My 5 yo daughter is really struggling with her kindergarten work. She doesn't 'get' things like reading, comprehension and letter sounds. She's mature for her age and does average with other subjects. She also can't sit still, doesn't focus, easily distracted and has a definete lack of confidence. She's always on the go. Does this sound like a LD or ADHD? Thanks
138558
I have been teaching for 12 years at the elementary level.  The best thing to do is to have the public school screen your daughter.  It could be both LD and ADHD, neither, or something completely different.  Rather than guessing, it best to have her tested and know for sure.  This is especially true since she is in Kindergarten.  The sooner you know exactly what you're dealing with, the sooner you can get services and get things under control.  You should know there is a federal law that dictates your rights in this area.  It is called IDEA.  You can internet search this law to get the scoop but basically you have the right to have your child tested by the public school for FREE and if your child qualifies then the public school must also provide services for FREE.  But many times it takes constant vigilance to get the testing done.  There are so many kids that are tested that the schedule is booked months in advance.  So you have to have patience but make them do what they say.  If they say that they will test in May, make sure they do it.  Many times they say they will test at a specific time and if no one checks on them, it does not get done.  It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.  And remember if you don't speak up for your daughter, no one else will.  You are her biggest advocate. \nIn the meantime, you might ask her teacher how you could help at home.  Your daughter's education is a partnership and she will only truly be successful if you all are on the same page.   Hope this helps!
54156
dear tia-alld,  The blame is to be put any where. You son may have a disability such as ADD, ADHD or most likely Dyslexia.  Dyslexia as many forms, and just recently a co-worker and I came across the same thing. Out of all the dyslexia cases on file, only one out of every two to three thousand people end up with this condition.  In the school setting ask the teachers to try using different color chalks, or putting homework on color paper.  The condition is referred to as "black on white". and there are several sites on the internet that talk about absents of color in learning.  Another great tool are color overlays.  You can get these any where and all they are, are colored clear platic sheets a student would place over their work to change the back ground of the paper. \nEither way talk to your son any try to learn if when he looks a the chalk board does the writting look funny or strange.  A very good first sign.  If so have him checked by your local doctor and explain what you know and ask for special testing.  None of this type testing is advasive to a child, in fact it seem rather fun. (seminar experience).  Either way don't give up.  By the way I failed to mention I Have been working with children and young adults with special needs, disabilities for over four years now.  P.S. please forgive my spelling errors and grammer, some days are very long.  Hope I hepled.
445034
Everyone's different.  That's the main thing.\n\nI was diagnosed as dyslexic when I was eight.  I'm in college now.  I take all my own notes, and make good grades (or did last I checked, which was semester before last - don't ask).  I've never liked to read, and generally can't make myself do it for more than a minute or two.  I run into problems just trying to read a few sentence word problem for physics, let alone 50 pages of Greek history, but I've learned ways to do well without doing much fo the reading.\n\nSpecial classes may have helped you.  I was in mainstream classes my whole life, though, so that's certainly not the only way to adapt.  But my mom is a psychologist with a lot of experience with learning disabilities, so that helped a lot.  To me, one of the main things was just that I've known since I was little that the reason I had trouble with certain things was that I was dyslexic, and not that I just wasn't smart enough.  I would think that being in special classes might have done the same thing for you (depending on the classes of course - being put in special classes can also have exactly the opposite effect on kids).\n\nDyslexia varies a lot in it's severity.  It's not really an all or nothing thing - there are different degrees of it.  Dyslexia is diagnosed basically based on a failure to learn certain skills (most notably reading) where there's no overall cognative deficit.  There are other diagnostic criteria that can be used, but the most common reason a kid is diagnosed as dyslexic is because based on their overall intelligence they should be reading at or above grade level, but they're significantly behind.  The thing is, there are a million and a half different physical anomilies that could cause that, so not all dyslexic kids are the same.