Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Attention Issues Interevention

Okay, so I took y'all's advice and we have an IEP meeting scheduled and and some intervention with regard to that underway (despite my dread fo dealing with them and just wanting it all to go away). Some good news and some pro-active steps by the school appear to taking place! We have decided to have an IEP meeting at the end of January to address the attention issues. Prior to the IEP meeting, the school is to "collect data to establish a more precise baseline regarding DS's ability to sustain attention to task. The information will be used in considering strategies and determining reasonable expectation." This is good, no? I mean, seems better to me than just hitting me with "your kid never pays any attention at all; yeah, he does well grade-wise cause he's smart but you need to do... *something* b/c we have no idea"

I hope this means we will get some very specific information as to when specifically his attention begins to fail. Because I KNOW the situation is not that he is NEVER paying ANY attention AT ALL as was reported to me at the parent-teacher conference. I know this because I have volunteered quite extensively (every week last year) at the school and have seen him pay rapt attention at times (e.g., story time, discussion time - not sure what this is called but they discuss something they have learned or read and also disucss whatever problems was presented and how to potentially solve them, reading time, etc.) Also, how could he possibly get 100% on all of his tests if he is "never paying attention at all?"

Last year's teacher reported that he pays attention in "class" but pays no attention when directions to do things are being given like where to go next, what to do with their things, what supplies are needed, etc. She is the teacher whose rating scale came up "at risk" for "attention" and she reported in Basc2 and in interview that DS "has no trouble with inhibition, impulsivity, self-regulation, etc." She told me personally he simply doesn't pay attention to housekeeping items and directions regarding housekeeping items. She specifically said, "I may need to tell him several times to order lunch, put his folder in the box or put his name on his paper. He will often ask what to do right after a direction is given." I personally also strongly suspect is he may be paying no attention when the teacher is teaching math concepts he already knows/understands, etc. (this kind of thing may be worse this year since he does afterschooling in math and is even more ahead). I don't know what that means in terms of ADHD but I think if we specifically break down when attention is failing and put some interventions in at those times it can only help. Also the school doesn't know this right now, but I should have his Woodcock Johnson achievement scores by then. Last year he was well over one grade level ahead - usually 1 1/2 but still relatively average for his age. This time, based off of the few WIAT subtests that were given a few months ago, he is well over 2 grades levels ahead at least in reading comprehension and math problem solving. So, anyway, I have no idea what the achievement scores will be but I am thinking they could possibly line up with the attention issues to some extent (or not) to give a picture of perhaps some higher level work being needed. If not then we(I) know that too ... but, if so, we can discuss it at the meeting I suppose.

So, is there anything I should ask for specifically as they gather the "baseline" data? I want the results of the observations ahead of time so I am prepared (I hate being surprised with regard to my son - it takes too long for me to recover emotionally to be any good so I need as much info ahead of time. That is a feasible and reasonable request right? I'd also like to provide the private ADHD evaluation place with this info.. I assume it can only give help them get a picture of what is happening and help.

I would want to get them moving past "attention" as a concept. For example one category from above would be identifying when the cognitive demands of motor planning related to his disability interfere with his ability to remember a request or to instantly respond to a question.

And identifying appropriate daydreaming rather than inability to pay attention as a form of mental compacting. If someone is reading already known or irrelevant information, then thinking about something else seems an entirely healthy coping mechanism to me.

Zen, gosh, thank you! Very good idea! And, finally, someone who is willing to at least give some thought to the concept that "inattention" doesn't necessarily and invariably mean "ADHD!"

But how do I ask for this from them? Will they even know what the heck I am talking about? Do I just request it bei included just like you have written here?

Oh this is great, thank you! So, speaking of motor planning (LOL) - how do I go about accomplishing this? (without pissing everyone off). Put it an email laying out these requests be incorporated into the data collection phase? DH brought up concern yesterday over who was going to do the observation as he is concerned that teacher, while may be a nice person, already has her mind quite made up ...clearly. Maybe the school psyuch should do the "observation?"

Would the behavior team be able to document observation without interpretation? or would I need to specifically request that? I agree - I am very uncomfortable with Behavioral people interpeting my son's behavior becasue they usually have set things n their mind, see things through that lens and that lens does NOT usually include any knowledge about Ehlers Danlos, DCD, vision issues, etc. It's usually an adhd lens, an autism lens, and/or oppositional lens.

Ask them if they can do a BRIEF (both parent form and school form)--it looks more at executive functioning than just ADHD. DS came up impaired for some of thing things on the BRIEF like "working memory" but I think this is different than ADHD (and it's different from working memory on the WISC). He sounds like my DS in that he is not organized and often needs cues about getting materials, putting things in the right spot, etc. But his actual "attention" is good. It could help tease out what the exact issues are. In my DS they wrote an organizational skills section on the IEP--the POHI woman for the district is supposed to be helping the teacher with this in terms of supports for DS, and coming in to observe 3 times per month. The problem is that I don't think the teacher does anything--she doesn't even have DS use his slant board, so it's pretty useless, but if your teacher is even the slightest bit more competent, maybe they can put together a workable plan.

btw, not sure if my term "appropriate daydreaming" is sellable as it is somewhat of a repackaging of "bored," maybe "lateral exploration" or "self-driven enrichment." And that's the gifted angst bit.

But I think the critical part is getting them to not penalize him for impacts from his disability and changing their lens to see those for what they are. I believe they need a baseline of what demands are EDS related, before they asses attention in general.

Motor planning can be much more intensive than just getting from here to there, potentially down to just below conscious control like position of the hand, adjusting to any current pain, remembering the path that a letter takes where to place each element, reviewing those plans with current muscle fatigue levels, current joint issues, current pain, revising, continuing, checking feedback, etc.

It would be an interesting sensitiviy training to have people operate a four axis robot arm to try and write their names while answering math word problems. Even an Etch-a-Sketch might illustrate some of the concept or writing with their foot.

They did this last year and, yes, exactly, it indicated he is not very organized and often needs cues about getting materials, putting things in the right spot, etc. They do these evals at the school but it seems like nothing ever really gets done about them, ykwim? The school psych makes some weak suggestions and no one really follows them.

It seems like they already did the eval they need to do then, they just have to get it together and put a plan into place. If the did the BRIEF and it showed what areas are impaired (working memory for instance), why would they need to do more evals.

Working memory deficits are common with DCD so they just tacked it onto his physically impaired IEP (with the medical diagnosis DCD).

If we are trying to get the teacher to be more sensitive and want her to fully understand...I agree she should have to write with her foot...but let's give her gout in her big toe or a big old bunion or both while we are at it...so she can experience the pain part too.