Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Inattentive & Sensory Processing (Hearing)

Hi everyone,
Anyone have experience with this:
http://www.primarilyinattentiveadd.com/2010/01/primarily-inattentive-child.html

ADD-Inattentive, ADD-PI Primary Inattentive

Other than medication, what else have you done to help yourself or your child?

I'm specifically wondering if:
- what type of herbal remedy you found useful for child or adult?
- what CBT cognitive behavioral methods did you find useful, if any?

In addition to the Inattentive, what if we add on Sensory Processing issues with regards to hearing -- that is, noisy place, too much talking, starts to drive child and adult a little crazy. We use the words "my audio cup is getting full" This varies, depending on mood and tiredness. Obviously if low on energy, then the cup gets full faster.

Child and Parent seem to be Visual Spatial learners. Also add introversion to the mix.

I'm also wondering if there is a difference between boys and girls that have Inattentive.

Any suggestions, thoughts, and experience on how to manage this would be very very very much appreciated.

Would some of you describe the above article as "floating" through life? Never quite 'present' anywhere. In both the child and adult, both are able to hyper-focus also on a subject when they want to. So they aren't Inattentive all the time.

I have a son who has CAPD, inattentive ADD, dyslexia and disorganization (they all kind of go together). We don't medicate because anxiety is part of this package, and I am worried about needing a medication cocktail. He is doing reasonably well without medication in grade 8. Maybe meds would increase his average from a B to an A, and maybe not.

DS13 has an FM system to help him listen in class (teacher has a microphone, son has earphones) over the noise of his gt class. He has a laptop for writing and spelling accomodations.

The thing that helped the most with writing was Cogmed, which he did in grade 5. That seemed to help him turn the corner from needing to dictate his written work to being able to write it himself. That said, using the computer means that he writes much more than he does by hand. It also removes the many, many spelling mistakes he makes. His ability to stay on task improved after Cogmed, although it is still not perfect.

DS is introverted, and tested as a Reflexive Learner when the class did some personality testing. This shows up in his writing assignments, which give him his best marks.

Other things that have helped (and we have to get back to) include omega 3's, magnesium, and melatonin to help with sleep.

Hello Jesse,
I have had some similar experiences with my DS8. He is PG and is in a full time gifted program. He has skipped a grade but does not find the work hard. However, for the first time this year he started having problems in school. He started getting low grades. One day he came home with a D in social studies - he could only find 1 of the 6 papers he was supposed to hand in for a project. He is a whizz at math but came home with some Cs and Ds - he would just 'not see' several questions or would read questions wrong (eg subtract instead of add). He would have some papers where nearly every answer was wrong. Apparently his teacher would discuss a topic and then everyone would fill out the answers. However, he had absolutely no recollection of her discussion. He would just pull out random answers out of his head.
He would frequently forget to take his lunch to the cafeteria.
The last straw for me came when his teacher finally told him he could not go back to the classroom to get his lunch and would just have to eat at the cafeteria. What she didn't know is that he would rather starve than eat there...and that is exactly what happened. The poor kid never said anything and just went withour food the whole day.
So...I finally had to face the fact that this was not just a phase or a lack of maturity.
He was diagnosed with a deficit in auditory closure and inattentive ADD.
Some things that helped with the auditory issues were:
1. He wears headphones in class when working so is not distracted by noises
2. He sits near the teacher and she makes sure that he can always see her face
3. He does not sit near potentially noisy areas eg air conditioner units, windows
4. The teacher tries to make frequent eye contact. When she is saying something very important, she ensures that DS is looking directly at her.

In terms if the inattentive ADD, I was completely against using drugs. However, the gifted teacher who has worked with gifted children for over 20 years and herself has 2 grown up gifted children had a discussion with me 'as a parent and not as a teacher.' She finally medicated her daughter and said it was 'like a cloud had lifted.' My ped then also stated that she felt DS would benefit from meds. She said she had seen kids start to dislike school and eventually fail. They started getting punished for issues that they could not control eg No recess because child did not listen.
Long story short, I eventually put DS on Concerta. Wow. There was an immediate effect. He is doing so much better and is once again happy in school. There are side effects and I would still rather he wasn't on anything but right now he really does NEED the drugs. Pehaps I will try an alternative at some point. I chose not to give him his meds at spring break and plan to take him off during the summer. His inattentive ADD is not a problem outside school so I thought this was best.

(By the way, my son isn't always inattentive either. He can read 'fun' books or play video games for hours.)

Hope this rambling post helps!

Thank you dma and aly for your help!

The partial inattentive, when child IS able to focus on a fun task makes the whole thing strange.

It is almost like if something is interesting enough, the brain gets a spark and lights up and can work on the task, read, etc.

If it isn't interesting enough, the brain never gets the spark and never lights up, just drifting here and there.

It also seems that the listening/audio portion doesn't spark the brain. Visual or touch input provides a higher chance of a spark > light up.

Child has been saying "don't know what the teacher said" but figured out what needed to be done. I think the microphone/headphone idea is excellent, that would really help focus, and all the other suggestions too. Thank you!

Very interesting about the "like a cloud had lifted" ... very very interesting.

Question:
DMA, what does it mean "reflexive learner"?
Aly, what does it mean "deficit in auditory closure" ?

Thank you so much!

You may find these sources helpful in understanding CAPD, its treatments, and accommodations:
http://dr-ferre.com/index.html
http://www.ocslha.com/Ferre.htm

DS13 did the personality testing in French class and my translation was off. He is a thinker, who takes his time to come up with an opinion and considers many angles. He is good at considering various things and putting them together in a coherent way. However, he is slower than the others in coming up with his opinion, also consistent with ADD (not ADHD). Unfortunately, some people confuse processing speed with intelligence.

DS can hyperfocus (as can I), but can also be distracted by noise and movement if he is less interested in a subject (like math). He has never been very impulsive, and usually thinks first before doing.

Some things help with school include prelearning for low interest subjects, having the notes ahead of time, sitting away from sources of noise and movement (away from windows and doors), and sitting with the better ear towards the teacher. It He gets extended time for tests and can hand in assignments a few days late if needed.

His organization skills are improving now that he is 13, although I still worry about high school next year.

Yes, thinker types, that makes total sense. Thanks DMA for sharing, it is very helpful for us.