\n\nShe might be more severely dyslexic than you are.  She may have given up trying when she was little because she was told she was stupid, rather than that she was dyslexic, so she's further behind now.  Or, as politically incorrect as this sounds, she may just not be as bright.  Also, some people do use it as an excuse to be lazy and get out of doing work.\n\nI'm rather tired right now, so that wasn't nearly as coherent or comprensive as I'd like it to be, but there's lots of information out there on dyslexia if you want to look for it.  One website I've come across that I like is:\nhttp://www.dys-add.com/index.html\nThere are even whole books written on dyslexia.  I don't know any off the top of my head, but I can find some titles when I'm home over Thanksgiving - just email me if you're interested :)
591645
Mentally challenged, how? Do you mean IDEA-defined Mental Retardation (overall slow learner, also with difficulties learning communication and/or life skills)? Or are you looking at someone with learning disabilities (normal intelligence but extreme difficulty with one or more areas of academics)?\n\nIf you mean MR, you should look at the following sites for a better understanding of what MR is about:\nhttp://www.thearc.org/\nhttp://www.aamr.org/\nhttp://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs8txt.htm#whatis\nhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001523.htm\n\nIf you mean Learning Disabled, you should look at the following sites:\nhttp://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/learning_problem/learning_disabilities.html\nhttp://www.ldonline.org/\nhttp://www.ncld.org/\n\nAs far as "activities" are concerned, for MR you should look at their mental age (NOT their current chronological age), and their next step in the developmental ladder. For instance, a 15 year old with the mental age of a 5 year old will be attracted to activities and games targeting kindergarden/first grade level.\n\n"Activities" for LD kids are the same as for their same-age peers, with modifications to support them if academic skills are needed. A 15 year old with LD in reading/writing, would be interested in any activity the other 15 year olds are doing. However, if there are written instructions, he/she would need the directions read to him/her.
216264
I'm surprised that your doctor can't provide any answers. Is this a your primary care doctor or a psychiatrist? Your primary care doc may not have the best information, but if it's your psychiatrist, geez... \n\nGo back and get more specific. Ask for options or reading material. Do a Web search (www.webmd.com is a good place to start), and get your own information. Sometimes you have to take charge of your own care. \n\nYou also should ask the school about adaptive teaching for you. This is a disability and they can make accommodations. My son has ADHD and needs extra time to complete papers becuase he has trouble focusing. He also takes his exams with a headphone playing classical music. It helps keep him from getting distracted by other things in the classroom. \n\nGood luck, and I wish I could offer more insight. I know there are medications for this, but you already may be taking them. One key is to take them all the time. People with bi-polar disorder tend to drop the meds when they're in the "good mood" phase.
220994
Everything you are saying on this post confirms what I was suspecting when I answered your other post. Get her to a pediatric psychiatrist now, and insist that the school provide her with appropriate programming. I'm sure her regular ed teacher is a good one, but regular ed teachers do NOT have the training to deal with this sort of situation. Once you have the diagnoses from the pediatric psychiatrist, demand the school hold an IEP intake for your daughter.\n\nThey should NOT categorize her as E/BD. She should be categorized as Gifted, and if you get her a diagnosis of Anxiety and/or OCD from the pediatric psychiatrist, the school psychologist can recommend that the diagnosis be categorized as Other Health Impaired rather than E/BD. She should be receiving support from the school's gifted ed specialist (someone actually trained in gifted education...demand credentials), the school counselor, and the special education psychologist.\n\nIf you are in a state where gifted education is not a part of special education, still demand the IEP, but also demand gifted education modifications (compressed/accelerated curriculum, reduction of boredom and increasing of motivation through replacement of skill drill work with individual projects focusing on higher-order thinking skills, etc.), and a statement on the service page of coordination of her OHI program with the gifted education program.
181055
this is probably something you dont want to hear but maybe you need to get him tested.  sounds like he may need medicine help to keep him focused so that he can concentrate better in school. good luck...
