Shall I disregard what teacher says and let DS read his books in the class? Advise please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, OP you don't ignore what the teacher has to say. He's reading when he shouldn't be, it doesn't matter that he's "bored." Don't teach him to ignore the teacher.

Also, why do people jump to ADHD or something when a kid is "bored" in school or doesn't want to listen? MAYBE it's as simple as he doesn't think he needs to listen because that's mom's attitude.

Op didn't just say he was bored. She said

He struggles with paying attention to his teacher in class. Per his teacher, he constantly drifts off in the class and reads his own books. He does have trouble concentrating on things that he doesn’t feel fun. It’s painful for him to sit there and day dreaming.

She mentions inattention, inability to stay on task, difficulty concentrating and impulsivity - impulsively reaching for books when he knows he should be on task. Those are a number of signals for ADHD and all the same ones my dd had before her diagnosis by a psychologist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
My 5th grader has struggled with this for years. He was recently diagnosed with severe ADHD, which was simply a confirmation, for school purposes, of what we had already suspected. Since he has always had trouble with inattention, we knew the book reading thing was just one consequence of his disorder. It's an impulse problem, OP, for children who like to read, and who are probably well ahead of their classmates. They can't resist the temptation.

First, he cannot read while the teacher is talking. That's just rude, plus he has to "try" to pay attention. Despite his obvious intelligence, he might also miss important facts! he can absolutely read when he's finished his work, although you need to tell the teacher he might need help putting his book away when another lesson starts! My son is oblivious to anything going on around him when he reads.

Second, you have to discuss with the teacher what acceleration or differentiation he could use. Is he already in the highest reading group/spelling group/math group, whatever? How can he be more challenged?

Third, if you think that both school and home life are negatively impacted by his inattention and/or processing speed and/or impulsivity and/or socialization, which can all be affected in children with ADHD, then it may be time to have him evaluated. If there is a diagnosis, the school can offer free services and accommodations for him, instead of making him feel guilty that he can't pay attention properly.

His not hyper at all.

[Anonymous]

My dd is also not hyper. She has ADHD combined type, and unlike some boys who bounce off the walls or run around the room, her "hyperness" shows itself in fidgeting for the most part. I thought she would be ADHD inattentive, but the psychologist was clear that she was combined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Letting him read his own books rather than participate in class doesn't solve the problem. Is he able to complete assignments correctly? Is the issue is that he doesn't need the amount of instruction the teacher is offering in order to complete the assignments correctly? Or that the work is too easy? Or that he just spaces out and doesn't do the work? Each of those issues would require a different solution. He should be completing assignments first before reading his own book. I would ask if the teacher would keep his book in her desk, and once he showed her that he had completed his work correctly, he could read on his own. If he's not able to to complete work, you should ask for an evaluation.

We have to learn impulse control. Young children want to eat ice cream for every meal because, well, it tastes so much better than vegetables. Young children want to play and leave their toys out, because cleaning up is not fun. When children feel the urge to defecate, they want to do it in their diaper--until they eventually learn to make the conscious choice of holding it to use the toilet. And some children may want read a book rather than listen to the teacher. Most children may opt to forgo what they truly want to do in favor of listening to the teacher, and for various reasons: avoidance ("i dont want to get in trouble"), attention ("look at how god I am"), intrinsic interest ("I want to learn, so I should listen to the teacher"), positive reinforcement ("I get praise when i follow directions"), etc. Does your son have a disability because his impulse control is still developing? Not necessarily.

You want your son to follow along in class because, when he's in a lecture hall at Harvard (or any amazing college I'm sure he's destined for), the only thing that will keep him from texting his bros about that night's kegger the entire time will be his impulse control. You want him to be able to do this. Work with the teacher. Let the teacher try his/her plan, but follow up to see if it works (if not, change it up--sticking with an ineffective plan is a waste of time) . Talk to the teacher about also giving your son praise, recognition, and the occasional "prize" for opting to pay attention; that will encourage the preferable behavior. I put "prize" in quotes because what is of value to one child may not be to the next. You've got to make paying attention more attractive to your son than ignoring the teacher and reading his own book.

Hey, having to get up, go to his backpack, and interrupt the class to get a book may be less attractive to him than paying attention...worth a shot.

[Anonymous]

Even if you got your son evaluated and he had an educational diagnosis of ADHD, you'd still have to develop strategies to support him in paying attention in class. I hope you don't go that route immediately; try working with the teacher/school first before sounding all alarms and requesting an evaluation.