Attention and memory problems : do they have to be constant for it to indicte a problem ?

[TheOriginalNutcracker]

Ds is 9 and having problems at school which have been ongoing since yr 1 really.

He is on an IEP at my insistance and he is also under camhs. His attention span during school and normal life is about 5 seconds UNLESS he is doing something he is interested in, ie watching dr who, playing with star wars etc.

I have sat with him during a lesson at school and he cannot focus at all, and gets frustrated that he cannot remember things.

His teachers opinion seems to be that there is nothing wrong with his memory if can remember things about dr who

Camhs opinion currently seems to be that if he can concentrate during something he enjoys, then he doesn't have an attention span. This is depsite during our last session, ds couldn't sit still and swapped chairs about a million times and didn't follow instructions.

I just don't know anymore. I feel like no one cares.

[TheOriginalNutcracker]

doesn't have an attention problem that should say

[PenneyAnne]

nutcracker you need to post this in special needs children board-great advice there and far more traffic. I would say the school are way off the mark ! My ds,11, was dx with Aspergers last year and his memory and concentration can be very bad at school and often cant do his homework either as he just cant concentrate. BUT as regards Dr.Who and Star Wars-unbelievable concentration!I have never known him not be able to concentrate on a tv programme or a computer game.Have you considered having him assessed privately through your GP by getting him referred to a child psych.?We did this and got a dx of Aspergers/ASD.

[LIZS]

He may well have a processing disorder and/or issue with working memory. Does the teacher give him a written or visual prompt for a task as well as the verbal instruction ? ds has good recall of facts and interests (like episodic accounts of Dr Who) but has a very low working memory speed especially auditory based and numerical (EP highlighted this).

[daisydoogie]

Find out about "Irlen Syndrome" and see if anything there fits with your son's problems. I think that much of what you say could be explained by this condition.

[Sandybay]

Your Ds sounds exactly like my son.
We went to see a psychologist and he was diagnosed with mild ADHD.
He would only concentrate on what he is interested in. I think it's called hyper focus. It was very difficult for him to memorise spelling words. Always fidgety and wriggling on his seat.

[piemashandliquer]

Dont let the school fob you off. Keep badgering them. You can refer to OT, get him assessed by paediatrician, and push for án educational psychology assessment. Good luck.