297570
i had a friend with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyspraxia... the only thing that worked for him to learn was repeated hands on teaching, he also had to be very very interested in what he was learning, because then he would try his hardest to actually comprehend the information given to him. this is a very difficult situation because most children at the age of 10-15 do not enjoy 90% of what is being taught to them.  My recommendation is to have a teacher that he/she  likes.  Someone who is willing to sit down and teach them 1 on 1 and have a lot of patience.  This person also should be very creative with the way he or she teaches due to the backwards mindset of these disorders. The ADD will make it harder to concentrate, but it shouldn't be as much of an issue if the teacher is animated as well.  I know what you are thinking... where can I find someone like that, and as for that i don't know. The one teacher's attention divided among 23 students, i think will not work
174070
Seems to me like an older stage of ADHD.\nAbout migraines;that is very obvious:take him to a doctor!\nHis behaviour shows a lot of fear for something and he hides it due ignorance and "laugh" because this behaviour makes him forget the fear.
239769
HI I have a 9 y/o son with autism and I have run a support group with autism for years. I recently moved to Wisconsin, however I was from northeast Illinois prior to this move. If you would like to contact me through yahoo messenger or at haleigh_anna4u@yahoo.com, I would love to give you some info on schools and area's in Illinois with GREAT school programs for autism. The early years ( 0-5 y/o) are the toughest. If your daughter would like the opportunity to talk to a parent who has been there feel free to pass on my contact info. My son was diagnosed in 1998, at 2 y/o. He was diagnosed severe and I was told that he would never speak.  I found him great speech and occupational therapists that helped me start a communication program with him of PECS/SIGNS paired with verbal communication and a sensory "diet" to get him comfortable in his own skin. He received ABA within his preschool special ed program as well as speech and OT in school. I included him in everything if only for a short time so that he experienced many things. Many children with autism don't know what is expected of them in new situations and that causes them to have what the parent see's as bad behavior, but in a child who cannot communicate, these behaviors are his way communicating when verbal communication is difficult.  My son is doing AMAZING now. He is in regular ed 3rd grade for 70% of his day and communicates only 2 years behind his age level. There is and always will be signs of autism, but due to a lot of hard work, understanding and LOVE he is a happy, healthy and loving boy.
323341
Gifted children often do have an obsessive, perfectionistic element to their giftedness. Some do have full-blown OCD. Your daughter is not alone in her current difficulties, and neither are you. This is not a reflection on your parenting... the fact that you are asking for more information and want to help her, and have been trying to help her, shows what a wonderful parent you are. \n\nYour child needs counseling, and you need to connect with other parents of gifted and of OCD and/or Anxiety kids to have regular support for both stress relief (nothing like hearing "yeah, me too" to make you feel better) and to get parenting ideas.\n\nIf she is having difficulty concentrating, and it just started recently, she may be also experiencing Generalized Anxiety, which given her obsessive streak may be a more likely cause for distractibility than ADHD (which doesn't really "pop out of nowhere"). A quick test is to give her a little caffiene (1/2 cup medium-strength coffee, or a can of Mountain Dew). Does she get agitated? Then she does not have ADHD. If she calms completely down and suddenly "finds her focus," she has ADHD. In any case, you should see your doctor and get a referral to a pediatric psychiatrist. This is NOT an automatic "lets go get meds," but the tapping of a specialist to help coordinate your counseling care and to monitor her symptoms. But don't close the door on the idea of meds, either. OCD and Generalized Anxiety are chemical imbalances, not a matter of willpower. Medication is a tool to help alleviate symptoms so that she can learn adequate coping skills. You wouldn't deny her insulin for diabetes, would you? The difference is that, IF the doctors suggest medicine, it often does not have to be a lifelong committment. As she builds coping skills, she may be able to go off them, too. If they do not suggest medication right away, they certainly will be able to provide you with specialized guidance in helping your daughter overcome her stress and find her productivity again.\n\nDoes your state have funding for gifted programming?  In my state, New Mexico, Gifted children are served under Special Education. This means that we also have excellent programs for children who are gifted who are also experiencing challenges ("twice exceptional" or 2x). \n\nThere are some professors at the University of New Mexico who are leaders in the field of gifted education, and 2x programs (I was lucky enough to have some instruction from them at the last education conference I attended).\n\nYour daughter should be receiving extra services of some kind. Is she or has she been in a gifted program? Is she currently receiving counseling, either privately and/or through the schools?
