Smart kid can't focus... ADD??

[Anonymous]

This is not a "my kid is so bright look at me post" and I hope it doesn't come across that way. Here is my story - can you help?!?!

My 7 year old DS has been very bright his whole life. Early talker, early reader, very cognitively advanced. He started K early and now, despite being the youngest second grader in his school, he's been referred for gifted services in language arts and math. He is a good student with amazing remarks on his behavior from his teachers. Sounds good, right? Yes, for the most part I am incredibly lucky, but there is not a night that goes by without yelling, angry frustration, and a "For God's SAKE focus on what you're doing! Just FINISH!". It can take him an hour to do one math worksheet as he stands up, sits down, gets a snack, taps the table, taps his teeth, shows. me. every. step. he. takes. If he's interested in something he'll devour it, but otherwise it's impossible to keep him focused. His distractions are usually academically focused (when studying time in math class he started wondering about when and how clocks were invented, are clocks in Asian countries the same as ours, what if a clock had 13 numbers, etc) so I feel terrible not letting him follow his imagination, but... he needs to get his math homework done!

I don't think I'd be as worried, but my husband was the same way at DS's age. In a gifted school, but booted for distractibility. He did 'okay' in school, but was not permitted to continue in gifted because he couldn't focus.

Questions:
1. is this ADD behavior or just normal kid behavior?
2. How do you help your easily distractible kid organize himself?
3. Any other advice???

I need to stop yelling - thank you for your help!!

[Anonymous]

It's quite possible your son indeed has ADHD, but you won't know until you have him tested by a psychologist or neuropsychologist. Plenty of very bright kids have ADHD and often can function fine in the early grades but at some point, ADHD can create a lot of difficulties for them in school. If he's as bright as you describe, it should not be taking him an hour to do one sheet of math problems -- this is a tip-off.

Kids with ADHD often need help with organization/structure.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP - and that the only way you're going to know for sure is to have your DS tested by a qualified professional (ie not your general pediatrician). You should start by educating yourself more about ADHD and the appropriate ways to compensate. One of the good things about it is that even if your DS doesn't have ADHD, the skills you learn will still help him - the techniques are good for everyone. To start, you might think about looking at the CHADD website and find out when/where your regional chapter meets. They have free monthly meetings with a speaker (at least the NOVA chapter does) and I've learned so much from them http://chadd.org/ . I've also found Ann Dolin's book Homework Made Simple to have useful techniques. If you look for it on Amazon.com, you'll also get some hits on other good books. The nice thing about Ann is that she's local and does presentations at a number of venues http://anndolin.ectutoring.com/presentations/ at no cost to attend.

The attention issues you describe sound very familiar to me! I know how frustrating it can be. The good think is whether or not your DS has ADHD, you CAN teach him good study habits and routines which a lot of kids don't learn. He'll be so much better off. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

It does sound like ADHD maybe inattentive type. Your description sounds a lot like my son who was diagnosed at 8. Because our kid did not have the hyper component or the impulsivity it took a while for us to realize there was a problem.
Around your son's age he started having problems at school because he could not finish any work and was growing very frustrated. Homework was a nightmare even though it was very easy and stuff he knew.
We had him tested privately and started meds a year after. We tried a couple of things before doing medication but nothing work and it was talking a toll on everyone.
He is now doing great! Able to focus, organize and finish his work at school and at home. We are very happy. It has also helped him a lot socially.