Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional lack of motivation and/or attention problems?

Most people with ADHD have alterations in the dopamine and norepinephrine systems of the brain. Dopamine, in addition to being involved in attention, is deeply involved in the reward system of the brain. Anticipation of imminent rewards, especially novel rewards and high-value rewards, increases dopamine temporarily (which actually increases the ability to pay attention), and there is a dopamine surge with the receipt of the reward. The dopamine system habituates very quickly, though.

English class is only 1 hour about once a week, so I thought maybe it wasn't worth the fight for this one.

I have not ever talked to his primary teacher (who teaches everything but drama, phys. ed and English) about DS having any special educational needs. The school did us a favour by taking DS in mid-October (we removed him from Montessori at short notice 6 weeks into the year). Plus, it's very hard to explain what he needs (smart but slow, perceptive but inattentive?). I don't even really know what he needs.

I'm not sure what, if anything, his teacher could do to help for the remainder of this year. Although she has good points (esp. regarding fair and consistent discipline) she doesn't seem like the kind of person to come up with creative solutions. Plus, DS hasn't given any "proof" of needing anything special, and doesn't *want* anything special, and she has some kids who are really struggling to keep up. There are "enrichment" problems on the work plan, but they look like just more of the same. DS has no interest in doing them either.

I'm thinking of other options for next year, but don't see too many possibilities.

Other schools: none any better that I know of. There might be some in English, but we want him to continue in the French program.

Homeschooling/online schooling: maybe, DH's work is in flux right now, but DS would likely be alone most of the day, which isn't ideal. He needs the social side of school.I know a homeschooling mom and wondered about asking if she wanted another student! However, not at all sure she'd be interested.

Compressed cirriculum: not sure what this would mean if he stays at his current school. He doesn't work "faster" than others but needs less repetition, so I ask that he do a shorter work plan and then independent projects? He would hate this, as he would stand out as "different". If he was at home, I could certainly compress the grade 6 cirriculum into a couple of months.

Ideas?

PS I'm not familiar with MAP testing, so I just googled it and got information about finding out the efficiency of my shower and toilet!

Ha! Try googling "NWEA MAP" or "Measures of Academic Progress."

Worth asking for sure!
Grinity

Compressed curriculm - short definition is:
Pretest every unit as it comes up - if score is 80% to 95%, spend 5 minutes going over the wrong answers and check if there is a skill that needs to be practiced or an idea to impart, then go to independent study.
If score is under 80%, do that unit with the class. If the score is over 95% move on to next unit, or do Independent study during classtime.
And some kids would be fine with this, while others, like yours and mine, would hate all the fuss. The teachers usually aren't happy with the extra work either - which leads us back to the idea of gradeskip even if DS would have to scramble over a very gaps. Afterall, once the gaps are identified, how long would it take you to help him fill them in privately? Since the grades one gets in 6th grade don't go on the college application, who cares if he gets a few Bs or even a C in the beginning?

For some kids, being 'under the radar' is the most important thing - even though gradeskipping looks 'very public' and it is for a week or two, it's the fastest path back under the radar for a kid who really needs more that what they are currently getting.

See?
G

We ran into this same problem just before DS's midyear skip from 5th into 6th. Teacher thought he was lazy and ungrateful because he wasn't 'lapping up' the 'extra challenge' problems she left out for the academically strong kids. Problem was that from my son's perspective the 'extra challenge' problems were 'old and boring' even though they were completely appropriate for the other strong learners in his classroom.

It's frustrating, but I took my son's lack of excitement with school as a sign that he had just 'given up' on academics being nurturing.

((shrugs and more shrugs))
Grinity

Thanks for all these thoughts Grinity.

Although I see the appeal, in our particular situation, I don't think grade skipping is going to work. To be accepted in the higher achieving grade 7 programs, the school looks at the grade 5 report card (thus my "high value rewards" for As) and a standardized test on the grade 5 curriculum, given near the beginning of grade 6.

DH's take on this is that we make DS suffer through the drill and mechanics of grade 5, make sure he gets good grades, and ensure that he is well prepared for the test next autumn. We have become kind of hyper-focussed on grade 5 -- I guess that's why I said earlier that he "hasn't mastered the grade 5 curriculum." It's not just DS who is suffering through grade 5.

So grade 6 becomes sort of a fill in year before he hopefully is accepted in a challenging school for 7th. This would be the year where I could see doing something more unconventional like homeschooling or partial schooling. I mentioned grade skipping to DS once, and he was all for it, because he thought it would mean that he would "get a year off"!! Maybe grade 6 could be that year . . .

The other thing about grade skipping, which his very supportive grade 1-3 teacher said to us during grade 2, is that even if it's clear that he is academically ready, his emotional maturity and organization might not be there.

We started reading Animal Farm in French together, and he and DH have been doing some video game programming, so that's all good. Both ideas came from this group too!

Love it! Perhaps your whole family could travel around the world during 6th or have some other adventure. I love your son's definition of 'grade skipping' sounds like it's just right for him.

Ok - so use that Nurtured Heart Approach for all you've got and get him through the next few months with lots of parental enrichment. Strangest set up I've ever heard of, but you work with what you've got!

Smiles,
Grinity

Another possibility I thought of yesterday was to have him go from grade 5 this year directly into grade 7 at his former Montessori school. This would be a different teacher from the 4-6 teacher that didn't "get" him, would be a more challenging cirriculum, and would include neat things like a one week canoe trip and learning to cook. Also, there would only be about 5 other kids in the group, since the junior high program in French is just starting out there. After grade 7 in the "unconventional" school, I'd think about having him do grade 7 again in the very academic school I was originally planning on for 7th.

Is this too wierd -- no grade 6 and two years of grade 7?

Not sure if the Montessori would consider putting him directly in 7th, but I think I could make a good argument for it at least and see what they say.