How do I find out what the problem is with my second grader??

[Anonymous]

We were told by his teacher:

That he can't concentrate.
That he jumps out of his seat all of the time. Even if it's just to get a pencil.
He has a very hard time sitting in his chair and that he's always kneeling or squatting on the chair.
He is always talking and telling stories.
At recess he would rather talk to her and tell her stories.
He has a high vocabulary, but his behind on his reading and he's good in math.

This seems like attention seeking stuff but at home DH and I give him attention and the class size is very small. I'm not sure what's going on. The teacher hasn't been teaching for very long. I kind of got the impression that she doesn't know what to do. When we talked to him about it, he said it's hard for him to sit still when he's happy. He doesn't seem to pay attention for very long either.

I'm not sure what to do. How do I find out what going on? I don't want to jump the gun and say ADHD, but I have no experience with ADHD. Is there a way to test him?

[Anonymous]

It sounds like he needs to "get his wiggles out" and would do well to run and play rather than stand around talking to his teacher.

I would not give a shit, as a teacher, if my students kneeled or stood to do independent work at their desks.

[Anonymous]

^ I agree. Who cares if he kneels or squats on his chair?

My kid stood upside down on his head in preschool and they called Child Find because they didn't believe someone could learn that way. Guess what they found out? Yeah, he was above average in everything. Your son sounds like a very bright young boy. I would not jump to ADHD. Is he a polite kid in other ways? Being lively is not a disability . . . it's a gift.

[Anonymous]

I'm a teacher. I personally don't care if students kneel, squat, or stand on their heads while learning, but my administrator sure does. When she walks in or even drifts by classrooms, she expects to see S.L.A.N.T. (Google it). Since I don't appreciate being written down over petty stuff, I remind my students to maintain her required posture. Never too young to learn that shit flows downhill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were told by his teacher:

That he can't concentrate.
That he jumps out of his seat all of the time. Even if it's just to get a pencil.
He has a very hard time sitting in his chair and that he's always kneeling or squatting on the chair.
He is always talking and telling stories.
At recess he would rather talk to her and tell her stories.
He has a high vocabulary, but his behind on his reading and he's good in math.

This seems like attention seeking stuff but at home DH and I give him attention and the class size is very small. I'm not sure what's going on. The teacher hasn't been teaching for very long. I kind of got the impression that she doesn't know what to do. When we talked to him about it, he said it's hard for him to sit still when he's happy. He doesn't seem to pay attention for very long either.

I'm not sure what to do. How do I find out what going on? I don't want to jump the gun and say ADHD, but I have no experience with ADHD. Is there a way to test him?

OP, I promise, if you start looking for it, you will find people (from DCUM, to your school system, to your ped's office) who will immediately scream ADHD. And of course it won't be long before they suggest medication and boom ... another little boy is drugged simply for acting like a seven year old.

Sounds like his teacher is the one who needs the support. Does the fact that she hasn't been teaching for long mean that she is young, and therefore relatively inexperienced?

[Anonymous]

Talk to your pediatrician. Most of the things you mention are accommodated by good teachers. My son never had to sit in his chair. He could walk around the classroom, lay on the floor, whatever, so long as he did his work and wasn't disruptive. If he needed a break, he could leave to go to the bathroom or water fountain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher. I personally don't care if students kneel, squat, or stand on their heads while learning, but my administrator sure does. When she walks in or even drifts by classrooms, she expects to see S.L.A.N.T. (Google it). Since I don't appreciate being written down over petty stuff, I remind my students to maintain her required posture. Never too young to learn that shit flows downhill.

I googled it. Ouch.

http://www.powayusd.com/teachers/lharvey/path/slant.htm

What grade is this supposed to for?

[Anonymous]

You could request an evaluation. Ours was enormously helpful.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for the helpful advice. He is very well behaved otherwise. I am more worried that he can't seem to pay attention for long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher. I personally don't care if students kneel, squat, or stand on their heads while learning, but my administrator sure does. When she walks in or even drifts by classrooms, she expects to see S.L.A.N.T. (Google it). Since I don't appreciate being written down over petty stuff, I remind my students to maintain her required posture. Never too young to learn that shit flows downhill.

