11 year old with poor focus / absent-minded

dd2 is dsylexic. Took us ages to get a diagnosis. it wasn't just the poor spelling, but the clumsiness, lack of short term memory in following instructions, application of logic to higher order English eg. if i said "you need to try harder and pull your socks up" she would literally bend down and pull her socks up!
This summer she graduated with first class honours from university. . your dd will get there too

oh... ps we weren't appalling parents... whenever we raised with school they said this was normal adolescent behaviour/brain development and that although her grades had dropped this was 'normal".... and treated us as if we were being over-precious parents rather than concerned by what our DD was reporting...

Hi... having just had dd15 diagnosed as ADHD I would recommend getting her assessed as soon as pos.... it was so clear when DD had session with SEN (and confirmed by Psychiatrist) ... and we'd gone through 3 years of DD saying her brain wasn't working properly, that she didnt feel normal, her brain was foggy - and no longer excelling at Physics and Maths. (Oh, and she has hyper mobility and poor concentration/easy distraction) It would have done her self-confidence, not to say her learning, a huge deal of good to have known earlier and develop appropriate coping strategies - as well as taking appropriate medication which now give her a clear brain for much of the day. Good luck!

I have hyper mobility and poor co-ordination for EDS, but at nearly 40 I think I have ADHD, and self prescriptive meds have changed my life
How did you self prescribe meds for ADHD??

Don't blame yourself - gosh there is no proven link between SENs and drinking. But I know want you mean it is tough not to always feel guilty.

Feel for you I really do. My six year old is just about to be assessed but I am convinced she is ADHD and ASD.

Earlier this year I attended this course and it was amazing - really thought me how to empathise and support her better - things are a lot better since. I can't recommend it enough. www.connectionsinmind.co.uk/service/parental-support-group-sessions/

Please don’t blame yourself!! It’s genetic just as Cherry said

Really don’t blame yourself! I think it often runs in families. Several people in my DH’s family (DH included) show signs of ADHD. Nothing to do with the half glass of red wine I used to enjoy on Friday evenings during pregnancy.

I’m sitting with my daughter now as she is trying to finish a 20 minute piece of homework. It’s taken her all morning of pottering and sooo many distractions before I could actually get her to sit down. I have to physically be with her to get it finished. Younger siblings are much better at self managing. It’s tricky. And exhausting.

Might not be dysbraxia, might be ADHD.

I have hyper mobility and poor co-ordination for EDS, but at nearly 40 I think I have ADHD, and self prescriptive meds have changed my life !

m.youtube.com/watch?v=JiwZQNYlGQI&time_continue=2

It could be any thing, get a psyc ed report done, she may have dysgraphia, adhd, dyspraxia any of these

Is it possible that she is just bored? Is she capable of giving things that she enjoys 100% of her attention and it's just schoolwork/other things that don't interest her that is like this? Or is she always like that!

My daughter is very similar but doesn’t quite fit the dyspraxia descriptions (excellent gross motor skills - riding a bike at 4 etc) I strongly suspect my daughter has ADHD which often presents itself differently in girls: less fidgety, more daydreamy)

It's ok. I work in this area and many people are mostly concerned and head towards the D or A possibilities. Often children do fit a diagnosis but there are less well known and understood areas which include many of the traits listed above. I asked my questions to rule something else out. It doesn't quite fit with being an avid reader and musician. However it does fit with so many of the other areas like poor handwriting, ball skills, attention/focus, clumsiness etc. As you are abroad depending on where you are I hope you are able to find assistance. Most of these issues are interrelated so could be whatever it is is more like a mix of issues specific to your child. So don't be put off about not fitting wholly into a category as in the focus issue it may be just an addition to an eventual diagnosis or not. Best of luck

DS1 has dyspraxia and exhibits all the traits mentioned in your OP and elsewhere on the thread (except the yawning when reading, he's always been a good and avid reader). You wouldn't necessarily notice that he had any additional needs as he always had a wide vocabulary and learned things fast. But his inability to sit still and concentrate, his untidiness, his clumsiness (so many bizarre accidents) and his handwriting would give it away eventually.

When he was younger it was very hard to see though, as most kids show these traits in nursery, reception and beyond. It was when he got to 9/10 his teachers became concerned. He was diagnosed at your DD's age. He's doing really well now we've implemented strategies similar to those above. He dreams of being able to ride a bike with his 5yo brother one day, bless him!

We had a great list from the OT too.

A good ot would be able to give her strategies and work on things like posture, core strength and grip which would be affecting her ability to sit still and focus. She may also have other issues such as reading from a board if visual tracking and processing are problematic, and poor short term and working memory will make remembering verbal instructions tricky. The teachers may need to break tasks down , step by step, remind her where she is and what is next, and give her a handout so she has her own written prompt to refer to. Gradually she will learn how to do more of this for herself. In UK she might qualify for extra time in tests or be allowed to use a laptop.