Is there such a thing as a processing disorder? How can you tell the difference between a disorder problem and a kid that's stuck in his head thinking of something else?
I'm sorry things aren't going better amielyn. Yes, there are things that are considered to be processing disorders - actually more than one type. It's *very* difficult to try and guess what's up with children your ds' age because similar behaviors can be resulting from many different types of challenges or situations etc. It's been my experience that when you have a concern and that concern has stretched across more than one "classroom" (pre-k, taikwondo, kindergarten), then it's a good idea to consider an evaluation by a professional who can look at how your child is functioning overall, and help try to figure out what's behind the challenging behaviours. While it's absolutely normal for a kindergarten-aged child to want to move around in the classroom, if you've got teachers or adult leaders in more than one environment who are noting that your ds' behavior is exceptional, chances are that there *might* be something going on, and if you can figure out what it is, you can help him work around it or overcome it.
For example, my older dd also had a really difficult time sitting still and paying attention (as well as following directions) when she was your ds' age. We (parents) as well as her pediatrician and just about anyone else who met her thought she must surely have ADHD. We definitely thought she had extreme sensitivities and she went through listening therapy as well as sensory therapy with an OT (plus she had a weighted vest and sat on one of the seat cushions mentioned above etc). It all did help - to a certain extent. But she still couldn't focus in class, didn't follow directions etc. It wasn't until 2nd grade that we finally had her go through a full neuropsych eval, only to find out she had severe double vision, and once that was corrected the other issues disappeared. I'm not suggesting your ds has a vision issue - just trying to point out - it's just almost impossible to know without the advice and perspective of a trained professional who can see your child for e global type of evaluation.
Since the school is calling for a conference, I'd suggest that you ask for the school's help in trying to figure out what is going on. You can ask for specific information about when he appears to have trouble listening, etc at the meeting - and you can also request an evaluation through the school.
When he is home, he does have some difficulty paying attention but it's mostly because he is thinking of something else.
Home is a very different environment than the outside world. As parents, we tend to set up our home environment in a way that allows our children to work around their challenges, even if we don't see it or don't consciously attempt to do it. It's also possible that attention isn't really the issue - something else is happening in the classroom or elsewhere that is causing him to have difficulty paying attention, but that same challenge isn't present at home.
Hope that makes sense!
Best wishes,
polarbear
