy... kids need time to move around and play... not just sit still and be brainwashed

OK not meaning to come off negatively... i just highly doubt it's something like ADD or ADHD... they are so quick to diagnose those problems these days when i feel most of the time it is just an energetic kids. Aren't little boys supposed to run around and burn off energy. They are SUPPOSED to be active, not have pills popped down their throat to make them sit still longer than humanly possible. I so feel for the small children in schools these days, it can be so hard to sit still ALL DAY. Recess is not nearly long enough and then they want to pile on homework so even when you get home you've got to sit still and concentrate! arrrgh not an ideal learning situation IMO

If it's that he is excelling in school and is bored, perhaps he need something more challenging to learn, maybe his teacher would let him have a special workbook or geography book or history book or a book about animals or whatever he likes, for when he pays attention and finishes his work then he can work on something he really IS interested in. It's always easier to keep focus if you are interested.

[stephwhiz]

Janell I'll be praying for your ds. From my experience at school, some children find it hard to focus. One thing that does work in some cases is like you said..put him at a desk by himself, away from the others. That is working with a little boy in the class I am in right now. Last year in pre-k, one little boy was constantly not paying attention. The teacher gave him a piece of tape and let him play with it. He would sit there and listen to her and play with the tape. I know that sounds weird, but it worked for him. And then some kids are ADD and ADHD. I would exhaust all possible means and if nothing works then talk to your dr to see if he is ADD or ADHD. It's nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of if he is ADD or ADHD because it is a condition that the child cannot help. There are lots of new meds out there for both conditions that are low dose and do not make them into zombies like some of the old meds did.

Hugs to you and I pray you guys get to the root of his problem and God leads you in what to do.

Stephanie

[lealea]

My son is in Kindergarten and has had the same problem. I started giving him vitamins that are specially formulated to help kids focus, there is an AM and a PM. I will post the brand if you are interested. I have also cut out sugar/corn syrup on weekdays. And I make sure he gets plenty of sleep. I have found that 11 hours works best for him.

[meg]

Hmmm, that can be really difficult Janell. Our son (who from memory is about the same age as Jason) used to find concentrating and focusing a bit difficult at times. For us, what we found helpful was to teach him how to focus. I know that sounds nearly impossible We discovered that our son has a love of board games, particularly things like chess. He started learning chess 2 years ago, and is now not too bad. It has taught him the benefits of focussing, by doing something he loves that he has to focus on, as opposed to something he loves that doesn't require much focus, if that makes sense So now, if he needs to focus, we compare it to the skills he uses to play a game of chess, and that helps him understand the level of concentration required to complete a task.

So, if there is anything that Jason loves to do that requires focussed concentration, build on that, then use it as a "measuring stick" so to speak.

Sorry, it's late here, and I had a very late night last night, so I'm not sure how clear I'm being Apologies for any rambling

[SpiritFilledMomof2]

Originally Posted by lealea

My son is in Kindergarten and has had the same problem. I started giving him vitamins that are specially formulated to help kids focus, there is an AM and a PM. I will post the brand if you are interested. I have also cut out sugar/corn syrup on weekdays. And I make sure he gets plenty of sleep. I have found that 11 hours works best for him.

Could you please share the brand? PM me if you prefer. We are currently struggling with the same issue with our dd who is 6.

[breezykc2]

This is so common in little boys! I suggest a special activity for them to be able to do that will teach concentration and burn energy to help all around! My suggestion is martial arts! Boys love it and learn so much...girls do too! I know, my brother and I both did it and loved it and my brother was a highly unattentive child and it helped him learn to focus! Plus if they like it, it's like a reward for doing good in school that day! Health all the way around!
I also agree that they stamp every little one who has trouble focusing or just sitting still (like any boy does!) with a label these days for ease....don't start here! I'm a mental health professional and I see it all too often. Yes, I know there are real cases out there that need a diagnosis and treatment, but many do not. Start with alternatives first!

[Donna B.]

Janell- Oh boy! This brought back floods of memories of when my child was in 2nd grade. Our Parent teacher conference was a surprise to hear that my ds was inattentive and distracted beyond the average student. I was devestated and distraught. I remember, that this forum, was the first place I came to as well.

I did numerous things. First I took him to our Pediatrician. After he assessed him physically to rule out anything nuerologically, he also gave us a questionarre to evaluate him with ADD. One for us to fill out, and two for two of his teachers. But what he said to us was..."What I really think you have here is a smart, creative boy who likes to day dream. " I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't jump to an ADD diagnosis, and hand us a perscription. He suggest we fill out the questionarres and have them scored to serve as a baseline, in case he did indeed continue to have trouble paying attention where it affected him academically. The next thing I did was READ..READ.. and READ. My two favorite books were: The ADD myth, and Right Brained Children in a Left Brain World. They both gave very practical things to do to help improve focus. I did sign him up for Martial Arts- which I think helped a lot. And I started him on Fish Oil every day. Basically, that was it. He struggled a lot during 2nd and 3rd grade. We just keot perservering. In 4th grade, things were improving. I did have him seem by OT in 4th grade to rule out any sensory intergration disorder. But they didn't find anything. They did however, work on his fine motor skills, which did improve his handwriting. And by 5th grade...He was catching on to his responsibilities at school. It seemed liked something finally clicked. Now in 6th grade, His first quarter, he has earned all A's. I'm so incredibly proud, and amazed at how far he has come. I only tell you this, so that you can see that it does get easier. Oh, he still forgets to bring home text books, or to hand in an assigment on time. He's not perfect. But he is thriving. Does my son have ADD? Maybe. But as long as he could function academically and socially, then what would have been the goal of medicatiion.

If I had to guess, I bet your son is very smart, very creative, and probably very right brained. Hang in there, I know that it is hearbreaking, and frustrating. I remember struggling with this like it was yesterday. Please PM me if you want. I'll be praying

[mama bronc]

Hi,

I am having problems with my DD concentrating in class. She just started kindergarten this year, and her teacher thinks it is a personality thing, that she is just so preoccupied with the world around her that she has a hard time focusing herself on one thing. She is starting to get in trouble and falling behind. I am really worried about her academic future if we are already having problems this early.

I would love to know the name of the vitamin that could help. It would be worth a try for my little girl.

I am also encouraged to know that everyone is not just immediately diagnosing all the kids with ADD. I really don't think that is what she has, just trouble focusing.

Thanks!

[Marlo Boux]

My son has been to multiple medical professionals about his attention and focus issues over a three year period (family doctor, child psychiatrist, social worker, and a child psychologist).

In all the testing done he shows as significant on the adhd spectrum but it isn't really severe. What makes it really hard for us is that he has a severe learning disability when it comes to processing non-verbal information - math, patterning, sequencing, spatial relationss etc. Yet, on the flip side he scored extremely high in intelligence for verbal processing (he was almost off their scoring chart). It is very complex .

We have been implementing different techniques to help him manage and the school is modifying his learning approach in math and spatial learning so it is less frustrating for him. I have also been in touch with the learning disabilty association in my province for more support and possibly tutoring for him. We have not medicated him to this point, but we are beginning to run out of feasible options....

I am keeping this in prayer Thanks for letting me share.