Child away with the fairies - does it get better?

[Ladbrokeroad]

Since DD started school a year ago she's slowly drifting into her own little world. Not aware of any SEN yet. But from a very allert baby, toddler and a young child she's become this little girl who zones out and is away with the fairies a lot. Doing well academically though, very well behaved and easy going. Not very sporty, not because she's not capable, in fact she is very capable, but is not interested.

I see the other children in her class, how competitive and switched on they are with everything and I can't help worrying.

I read a thread on here from a long time ago about a DD who sounded the same, she must be much older now, I'd love to hear how she's doing now. Anyone can relate to this?

Worth going to the doctor for a check up re absence seizures

Quite often listed as a symptom of dyslexia

If there is something not quite right with her hearing, then it will be normal for her so she will answer that she can hear. She will be so used to it that she won't know any different.

I did think of it last year as her dad is dyslexic and he is a bit like that. But she hasn't shown signs of being dyslexic, her spelling is almost perfect and she's progressing well with reading. Also very good at maths.

I was like that as a child ( around 7 or 8), just used to blank out everything going on around me in class. The School recommended taking me to be assessed, can't remember by whom, but do remember going to hospital to have electrodes attached to my head to test brain activity, etc. Long story short, I was fine just bored, the hospital reckoned the School needed to engage me more and have more complicated things for me to learn! You can image how the headteacher took that news...

That was me too. Dyslexia is so much more than just "struggles to read", especially in girls.

Oh really? I don't know much about dyslexia so I thought spelling/reading are the main struggles? What else do we need to look for? As there is a strong genetic link from her dad's side.

I guess the Ed psychologist will pick up on it quite quickly.

For me it's organisation and timekeeping, and clumsiness.

This link may help:

www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/children/is-my-child-dyslexic/signs-of-dyslexia-primary-age

Thank you, very informative. Only some applies to DD, but definitely worth keeping an eye on it.

I was like this. In the past couple of years I have started to suspect that maybe I have had ADD all these years, but I've never seriously looked into getting a diagnosis.

This is my eldest DD! She is literally in her own little world. I think it has something to do with how engaged their are with their own imagination and creativity. DD has always been really bright and switched on, with a very vast imagination, even from early toddler age. And as she got older I would notice her seeming dazed and daydreaming quite a bit. I think she gets lost in her own thoughts quite alot and her thoughts go off on some tangent of imagination! She's doing extremely well academically (not sporty though), and I'm not sure how as sometimes she doesn't seem to be listening, but definitely holds information well, and is constantly busy, making stuff, drawing, writing, making up her won books and stories, etc, and will tell me often about things she's been "thinking about" and will then want to draw or make something she's thought up. I think it's sweet. She can become slightly obsessive over certain things, and that will be her main focus for weeks or months on end, until a new "thing" takes over. She's quite immature/innocent compared to some of her peers, and is certainly not one of the ones desperate to grow up any time fast. She's the ultimate day dreamer, but it's just one of her quirks, and part of who she is. She is very popular, has lots of friends, and at the end of each term when they get their friends to write a few words about what they like about eachother hers always says stuff like "Cleo's friends like her because she is fun, kind, happy, makes up the best games, creative, has a great imagination" etc, which always makes me smile as it always sums her up perfectly. I think I was a bit of a day dreamer when younger, and I don't think it's anything to worry about. She will be 10 soon, and I noticed the "away with the fairies" way she is, when she was very young, but definitely seemed more obvious once she started school. Dd2 is the opposite... very very focused, sporty, and competitive!

I think you're doing the right thing to be keeping an eye out for possible ADHD, whether it's combined or inattentive type (what used to be known as ADD, confusingly). I was away with the fairies a lot as a kid, your DD sounds quite like me. I have inattentive type ADHD, as well as being autistic and dyspraxic. In terms of what I was like when I was a toddler, I would apparently just sit and stare into space for ages, whereas my sibling with combined type ADHD was much more classically hyperactive, running up and down the room all the time. I'm not on meds at the moment, but my sibling is and they find medication for adhd extremely helpful to help them reach their potential, so that's worth bearing in mind for when she's older. I'm pretty happy with my life. I have support at uni to help me manage the impact of my disabilities on my work, and I'm doing really well.

And like a lot of the kids described here, I'm creative (often being praised for my innovative ideas wrt my uni work), kind, and funny. I think there's often a mistake to be made where people say oh but they can't have adhd/asd, they're so [insert positive quality], it's just who they are. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's both!

I went through phases of this at school. I was super bright, bored and imaginative and did well at school. I'm also a lawyer and one of the most organised people you will meet. I wouldn't worry about it too much but keep an eye on it, and get help if she starts to fall behind at school.

I'm like this and I'm dyslexic. My DD is the same, always in an imaginary world, she'll often only engage with you if you accept she's a cat/dog/super hero right now, you have to join the game she won't come out of it. She's on the SEN register as she's in her own world at school and can't read and write at 7 so probably is dyslexic too, but not diagnosed with anything yet.

My brother is like this too and has a diagnosis of ADHD as he was hyperactive with it (me and my DD aren't).

Very helpful, thank you all for taking the time to share your experiences xx