DD 9.5 and concentration. Teacher says there could be more to it.

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

DD is an only 9.5 YO. She is a delight in many ways, but super challenging in others.
I've just had her consultation with the teacher and there were no surprises. Since she first went to school, the main criticism/comment about her is her inability to concentrate for more than about 3 minutes.
Her teacher, who is very experienced thinks there may be something other than 'head in the clouds' and is suspecting a SN of some sort.
She already takes the fish oil supplements and das done for years.
Anyone had any experience of this sort of thing?

Hi kreech. I have 2 ds's. One is a teeneager and has had problems with concentration since day 1. However, he has always managed academically and although it's been a main criticism of school, never impaired his learning seriously - he went on to pass his 11+. DS2 however, is 7 and has a dx of ADHD. He is a different story. His attention span and ability to focus for a required length is a challenge for him. We felt his progress in the class was being compramised and he is now in 'support' classes for most of the day, which is great. He does not have a statement as currently not considered that bad. He is very energetic, fidgety and often has to be reminded to 'calm down'. He is lovely and bright too, a cheeky chap who has a real spark in his eye. Not a great combination for our current education system Some things I have tried are: EyeQ fish oil supplements (great!), cranial osteopathy (also worked wonders) and restricted diet ie: no additives, Aspartame, preservatives and limited treats. I think boys present concentration issues differently to girls as they tend to be more boisterous. Hope some of this helps.

Hi Kreecher
Does your DD struggle when doing the game 'Simon Says'? If so, she might have a problem with inhibitory control, which basically means she finds it hard to control her impulses (ie to look around, do something else when she is meant to be on task). It can be a feature of ADHD; often girls are diagnosed with the Attention aspect rather than the Hyperactivity bit. Obviously tactics like saying her name before speaking to her, getting her to repeat back to you instructions, putting up checklists are all things you can do to work around it.
I take it she has always been like this, and it is just that her peers have 'grown out' of it and she hasn't?
If so, there may be a case for further investigation. However, I suspect plenty of successful people who don't operate like everybody else could end up with a diagnosis of sorts if there were in the education system today. A diagnosis of something like ADHD doesn't necessarily help. You could also just take the view that we are all different...
What are your instincts on this?

Another thing to consider is vision. Not so much whether the child has 20/20 vision but whether she has the ability to focus for long periods of time, can change focus from far to near and point both eyes in the same direction at the same time. A bahavioural optometrist can check these things out. It's not always the problem but is definitely worth getting checked out.

Sorry for going away, she has always had problems concentrating especiallly in group situations. She is impulsive, but DH and I have always put it down to us never saying don't try that. She really is fearless.
I agree with downinthejungle, she isn't hyperactive in anyway, she is sloth like in some respects. I am pretty confused, she will concentrate on a book, her greatest joy is reading, but, she doesn't read allthe book. If she re reads it she discovers a different part that she hadn't noticed before.
Her teacher is going to refer her to the SEN person at the school. TBH, because we aren't in the UK, I think I'd find it hard to track down a crainial osteopath or a behavioural optomitrist. She already wears glasses for distance work, but tends not to take them off inbetween.
She does also take eyeQ supplements and her diet is pretty restriced by her choice.
thanks to all who responded. Will keep updating.

Back again, to answer your question downinthejungle, my instincts are telling me, and have been since she started school, that she just isn't 'right'. Awful way to put it because she is a delight, but not the same as other girls.

Kreech deep down I knew there was something 'different' about my ds2. I could glaze over much of it, but just when I least expected it, something would happen to make me think I was right. Other people noticed my son's energetic and impulsive nature and often commented on it. It got worse as he got a bit older. He's friends were maturing out of certain behaviours and he wasn't. To be honest, sometimes I question my son's dx because it doesn't change who he is. I suppose what I mean is he is his own person and ADHD does not define him, just a part of who he is. If you feel she needs help in any areas of her life, seek it where relative. Our issues were in the classroom, so we pretty much let school get him all the help he needed. By the way, he can read a book, watch a dvd from start to finish, play for hours with action figures, draw for ages and loves building with magnetix or lego. It's when he has to sit down, shut up and listen that he has a real problem. Good luck

kreecher, there are certainly behavioural optometrists in Belgium. I know this because some of my UK colleagues have done courses there. ( not stalking btw, just looked at your profile!)The more you tell me the more it sounds to me like it might be a vision-related problem.

sorry, to clarify. Not that is is ONLY a vision problem as these things can be complex but it does sound like there is a visual component to the problem.

