Gifted Issues Discussion homepage
Posted By: doodlebug CAPD and gifted - 11/20/08 02:54 PM
I know this topic has been discussed before, but I'm too lazy to dig through posts!

I'm curious to know who has had their child assessed for CAPD and gotten a diagnosis. I'm wondering now whether MrWiggly might have a mild form of this. I discovered a form of it that refers to a "tolerance/fading memory subtype" of CAPD and the symptoms sound like some of what we are dealing with -
"�Tolerance/Fading Memory� subtype

Often seems to �ignore� people, especially if engrossed.

Hears less well, or is less attentive/productive, in ordinarily busy surroundings.

Difficulty following a series of spoken directions.

Unusually forgetful of information previously memorized (such as multiplication tables, correct spelling), or of household or school routines and responsibilities, despite frequent reminders."

He has a history of one ear infection, chronic fluid in his ears (probably for 6-10 months at least), language development delay and then tubes in his ears at 23 months - with language and cognitive skills exploding after getting the tubes put in! His sound sensitivity is resolving but still evident and I've gotten to where I just consider it part of his OEs. But today I'm wondering if he should be checked for CAPD. If I take my own advice as an OT I'd just test him to rule it out. But I wanted to know if you guys think I'm overreacting or being obsessive. His working memory was low, like so many GT's when tested, but still above age level - just relatively lower than all his other skills on the SB5.

Functionally I'm just noticing that he has a hard time following what we are saying when we do homework. Last night he really struggled attending to and following what I was saying as we tried to get a short paper written for his gifted class. Am I blowing this out of proportion??
Posted By: incogneato Re: CAPD and gifted - 11/20/08 03:06 PM
No. smile DD8 had to see a nuerologist lately to rule something out and I brought up CAPD. She had a lot of the symptoms and the chronic ear infection thing as a baby.

I brought her WISC, WIAT, WJ. He looked through them before the appointment and very nicely told me, no way.

If your testing has some scatter, maybe? I'm not sure if just the lower working memory is an indicator by itself?

I think Ruf might have caught that, yes?

C also works like DS. She can do projects with extended focus, but it works best when it's what she wants to do, when she wants to do it.

She's getting some training by default because of the vision therapy! Part of it is age/stage, partly personality.

Maybe try talking to him about procrastination and how being uncomfortable with a task can make him look for ways to not do it. Is he strong willed? I gently let my children know when they are procrastinating in hopes that as they grow up they will recognize that feeling when they get in and learn to self-adjust.

Also, when she is able to buckle down I make a big happy deal out of it. I've made the point that it takes less time to finish when she buckles down. Procrastinating means she may have to spend double the time and STILL have to end up doing it. She responds to that time lost idea.

Posted By: doodlebug Re: CAPD and gifted - 11/20/08 07:17 PM
hmmmm...interesting. MrWiggly did not have lots of scatter on testing. He just scored low on working memory - above age level but relatively lower compared to everything else. He fits some of that description about seeming to forget previously known information (like math facts and such) but I wonder if that's because it just isn't "cemented" as his math teacher says now.

I just got an email from his 3rd grade teacher saying that yesterday he was given a packet of english worksheets (reviews on plurals and capitalizations)which he delayed getting started on, told the substitute teacher he didn't know what to do on it and then scribbled all over it and wrote "forget about this" on the bottom of a worksheet. The teacher (who was absent yesterday afternoon and so not there for the incident) finds this last bit of behavior "upsetting" and is making MrWiggly stay in from recess to complete the packet today and sending a copy of the "forget about this" worksheet home for us to see. Clearly this has nothing to do with not really hearing the instructions!

I do believe we fooled ourselves into thinking the current situation was actually going to work all school year! I suppose a change is needed sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the info about CAPD and how the label was not so helpful. I think perhaps treating the symptoms is a more logical approach, whatever we decide the actual problem!
Posted By: ienjoysoup Re: CAPD and gifted - 11/20/08 09:54 PM
I now have a name for what my husband has......

LOL

- Talks or likes T. V. louder than normal.
- Interprets words too literally.
- Often needs remarks repeated.
- Difficulty sounding out words.
- "Ignores" people, especially if engrossed.
- Unusually sensitive to sounds.
- Asks many extra informational questions.
- Confuses similar-sounding words.
- Difficulty following directions in a series.
- Speech developed late or unclearly. ?
- Poor "communicator" (terse, telegraphic).
- Memorizes poorly.
- Hears better when watching the speaker.
- Problems with rapid speech.

yeah, he also has adhd..... ummmmmmm
© Gifted Issues Discussion Forum