tell me about ADD Inattentive please!

[cathmom]

I think my 9 yo might have it and she is getting quite frustrated with herself.

[elizam]

M 15yods was dxed with this last summer. I suspected it from a young age, but bought into the "it isn't a real disorder" theory and figured homeschool would be best for him.

Going to PS made it obvious he couldn't function in a classroom. UGH.

Here is my most helpful link:

http://www.additudemag.com

[Dani n Monies Mom]

My dd was diagnosed at age 9 with ADD-Inattentive. I had already dx'd her based on this criteria: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/symptom.htm

Then we had a Developmental M.D. give the official DX. We began homeschooling the following year and she is doing very well in 7th gr.


HTH,
Ava

[cathmom]

Ava, she has every symptom on the inattentive list! And in fact, several years back, I had the pediatrician check her hearing because she didn't seem to hear me even when it was something she wanted. Her hearing was fine though. So what do you do with your dd to help her with these issues in regards to homeschool, chores, etc?

[Dani n Monies Mom]

Well, to give you some hope, some time around the middle of last year, when dd was 11 going on 12, things started to improve a great deal. Maturity has A LOT to do with it. I give her a schedule for her lessons, and she decides what order she will do it in, how long she will take, and even puts down times to get things completed. For my little dreamer I thought this just wouldn't happen.

First, I remember that we made a decision to tell her she is ADD. Her frustration with herself led to some serious self-esteem issues. Knowing she is/has ADD took some of the burden off. We placed emphasis on the fact that this wasn't her fault. This really helped her to realize that she's perfectly fine, she just has an extra struggle in the particular area of attention.

We iterated to her that this could never be an excuse for not doing what's supposed to be done, but it does help to recognize where our weaknesses lie. "Set yourself up to win". could be our Alma Mater along with "Know thyself". We've tried to teach/demonstrate/show her the situations that cause her the most distraction so that she can recognize them, know how to avoid them or make sure she has prepared herself in advance and develop her own strategies to stay focused. (For High School or College I'm guessing this will take the form of self-advocacy and the like.)

With those thoughts in mind, my own attitude changed as well. I've become much more patient and careful of how I set things up for her. Some of the practicals include a quiet atmosphere, which is possible because it's only her during the day, along with a set schedule and time limits. The time limits are important for both of us, it keeps things moving so she doesn't get bored as quickly, and if something's really taxing, she knows it will be done at a set time.

She also seems to be very reward oriented, so if she knows something good is coming up, she is able to focus and get done quicker. But those things are usually self imposed goals.

She has also expressed that she likes work materials to be 2 tone, not black and white, and not colorful. Just black and one accent color. I guess the colorful books are just too much distraction, while black and white offers no visual stimulation at all. So, she likes the new WW3000 2ed, CLE LA, and Math U See.

She loves videos and has no trouble focusing on the tv:D, so whenever I get the chance, I include documentaries and movies to accent what we are learning. She looks forward to these.

I work hard not to schedule too much in a day or week in order to set realistic goals. What may take one child 15 min to do may take dd 45mins. so I make assignments accordingly.

And last, but not least, we did finally put her on a medication. The absolute lowest dose we could get. It makes a difference, she has told me that it lines up her thoughts and she doesn't have to work as hard to focus and think.

HTH,
Ava

[cathmom]

Some of the practicals include a quiet atmosphere,

OH NO!! :tongue_smilie:

Don't think I can provide that very well! She does have trouble concentrating with the noise, and we usually go into another room by ourselves to do schoolwork.

Thanks for the suggestions! I am going to research this a bit more and then have a talk with her about it. I think she will be relieved to understand why she has such problems!

[Kathy in MD]

Ava, she has every symptom on the inattentive list! And in fact, several years back, I had the pediatrician check her hearing because she didn't seem to hear me even when it was something she wanted. Her hearing was fine though. So what do you do with your dd to help her with these issues in regards to homeschool, chores, etc?

Two comments on "fine" hearing.

1) many people have good hearing, that is that they can hear a noise. The problem is that they can't distinguish between the various sounds of language and therefore can't decipher a conversation. St and some other products can help here.

2) Some children have intermittent hearing loss. Often it is seasonally related. So I would do a gross hearing test on my ds periodically. I used the same technique that my interest used on me: stand in front of my ds, hold my figers close to his ears and have him tell me when he heard my fingers rubbing against each other.

[cathmom]

I never heard of seasonal hearing loss! What causes that? Allergies?

[Dani n Monies Mom]

OH NO!! :tongue_smilie:

Don't think I can provide that very well! She does have trouble concentrating with the noise, and we usually go into another room by ourselves to do schoolwork.

Thanks for the suggestions! I am going to research this a bit more and then have a talk with her about it. I think she will be relieved to understand why she has such problems!

I get this totally, it's one reason(not the main one) we didn't bring home oldest dd13 when we first started hsing. I wonder if you or her would consider headphones on days that she's having a particularly hard time?

I will say, though, that maturity will bring about some welcome changes to how they are able to deal with the ADD.

"1) many people have good hearing, that is that they can hear a noise. The problem is that they can't distinguish between the various sounds of language and therefore can't decipher a conversation. St and some other products can help here."

My autistic dd was very much like this. Very good point. My ADD daughter only seemed to 'lose' hearing when she's engrossed in the tv or something equally distracting. Could be a combo.

Ava

[Kathy in MD]

I never heard of seasonal hearing loss! What causes that? Allergies?

I applied the term based on info my friend told me. In MN, when her dc were in school, the school tested for hearing loss in the fall, but it was in the winter with everyone kept inside and sharing head colds that children would lose their hearing temporarily. Apparently it was somewhat common. My friend only discovered this after realizing that her ds passed the fall testing, but in winter he'd "ignore" her unless he was facing her and could read her lips. I don't think it's alway occurs in winter though.

I should have used the term "temporary" instead of seasonal.

[Dani n Monies Mom]

Cathmom,
How's it going with your dd?

Ava