Lack of concentration in 10yr old??

Fittle

My 10yr old has the attention span of a goldfish!

This issue raises its ugly head every so often - and I have had another chat with teacher about it this week.

He is sociable, outgoing and confident in all other aspects of life (has loads of friends, loves sport etc), but when it comes to concentrating (on school work and other things), he 'switches off' after about 1 minute and has to constantly be 'brought back'.

When he was younger, I had him assessed as he was late to walk/talk etc - but nothing showed up - he's not on the spectrum of anything which is a blessing in one way, but also means he doesn't get whatever intervention is required to get him to concentrate!!!

This attention 'issue' affects other parts of his life also - if I ask him to go upstairs and get something, he will almost always shout down the stairs asking 'what have I to get again?'..

I have him on fish-oils and had a good chat with the teacher who said she doesn't think he needs any further assessments for any other underlying issues...have any of ye been through this type of situation with a boy and been able to fix it?? It's like he can't focus on anything for more than a minute without having to be encouraged to keep concentrating and it's driving me bonkers!!! Thanks

byhookorbycrook

Ok, basic questions first, how is his diet?Iron levels?Eyesight/hearing?Sleeping?

byhookorbycrook

http://www.bonnieterry.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/18-auditory-processing-activities-you-can-do-without-spending-a-dime/

http://www.doorwayonline.org.uk/

Fittle

His hearing is perfect, but he is awaiting his 4th set of grommets. He has had a perforated eardrum since birth and tells me he sometimes feels like he's just come up out of a swimming pool as his ear fills with fluid regularly. At 5, I was told by the consultant that they would most probably give him a skin graft when he was 10...but only last month the same consultant said that as he doesn't suffer with ear infections (thankfully) there is no need for the skingraft. I don't know enough about this particular issue to 'fight my corner' to be honest...but he sits at the top of the classroom and the teacher is aware that there are days when he finds it difficult to hear 'clearly' - but as I said, on a normal day, he has perfect hearing.

He's old enough for me to chat to him about his hearing nowadays. He says he sometimes gets distracted with what's going on 'in his head' (meaning the bubbling effect he feels in his ear) but I don't think it's enough to affect him in his concentration levels - though I could be wrong.

He eats, sleeps and drinks very well - perfect eyesight etc

Fittle

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

http://www.bonnieterry.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/18-auditory-processing-activities-you-can-do-without-spending-a-dime/

http://www.doorwayonline.org.uk/

Thanks for that.

His teacher maintains that he doesn't have a 'learning difficulty'...but I think after 6 years of struggling through the education system, I have to disagree with her. She said I need to concentrate on his homework, and going over his tables with him..again and again!!

Not knowing enough about what his possible problem might be, I just agreed with her (although my gut is telling me different).

byhookorbycrook

It certainly sounds as if it is not a classic "learning difficulty" like, say, dyslexia,so perhap this is what the teacher meant. He may have some auditory issues though and might not always hear the instructions clearly?Can he concentrate on homework for a set amount of time?Have you tried getting him to repeat the instructions back to you before he goes upstairs?Does he play games requiring him to concentrate for a sustained period like chess or draughts or even monopoly?Does he remain seated doing homework or is he on the go every few minutes?Sorry for all the qs, just answer those you feel comfortable with.What are his motor skills like?

CrackisWhack

Fittle wrote: »

My 10yr old has the attention span of a goldfish!

This issue raises its ugly head every so often - and I have had another chat with teacher about it this week.

He is sociable, outgoing and confident in all other aspects of life (has loads of friends, loves sport etc), but when it comes to concentrating (on school work and other things), he 'switches off' after about 1 minute and has to constantly be 'brought back'.

When he was younger, I had him assessed as he was late to walk/talk etc - but nothing showed up - he's not on the spectrum of anything which is a blessing in one way, but also means he doesn't get whatever intervention is required to get him to concentrate!!!

This attention 'issue' affects other parts of his life also - if I ask him to go upstairs and get something, he will almost always shout down the stairs asking 'what have I to get again?'..

I have him on fish-oils and had a good chat with the teacher who said she doesn't think he needs any further assessments for any other underlying issues...have any of ye been through this type of situation with a boy and been able to fix it?? It's like he can't focus on anything for more than a minute without having to be encouraged to keep concentrating and it's driving me bonkers!!! Thanks

lol that sounds exactly like me as a kid, the bit in bold used to drive my dad mad, every school report in primary school said I need to stop day dreaming!

