Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Interesting quote from ds6... (ADHD?)

This is where we are now. However, when ds was in school, it was a disruption. With homeschooling, it's not really as issue. I'm thinking of enrolling ds in some classes at a community school (to supplement hs), so we'll see how it goes there! Thanks again to all!

Exactly! So many times I think parents are encouraged to seek ADHD treatment so that their kids will act more like the norm. But if he's happy and learning, why mess with things? Personally, I'd love to have all that bouncy energy right now!

LOL

The most attractive boy in my High School had PBLS too. OK, so maybe there wasn't universal agreement that he was the most attractive, and it was just IMHO.

We called it 'ants in pants' or to use the 'Latin' and make it an official medical diagnosis: Antceous Pantceous.

Sounds like Motor OverExcitability to me. Not nescessarily a sign of a bad match between difficulty of material and readiness level, although it's probably worth a try to ramp up the level of what you are teaching just to see what would happen...
Also,I speak from experience, with fast processing speed, every moment does seem very long.

Great Thread!
Grinity

My ds7 is also very bouncy. We used to call him Tigger. I started homeschooling him this year. He couldn't sit still. So a few of my friends told me to get him an exercise ball to sit on. One of my friends is an OT and she treats kids with SPD. Both the psychologist who did IQ testing on him and my friend who is an OT said ds does not have ADHD.

I bought him a small exercise ball. I let him play with it and let the novelty wears off a little bit. After a while, DS can sit on the ball and focus better than without a ball. I don't mean that he just sits on it. He actually kind of rolls on it and bounces on it a little bit. He falls off a few time, but he maintains his focus better. I also change him to different positions in homeschooling. Sometimes he sits on the ball, sometimes he stands up and walk around, sometime his tummy leans on the ball etc.

I was told that some schools in Europe are letting boys to sit on exercise balls. Some gifted schools in US do not require kids to sit on chairs.

When Tigger was tested he ended up sitting on the arm of the chair and I don't mean a lounge chair - the skinning office type!

His psych said the constant need to move, fidget, kneel, swing, bounce etc is called a need for 'proprioceptive input' - the way I understand it the brain needs to feel the motion in order for him to concentrate effectively. At school he has a 'move n sit' cushion which is designed to help him sit at his desk but still experience movement but he generally still ends up standing, kneeling, moving around etc to do his work. Mat time is especially difficult for him but his teacher is very aware and chucks him a squishy ball to fidget with to help keep him on track.

Not ADHD just the brain needing to be fed all the time! If you google proprioceptive input you'll get the proper science on it.

Thanks everyone! I re-read this today, and I'm reassured once again. I do have a question though. If ds begins to lose focus (or interest?) in what we are doing, should I continue to try to make him focus on what we are doing? Or, should I move on to something else and come back to it? I don't want him to learn that he can just switch gears every time something doesn't interest him or if he gets bored. But, if he's not paying attention, he's not learning. He'll say, "Mom, I'm sorry, I was kind of in my own world. I really didn't hear you. I thought I should tell the truth." It cracks me up and ticks me off every time he does it, but it usually makes me aware that I've gone on and on about something a bit too much. I guess what I'm asking is if it's a good idea to get in the habit learning in only small bursts rather than a sustained lesson on one topic. I don't want him to get where homeschooling is the only environment in which he can funtion.

What happens if you keep a child at a practice or lesson longer than he can concentrate, which in kid terms means beyond his wanting to be there? When a student is unable to focus . . . for five minutes but you keep him there for thirty minutes, you have let him practice how not to concentrate for twenty five minutes. If day after day this happens, it is no wonder that children have such poor concentration. It is in this all-too-common situation that the first seeds of resistance to practice are planted. We often see interest in learning go downhill very fast. -Jeanne Luedke (Parent Education Newsletter #3, March 1998)

This was part of a newsletter given to us by our Suzuki piano teacher that reinforces the Suzuki method. However, I think it holds true to schoolwork, etc. If I see DS getting distracted or his interest is slipping, I do try to re-engage him once or twice. If that doesn't work, we move on to the next thing and return to that topic later in the day. Yet another luxury of HS!

With that said, I know his concentration is better in the morning so we do the hardest/most boring things when he is at his best. I try to eliminate as many distractions as possible during work time as well. If he does lose interest and we have to temporarily abandon the work, I always return to it within a very short timeframe. I never want him to get the impression that this behavior is an escape route. Sometimes it is as simple as taking a quick stretching break or a snack break and he'll be ready to work again.

Finally, I try to stop/wrap-up his lessons while he is still totally engaged and interested. Then, not only is he is eager to continue working on that specific subject the next day but he also is in a positive mood going onto the next subject. This seems to improve his concentration too.

Thanks, sittin pretty. Very helpful! It seems logical to me to read the cues and maximize learning based on that, but again I just don't want to give him an "escape route" as you say. I will try your techniques. I think I'm a little guilty of stretching our lessons a little longer than I should. I will try wrapping them up when he's still into what we are doing instead of pushing the limits of his concentration. When something seems to be working, I have a tendency to keep going. I have been setting a silent timer for specific subjects so that I know when to stop and so ds understands there is an end in sight, and I've noticed that he's usually surprised that the session is over. But, I have to admit, I sometimes secretly add time if I think it's going well! Terrible, huh? If he asks to continue, I sometimes will do that as well. I have to get past drawing a line in the sand and "forcing" ds to continue with something that isn't working. I have to remember that this is a positive perk to homeschooling and be glad we have the luxury of breaks and split lessons. Ds demonstrates some ADHD behaviors, and knowing when to say when is probably best for him. I needed some reassurance, so thank you very much!