I googled it. Ouch.

http://www.powayusd.com/teachers/lharvey/path/slant.htm

What grade is this supposed to for?

K-12.

[Anonymous]

Will the teacher let him stand at his desk?

He sounds exactly like my 7 year old who has an ADHD diagnosis and an 504 plan. My son loves to talk and also has a good vocabulary. He is also good at math and a little behind on writing. Simply can not sit for long and says his mind can't control his body all the time. My son is not on medication since his attention span is improving with age and he is doing OK academically. Even without a 504 teacher can try different things like standing, frequent breaks, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher. I personally don't care if students kneel, squat, or stand on their heads while learning, but my administrator sure does. When she walks in or even drifts by classrooms, she expects to see S.L.A.N.T. (Google it). Since I don't appreciate being written down over petty stuff, I remind my students to maintain her required posture. Never too young to learn that shit flows downhill.

I googled it. Ouch.

http://www.powayusd.com/teachers/lharvey/path/slant.htm

What grade is this supposed to for?

I appreciate that they are trying to teach children how to demonstrate their engagement and how t h eyes can provide back channel feedback during a lesson. Teaching is an interaction and learning is not a passive activity.

[Anonymous]

It does sound a lot like ADHD. You can get an evaluation at Inova Kellar in Fairfax or Children's downtown to name a couple of places. My dd was diagnosed in 2nd grade and got services through a 504. We got her an IEP in 3rd grade. We finally started medication at the end of 3rd grade, and it is helping her a lot. When she doesn't have her medicine, she says that she tries to pay attention but that she can't. It upsets her when she can't focus on what's going on in class. It has raised her self esteem taking the medicine and being able to keep up with her classmates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were told by his teacher:

That he can't concentrate.
That he jumps out of his seat all of the time. Even if it's just to get a pencil.
He has a very hard time sitting in his chair and that he's always kneeling or squatting on the chair.
He is always talking and telling stories.
At recess he would rather talk to her and tell her stories.
He has a high vocabulary, but his behind on his reading and he's good in math.

This seems like attention seeking stuff but at home DH and I give him attention and the class size is very small. I'm not sure what's going on. The teacher hasn't been teaching for very long. I kind of got the impression that she doesn't know what to do. When we talked to him about it, he said it's hard for him to sit still when he's happy. He doesn't seem to pay attention for very long either.

I'm not sure what to do. How do I find out what going on? I don't want to jump the gun and say ADHD, but I have no experience with ADHD. Is there a way to test him?

I would request an evaluation that included more that testing for ADHD. If he has a large vocabulary and is behind in reading, possible dyslexia should be investigated too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were told by his teacher:

That he can't concentrate.
That he jumps out of his seat all of the time. Even if it's just to get a pencil.
He has a very hard time sitting in his chair and that he's always kneeling or squatting on the chair.
He is always talking and telling stories.
At recess he would rather talk to her and tell her stories.
He has a high vocabulary, but his behind on his reading and he's good in math.

This seems like attention seeking stuff but at home DH and I give him attention and the class size is very small. I'm not sure what's going on. The teacher hasn't been teaching for very long. I kind of got the impression that she doesn't know what to do. When we talked to him about it, he said it's hard for him to sit still when he's happy. He doesn't seem to pay attention for very long either.

I'm not sure what to do. How do I find out what going on? I don't want to jump the gun and say ADHD, but I have no experience with ADHD. Is there a way to test him?

I would request an evaluation that included more that testing for ADHD. If he has a large vocabulary and is behind in reading, possible dyslexia should be investigated too.

If you're concerned about ADHD, start with your pediatrician if you need a referral or get an appointment with a developmental pediatrician.

You can also request an evaluation from the school. They HAVE to perform an appropriate evaluation once you've requested one. Their psychologist will do many of the same questionnaires and tests the dev. ped will regarding ADHD. The school will NOT diagnose dyslexia but will evaluate whether or not he is enough behind in reading to get resources (depending on the school system, they won't even use the "d" word). If you want a definitive dyslexia diagnosis, you would need to shell out the money for a private evaluation (usually ~$3k). ADHD and Dyslexia frequently occur together, but I would not jump on pursuing a lot of testing without researching.