Kathnora

Fittle, your son may not have a learning difficulty per se but how "academic" is he? What are his results on standardised tests like Sigma T (Maths) and Micra T (English)? What is his reading age? The teacher advised you to spend time with him helping him with tables...does he find them difficult or just un interesting? The children I teach who find it difficult to concentrate and are easily distracted are usually the ones who are not very academic and as a consequence have poor attention span. They find it hard to focus and engage their thought processes in solving problems in Maths etc. They might not qualify for Learning Support because they could be in the 15 to 20 percentile range in standardised tests ....so these children don't have special needs but at the same time they would be low in academic ability. Your child's teacher should be able to give you an idea of his overall ability and this may help you to understand his concentration difficulties.

the_syco

Fittle wrote: »

His hearing is perfect, but he is awaiting his 4th set of grommets. He has had a perforated eardrum since birth and tells me he sometimes feels like he's just come up out of a swimming pool as his ear fills with fluid regularly.

Google brings up a lot of results that sound like what your son says, and it is referred to as "middle ear fluid".

onedmc

Fittle wrote: »

Thanks for that.

His teacher maintains that he doesn't have a 'learning difficulty'...but I think after 6 years of struggling through the education system, I have to disagree with her. She said I need to concentrate on his homework, and going over his tables with him..again and again!!

Not knowing enough about what his possible problem might be, I just agreed with her (although my gut is telling me different).

My daughters teachers didn't think she had a learning difficulty until we had her independently assessed. Now we know that she is severely dyslexic despite being average in class. She also has concentration issues

Fittle

Thanks for all the responses guys - to answer a few questions -

He's not remotely academic.
However, he is football mad and can tell you who scored for United today, what minute they scored in and what it means for them in the team table - even if you ask him that question in a month, he will remember those details. So football and music are his 'loves' - he learns songs off in the blink of an eye and if he's not singing around the house, he's out playing football.

So on some level - when it's something he likes and is interested in - he has no problem learning!!! (hence my frustration when it comes to school issues - if he found it difficult to memorise figures in all parts of his life, it would make more sense).

He doesn't remain seated during homework - he fidgets constantly and tries to engage me in conversation about anything - just to avoid doing the homework.

He has that Sigma test at the end of May - teacher said she's concerned about how he will do in it.

However, she insists he's not weak enough to be kept back a year (which isn't the policy in the school anyhow) nor for extra supports...so I dunno what else to do.

On the one hand, there are times when I accept that he's just not academic and a daydreamer - but there are times when I get very frustrated with him and wish I could figure out a way to get him to focus on stuff that doesn't really interest him!

byhookorbycrook

Am interested in the fidgety bits and the excellent memory for songs. I wonder, despite his hearing problems at an earlier age if he is a auditory learner, i.e. does he learn better through hearing something than reading/seeing it.Could that be worked into his learning?Set tables ot a song tune etc?

It's very difficult to keep a child back unless there is a learning difficulty and even then the DES huffs and puffs a bit.Unfortunately if he is above the 12th percentile in English and Maths standardised tests, the DES will tell you he is not entitled to any extra support at school .It's very frustrating for everyone, a child maybe on the 14th percentile might fly with some learninig support.

byhookorbycrook

onedmc wrote: »

My daughters teachers didn't think she had a learning difficulty until we had her independently assessed. Now we know that she is severely dyslexic despite being average in class. She also has concentration issues

Onedmc,pm-ing you.

Fittle

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Am interested in the fidgety bits and the excellent memory for songs. I wonder, despite his hearing problems at an earlier age if he is a auditory learner, i.e. does he learn better through hearing something than reading/seeing it.Could that be worked into his learning?Set tables ot a song tune etc?

It's very frustrating. He is in a drama/singing class and can learn a song he's never heard before, overnight, note perfect. And yet, he continues to struggle with telling the time (he can tell time on an analog, but finds it impossible to turn that into a digital time - no one else in his class struggles with this according to teacher).

So has anyone any tips for me - I have often taught him spelling through song when he was younger (our surname, for example)...but haven't done that in years.

byhookorbycrook

Is it specifically in Maths he struggles?Could he have dyscalculia?

