I will share my son's story, just in case it is helpful. My DS5 got in trouble a lot in kindergarten for not paying attention and doing unusual things (like pulling down posters during story time or tearing up a classmate's artwork mindlessly while other kids were playing during recess). He hated school because he said "there are too many rules" and "boring". The thing is, he is a really sweet kid, quiet and thoughtful and very affectionate with his family, so it made me really anxious and upset to hear reports of his strange/destructive/annoying behaviors. His teacher thought he was smart, but she really had no idea how smart. When he was tested last year at a center for gifted children, his scores were all above 99.9%. He was doing math and reading at 3-4 years ahead of his chronological age. That was done in a one-on-one setting with a tester who had a lot of experience with gifted kids. A year later, at school, he took an achievement test with his classmates. The test contained stuff he had already mastered when he was two, like sight words and easy adding. His scores were perfectly average - in the 50th-60th percentile range! I assumed it was because he wasn't paying attention because the material was too easy, but now I think it was that he was too slow and didn't finish. I recently took him to a private psychologist for a thorough psychological/behavioral evaluation. He got diagnosed with Asperger's and ADD. He is not hyper at all (he is more like hypo!) but he is definitely inattentive. Also, his IQ scores were very interesting. He scored above 99-99.9% in all areas but scored only about 60% in "visual matching". I think that was the only section that had a time limit. With his special needs, a regular school was obviously not a good fit for him. I homeschool him now and he is doing great. He is much happier and he tries hard to control his own behavior and pay attention. He can pay attention to his math lessons for only a short time (10 minutes or so at a time) even though math is his favorite subject. He needs a lot of redirecting and reminders from me during that time. He really knows his math but is unbelievably slow. This could be a problem when he gets older and starts doing more complex math. But he is doing great so far as long as I'm patient with him and give him all the time he needs. He is five years old and just finished a 3rd grade curriculum! He had a bit of a hard time with multiple digit multiplication because he would get distracted during long calculations, but he is getting better with more practice. He is so proud of himself and is very excited to start 4th grade.

After this long story, I don't really have a "cure" for my DS or a suggestion for yours. Here are just some ideas for you to explore. Have you gotten him tested for allergies? My son has allergies and I've noticed when he spends a lot of time outdoors or drinks a lot of dairy, his ADD gets noticeably worse. I am taking him to an allergy specialist next week to figure out exactly what's going on. I suspect casein (and maybe gluten) sensitivity, but we will see. You mentioned that you got him tested before? You might not even know he is gifted if you're just going by school achievement tests. Try to get him in a one-on-one testing environment and, if possible, choose tests that are not timed and a tester who has experience with gifted kids. I wish you and your child all the best.

Last edited by junior; 11/08/09 09:33 PM.