535532
Well, I'm writing from many years of experience with similar problems. It is possible to have other problems along with a specific learning disability involving math; "applied problems" sounds like it could be math related, but also extend beyond just the numbers. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are perfectly able to explain a process or a problem in a classroom lecture, but when you go to put it down on paper or use it in a totally different context, it just isn't there, or it gets jumbled and doesn't come out right? I found this happening to me not only in school, but on the job, and it has been significantly troublesome. This is an "application problem", i.e., where you know the information and can spit it back in a school-type situation, but cannot actually APPLY it to other, unrelated situations when appropriate. Did this psychologist make any mention of attention problems, executive function deficit, or information processing issues? Just curious...specific LD in math can exist as a separate entity or it can be part of a wider pattern of cognitive problems involving things like visual perception, motor skills, and the like.\n\nLuckily for people like us, 95% of life is NOT math related.  There's a ton of information out there about these kinds of LDs and the troubles they can cause.
275917
School is a great playground for kindergarten-age children. I remember having a smart 4-year old in my class when school started in September, and he was shy but brilliant. At first it was a little rough for him socially because he was afraid to open up, but I'm sure that with some motherly encouragement he'll make it through.\n\nIt will benefit him if he gets an early start to his education! I graduated among the youngest in my class and it was nice to be younger while accomplishing the same things as your peers, because you have a sort of head start. \n\nI think it's best to go on your gut instinct on this one. Good luck!
18575
I've dealt with it in that I've been that kid--I did really well on tests, but I hated being cooped up in a classroom.  I don't think your son is the problem; I think the school is the problem.  It isn't natural for kids to be forced to sit still for hours and hours on end--and then people wonder why we have an obesity epidemic!\n\nThere is a good chance your kid is not being challenged enough.  The year I got "The Astronaut Award (for daydreaming so much it seemed like I was on another world)" from my teacher was the same year that I tested into the GATE Seminar program--second grade, age 7 (close to where your son is).  My suggestion is see if you can have the school hit him with an aptitude test that might qualify him for more challenging studies.  beyond that, make sure he has plenty of time after school to run and play outside and get the exercise he needs.\n\nI know I'm going to make a lot of enemies by saying this, but GOING TO A PSYCHIATRIST SHOULD ONLY BE DONE AS A LAST RESORT.  IT IS THE NUCLEAR OPTION.  THEY WILL GIVE HIM MEDICATION REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS A NON-MEDICAL ALTERNATIVE.\n\nThey're doctors--they see a problem, they look for a medical solution.  If the problem was the school,m they'd never say it, because it isn't even on their radar to look to a non-medical solution.  And while things might be getting better, the truth is that the field of psychiatry is still over-loaded with quacks that cut their teeth on Freud, and who don't have the slightest hint of understanding the actions of drugs at a molecular level.\n\nKids who really NEED medication exist, but they are rare, and they are the exception to the rule.  Stay away from the doctor until you've exhausted all else.\n\nemail me if you'd like, at craven0811@yahoo.com
306136
It just means that she has to see a neurologist because they deal with central nervous system problems. The eeg's probably showed an abnormality, so the follow up is to go to a neurologist. The eeg's monitor the electrical activity in the brain which deal with our basic functions as human beings. If there is an interruption in our electrical impulses in our brains, it can cause physical problems with basic functions. With her past history, there could be something that is short circuiting in her brain to cause her other problems. Sometimes it can be fixed with medication, therapy or surgery, depending on what is wrong. Just listen to the doctor very closely, and if he or she uses terms that you don't understand, don't be afraid to have them write them down for you. Then you can go home and do a search on the internet and find out more about any problems they might tell you about. Good luck, and I hope the outcome is good for your daughter.