You say he does music, does he learn from just hearing the tune or does he read the stave?
If you were to indulge in a little briberyreward system with him, would it help?Has the teacher suggested any strategies for him?

aisher

I have an 11 yr old boy who sounds just like your son. He seems to drift off into another world half the time - at breakfast I have to remind him to start eating or he will stare off into the TV - if I ask him to do something he forgets if its not done immediately. He is struggling in school with Maths - cant get any additional help for him so we try and do extra maths at home - not easy. When it comes to his computer or x-box he can sit for hours :rolleyes: I do worry about how he will cope when he moves to Secondary school - he is in 5th class now so not too much pressure on him but it is a worry. Sorry I dont have any help to offer but I totally understand your concerns.

Fittle

THanks for that aisher - thankfully, my lad has little interest in xbox etc - he just wants to go out playing football all the time!!!! But I worry about the transition to secondary too...it's all well and good being a daydreamer at 10, (and I know the teacher gets very frustrated with him!), but secondary will be a whole other ballgame for him!

Fittle

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Is it specifically in Maths he struggles?Could he have dyscalculia?

You say he does music, does he learn from just hearing the tune or does he read the stave?
If you were to indulge in a little briberyreward system with him, would it help?Has the teacher suggested any strategies for him?

Probably more Maths than anything else - he's not great at Irish either but spellings and reading are ok (although he reads very slowly, even compared to his peers and says he often feels embarrassed reading out loud in class...).

Teacher didn't give me any strategies - just that I should really, really focus on his tables at home, and go over his homework etc...:(

How would I find out if he has dyscalculia (which I've never heard of btw, have to google it now!)??

byhookorbycrook

Dyscalculia is one of the few under-diagnosed learning difficulties left. An educational psychologist would be the one to diagnose it, but even then it's only beginning to be noticed in Ireland ,even though I'm pretty sure I have taught many children with dyscalculia myself down the years.

I think if he is weak at maths I'd ask the teacher for more suggestions than just learning the tables-and if he has dyscalculia he will always struggle to learn them anyhow. There are some great sites for learning tables, based on games, I'd start there.

Feeona

Fittle wrote: »

He's not remotely academic.
However, he is football mad and can tell you who scored for United today, what minute they scored in and what it means for them in the team table - even if you ask him that question in a month, he will remember those details. So football and music are his 'loves' - he learns songs off in the blink of an eye and if he's not singing around the house, he's out playing football.

So on some level - when it's something he likes and is interested in - he has no problem learning!!!

try and incorporate football into his homework-get him to answer questions using football stats, or turn his homework into football questions. Always try if possible to bring it back to something he's interested in.

It's amazing the turnaround that can happen when a child's interest is piqued. I've seen children with very little interest in reading change their tune completely when shown an audio/visual story on the internet, or their expression through writing improves if they can type it out in a word document.

Another idea is to build his concentration slowly. We all know what it's like to do something we're not interested in-it can be tough going! So tell him he can have a reward if he can stay at the table for ten minutes and do his best at tackling his homework. First few times you'll have to be nearby to give him encouragement. The next time see if he can stay for eleven minutes etc. Hopefully after a while, he will be able to concentrate on his homework for a period of time you deem appropriate.

Finally, he's doing very well by having good friends and having an interest in sport. It's something positive to remember during those times when you are trying to get him to concentrate on his work!

Pixie Chief

I have had many similar issues with both of my youngest. Couldn't tell you at all whether the issues might be caused by some kind of underlying problem but handling it will probably be the same either way. The poster above is absolutely correct. Learning to concentrate on things you don't like or don't find easy is often a learned skill (look at me around accounts time!). I think the main difficulty now might be that he has so many of these things to do that it becomes terribly hard to fix it as the amount of concentration required all the time is huge!

I would try to go back to the beginning a little bit. Ask the teacher to reduce his homework to 5 mins for 1 week and try to reduce the things he has to focus on at home to a minimum (I know thats difficult at first but it does get easier). That way you are only asking for his full attention for maybe ten minutes a day. Isolate what it is that he does the rest of the time and construct an adequate schedule for that. Build up the things he needs to do in 5 minute blocks every week. I found it really helped not to ask them to do homework immediately when they come home and moved it to after supper and I tried very hard not to interrupt their 'me' time with requests to put things away etc. I hope you find something that helps!