I wonder if he is distracted by the noise at school? My DS7 has occasionally mentioned that the students make too much noise and he can't concentrate. He's currently being evaluated for an expressive/receptive language disability.
I am much the same way- background noise is a major distraction. I recall completing anything I could at home because I could not concentrate well in class. Now, I would likely be diagnosed with an auditory or ADD type issue-- but of course, this was many years ago.
If your DS has ADHD, it's important to get a diagnosis for his sake-- I had major difficulties organizing, managing, and attending to small things, and *a lot* of hyper focus. Had I understood the issues earlier in life, I might have realized that my methods were maladaptive and the source of anxiety/stress. There were times that I had near panic attacks because I had procrastinated so badly that I would go into "brain lock" right before a big due date. Even an unmedicated diagnosis (just the knowledge that I had challenge) would have helped me change my ways.