281884
The child with ADHD who is inattentive will have 6 or more of the following symptoms:\n\nHas difficulty following instructions \nHas difficulty keeping attention on work or play activities at school and at home \nLoses things needed for activities at school and at home \nAppears not to listen \nDoesn't pay close attention to details \nSeems disorganized \nHas trouble with tasks that require planning ahead \nForgets things \nIs easily distracted \nThe child with ADHD who is hyperactive/impulsive will have at least 6 of the following symptoms:\n\nIs fidgety \nRuns or climbs inappropriately \nCan't play quietly \nBlurts out answers \nInterrupts people \nCan't stay in seat \nTalks too much \nIs always on the go \nHas trouble waiting his or her turn \nChildren with ADHD do not make enough chemicals in key areas in the brain that are responsible for organizing thought. Without enough of these chemicals, the organizing centers of the brain don't work well. This causes the symptoms in children with ADHD. Research shows that ADHD is more common in children who have close relatives with the disorder. Recent research also links smoking and other substance abuse during pregnancy to ADHD.\n\nThings that don't cause ADHD:\nBad parenting (though a disorganized home life and school environment can make symptoms worse) \nToo much sugar \nToo little sugar \nAspartame (brand name: Nutrasweet) \nFood additives or colorings \nFood allergies or other allergies \nLack of vitamins \nFluorescent lights \nToo much TV \nVideo games...Children with ADHD may be difficult to parent. They may have trouble understanding directions. Children with ADHD are usually in a constant state of activity. This can be a challenge to adults. You may need to change your home life a bit to help your child. Here are some things you can do to help:\n\nMake a schedule. Set specific times for waking up, eating, playing, doing homework, doing chores, watching TV or playing video games, and going to bed. Post the schedule where your child will always see it. Explain any changes to the routine in advance. \nMake simple house rules. It's important to explain what will happen when the rules are obeyed and when they are broken. Write down the rules and the results of not following them. \nMake sure your directions are understood. Get your child's attention and look directly into his or her eyes. Then tell your child in a clear, calm voice specifically what you want. Keep directions simple and short. Ask your child to repeat the directions back to you. \nReward good behavior. Congratulate your child when he or she completes each step of a task. \nMake sure your child is supervised all the time. Because they are impulsive, children with ADHD may need more adult supervision than other children their age. \nWatch your child around his or her friends. It's sometimes hard for children with ADHD to learn social skills. Reward good play behaviors. \nSet a homework routine. Pick a regular place for doing homework, away from distractions such as other people, TV and video games. Break homework time into small parts and have breaks. \nFocus on effort, not grades. Reward your child when he or she tries to finish school work, not just for good grades. You can give extra rewards for earning better grades. \nTalk with your child's teachers. Find out how your child is doing at school--in class, at playtime, at lunchtime. Ask for daily or weekly progress notes from the teacher.
665518
i am in the same situation...i have a daughter that has adhd with mood disorder and she is on the highest medication you can give someone...(adult doses) she is on so many meds for morning,noon and night...it sucks...but she is truely out of control if she isnt on them...and yes we are extremly disciplinary so its not a parental problem....if she wasnt on the meds she wouldnt be able to go to school...the teachers cant handle her if shes off of them...if we took her off we would have to put her in a special school and that would probably be worse on her...embarressing and everything that goes with that!   i hate the fact that we have her on so many meds it could kill a horse but i dont know what else to do.i sometimes let her go without it...when shes out of school like now,but sometimes its just to much...i am not very patient with her sometimes and i hate myself for that!  but anyways i have never heard of anything outside of meds that can help with this...but i do commend you for not letting them push meds down his throat...but depending on his age and the severity of it the school may force you to or put him in a special school...