Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Possible executive functioning issue

My 6 year old DS is in first grade and may have some executive functioning issues. I'm working through some books on the subject while we deal with some additional evaluation and assessment.

One problem he had last year has reappeared this year and I'm wondering if anyone has some specific suggestions to help. Basically, he has a tendency to forget things. I can't send plastic containers in his lunch box because he occasionally throws them out by accident (which upsets him very much). I still have to send a lunch box, though, and he regularly leaves it places by mistake. He left it on the playground in Friday.

Are there any little things I could try to help him remember it, especially after recess? I could put a note on his desk, but he wouldn't be allowed to go back out for it. I'm not sure if there is anything else that might help.

I made a list with check boxes and inserted it into a reusable dry erase pocket and sent it to school with my 6 year old DS last year. I called it his "school chore list" so that he would not feel out of place with it - essentially, it had a list of when he was supposed to drink water, go to the bathroom, when he had to pick up his homework sheets and put them in his backpack, to check his list of tests for the week and bring the appropriate book home, put his cardigan into his backpack, put his water bottle and lunch bag inside his backpack etc. I listed them in the same order as he would do them and he used a dry erase marker and checked them off throughout the day. He was supposed to have marked off all the items before leaving for the departure room in his school.
I did this because he was so focused on playing, talking etc that he forgot little things like drinking water, bringing his lunch bag back etc all the time.
Once he got into the habit, after 3-4 months, he told me that he could remember by himself and did not need the list any more.
I also put post-it notes into his folders if he had to submit papers in class to remind him to do so.
Hope this helps.

Doesn't sound that out of range for normal to me? Six year olds forget things and this is a life skill that takes practice. I would hope that the teachers are still reminding all the kids to bring in their lunch box. I think we expect a lot out of six year olds in schools these days and if you ask around other parents I suspect his by far the only kid leaving his lunch box in the lunch area or throwing away things that he shouldn't.

Have you had a conversation with his teacher or the principal. What is their routine? Do they have an aide or teacher who watches what gets thrown away in the lunch area? What I remember from that age, was all the kids were supposed to put their lunch boxes in the location where they line up before they go play. Routine is one of the best strategies to teach. One way to not throw away the containers is to have your child not throw anything away. My DD did this for a while and it helped me to understand what she was eating and while it was a bit messy prevented the wrong things from being thrown out.

Hopefully it is in the range of normal; he has had a few issues, though, and some complex testing results.

I will ask if they remind kids. I think they just tell the kids to line up and they are supposed to remember their lunch boxes. He has had to bring in a lunch box since preschool, but started having more difficulty last year (probably because there are fewer reminders as the kids get older). Last year, one of the other kids started bringing in his lunch box every day because he forgot it so often.

I can give him a checklist. I wonder if it would help at all to have a reminder in the lunchbox? I think recess is so distracting that it wouldn't be enough, but I can try.

It may help to have him not throw anything out and the teachers would probably agree to it. We've had a few cases of him packing an open drink back into the lunchbox, which makes quite a mess. I can probably think of an alternate drink option, though, so that shouldn't be a problem.

It does sound like a problem. I still suggest asking the teacher about where the students are supposed to put their lunchboxes. If you know what the routine is, then you will know what to suggest in that note. The trick here is making is easy to remember.

Yes.. I agree open drinks should get thrown out. But bringing home all the leftovers made me more aware what my kids were really eating. We really only did that in the early grades.

Good Luck.