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Although it seems like your child exhibits characteristic symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder he might not have a genuine attentional problem but rather acts in this manner because academic tasks are very challenging for him. Observe whether he shows similar traits when engaged in other activities that are mildly challenging for him. If these symptoms are present across activities and settings you need to get a professional evaluation of his attention/ concentration skills. This can be done through a psychologist psychiatrist or developmental pediatrician. Check whether his home assignments can been modified to adjust for his learning disability and possible attentional challenges. The teacher may modify the content or the amount of work. In the meantime you need to give him some strategies for maximizing his focus. It is important to recognize that for some kids it’s very hard to sit still especially after a long day at school. Instead of insisting that your son sits still at his desk allow him to move while doing his homework. Walking around or marching while studying helps maintain a child’s focus. Some children do better with their book in hand as they pace using it as a reference to check information as they memorize it. Encourage your son to study in bursts while taking activity breaks in between. Working intensively for short periods of time will be more productive. Supply him with different options for safe active breaks: a basketball loop Wii sport games balancing board. Supply your son with fidget items. Fidget items can provide small controlled movements that increase attention or calm down as needed. Wikki Stix squishy balls polished rocks are the favourites. Encourage him to talk out loud while studying. Talking out loud adds auditory support to the information a child is studying. This improves recall. It is easy for students to look at the page and “read” it without focusing seriously on the material. By speaking study material aloud the student forces his attention to stay on task. Many children with LD have executive skills deficit. You need to structure their work for them to help them define what the task is and how they will go about doing it. You can give him a certain amount of time to work on a task and then come back to check. Give feedback and set him to do the next task. Always remember to say something positive about each task he did. It might sound like a lot of work but these strategies are effective and they will teach the child how to help himself in the future. Best Regards

2015-02-03 05:43:39

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