Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional No doodling!!!

DD9, ADHD inattentive type, is a doodler. On her math, her hands, at breakfast, during the Cogat, church, you name it. She's famous at school for doodling. Of course it's a concern because she will draw rather than focus on tests or homework or teachers......Yesterday she had a pre algebra test, a big one. She was not happy that she had to take it because she feels that is unfair that she has work outside of school. Honestly, I feel bad, too. She told her sister she would deliberately flunk the test so she wouldn't have to go back. Big sigh from me. I told her she could have an extra privilege if she would just try her best.
After the test last night she comes out all excited, and stated that while she was about the last one done, she DID have time to draw so maybe she would like the class because she has time for doodling. Her drawing was pretty cool, by the way.
Later I asked if the test was hard. She seriously said "No, the test wasn't hard; what was hard was NOT doodling ANYWHERE on my test!!" She focused for over an hour just on her work!!!!!!!! My sweet thing.
And before bed she pulled me over to the side of her bed and whispered "I love you." This is from my never ever share emotions girl. I am so in love with my DD!!!!!

Good for her. I can empathize. Glad to hear she brings the doodles home. My DS is also a big doodler particularly if a class is boring, I do it all the time. My list of notes scattered around my computer are filled with doodles. And I personally think doodling as long as it's in an appropriate place and time.

The one problem we had was when DS was in 8th grade he he doodled a LOT in science class. One day the teacher found one of his doodles in the garbage and she decided that it was a nasty picture of her and took offense. He got pulled to the office about this, I was brought it. My son was honestly perplexed. I forget what it was a drawing about but it was never intended to be her it was just squiggles, or maybe an animal. Didn't help our relationship with that teacher. What he learned out of the episode was to never throw away his doodles in the class garbage or where this teacher could see.

Oops!!!! Interesting that the teacher assumed it was a "nasty" one of her in particular.... DD9's teachers are pretty laid back about the doodling. They just call out "Earth to DD!!" when she is not focused on them. Amazingly she seems to be able to still answer their questions!! DD has actually started a club related to her artwork. She requires kids to fill out forms and send in artwork for her review to be accepted!! She has all these rules and requirements set up online for admission. Crazy!!

As a sometime-doodler myself, I can't say that I'm amazed. I do it in meetings, where I find it helps me keep from mentally checking out completely. Rather than daydreaming, I'm focusing on something in the here-and-now. That makes it easier stay alert through empty business-babble, endless complainers, talk of issues I have no involvement in, etc., and still notice when a topic of substance and usefulness to me shows up.

So in other words, your DD has found a good coping mechanism for boredom, and the only problem here is she takes it too far at times.

Doodlers unite! DD is a doodler and so am I. It's a trait I've taken from gradeschool straight into my corporate life where, at this point I sometimes think I can't concentrate at all without a pen in my hand.

Mo Willems is also a big proponent of doodling ...

This exactly. Signed, fellow meeting-doodler.

Somehow to focus I need to be doing something else as well. The time pressure of an exam works too though.

Our DD's are clones with ADD, and DD draws all over everything at school as well. She says that it actually HELPS to focus. The math/science teacher allows her to use one blank notebook to draw in so that she doesn't keep drawing all over her work. So DD actually has it labeled "doodle notebook"