Thank you very much for your response and for your very useful input and observations.
Since we last spoke, we have had our son (now 8 years old) assessed by a private psychiatrist (most psychiatric evaluations of children in Denmark are done through the public system), and he has been diagnosed with ADHD. While this may not exactly be a cause for celebration, it is nonetheless extremely helpful, as it provides—at least in my view—a credible and comprehensive explanation for his behavior. This includes, for example, why he has absolutely no interest in traditional school lessons, textbooks, or homework. On the other hand—something that is now very clear to us, with the diagnosis in hand—is that he is extremely driven by his interests and can be incredibly engaged and eager to learn when it comes to activities that capture his attention. For example, Minecraft :-) where, in almost no time at all, he has immersed himself in the entire universe and learned an astonishing amount of English without any adult involvement.
It is fairly clear to me that he is a boy who, to a significant extent, needs to be able to pursue his own interests, and it’s unlikely that he will ever love his lessons in primary school. But hopefully, as he progresses further in the education system, he will have more opportunities to participate in a program that truly engages him.
Have any of your children, at the age of 6–9, been totally obsessed with Minecraft, and then later developed more “academic” interests?