Thanks for all the input. She will see the SEN person today and hopefully it's onward and upward. DH is very much in denial, in his eyes, little princess is just a kid. It makes it pretty difficult but I know he doesn't want her labelled.
He is a teacher and at his last school, there were many children with this diagnosis, all bar one were on drugs. I understand that he doesn't want her popping pills, but his intrasigence on this issue has lead to words!
We'll get it sorted. Eventually.
This morning for example, I took DH to work and told DD to brush her hair and teeth and get dressed. when I got back about 15 minutes later, she was on the laptop 'because it's more interesting that getting ready'.

I don't blame ... I have resisted medication for my son although he wasn't deemed so bad that it was the first option. I can see them approaching me again as he gets older if he doesn't improve. Will resist it then too.

With the reading thing - I am 99% sure I have ADHD (I tick every single box). I adored reading as a child, but would skip chunks of the passage (in fact, I still do)

Ds1 has ADD and can often be found on the PC when he should be doing other things! He is considered to be quite severe, but I have resisted medication so far. This year ( hie is 14, he seems to have decided to make an effort to work hard and organise himself for school. Ah well, it's only been 12 years!

Can anyone recommend a book or a website I can go to. Still waiting for the woman to assess my little girl. I suppose I can't complain, if we were in the UK it would be a six month wait.

No one got a recommendation for a book?

kreech I have read several books, but to be honest they were more factual, medics talking about ADD. One that I did read and was moved by is here:
Only a Mother Could Love Him (How I Lived with and Triumphed Over ADHD)
Forgot the author, but you can get it on Amazon. It's an insight into the mind of a child with ADHD. I cried most of the way through it because I recognised my son in much of what it said. Although my son is not as bad as the child in the book, some of it rung a very loud bell. The internet is a dangerous place if you start googling any disorders. Stay clear of any run or sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. Remember, any loony can start up a website. I tend to check if it's a registered charity, company or a .org

I'll look out for that. We don't have a definite diagnosis yet, but, all signs are pointing that way and despite DH's objections, once we have a diagnosis we can move forward.
Thanks again.

Shitting fuck bags. Hadn't even considered that Leonie. Her teacher strongly suspects ADD without the H component.
I would do everything in my power to keep her off drugs, but, if they help so be it.
As I've said, we are not in the UK so don't know anything about how Belgium deals with or diagnosis anything. She should be seeing the SEN person at her school this week.
It is a PITA that we are abroad at times like this, also, that the SENCO at her school is lovely, but, just an ordinary teacher with an interest in SN's.

I think (obviously need to confirm) that the SEN would 'have a look' and then if she thinks there is a problem that needs diagnosing send us to the correct person.
I forsee a long and tiring road ahead. This morning we started a new routine. As soon as me and DH leave, she is to start getting ready. We found her a watch to wear so she knew what the time was (despite having five clocks on the ground floor alone). When I got back 14 minutes later, she was feeding her animals on the Cbeebies thing she likes. I asked her why she hadn't got ready and she told me she hadn't realised I meant NOW! No wonder I am grey.

Kreech I could have written your post.....I always felt DD wasn't quite with it at school whereas school said she was head in the clouds and easily distracted.....

An ed psychologist diagnosed dyslexia, then a paedeatrician diagnosed attention deficit disorder - the ADD never quite fitted for me though, I felt it was something else...eventually she was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder which basically meant she couldn't follow lists of instructions and had a lot of issues hearing and understanding a teacher in a large, busy classroom so switched off instead...

We have changed schools to one which is far more interested in keeping DD's attention span, and she now sits right next to the teacher. the difference is astonishing. She concentrates now and is making huge academic progress. i really think that she just couldn't follow what was going on in her previous, enormous school.

She still has 100% hearing by the way, just huge problems differentiating individual sounds. None of this was picked up at less sophisticated hearing tests. She is the same age as your DD.

Meant to add the Auditory processing disorder has cancelled out the diagnosis of ADD which the paed has now abandoned.....no diagnosis is ever set in stone!

Bumcakes. It's not easy is it? I think the first thing is to have her 'looked' at by the amateur, see what she says then go from there. DD already sit right next to the teacher and has done in her last three years of being at school.
A different school is not an option, she attends the one that DH teaches at and we can't afford the 20odd thousand euros it would cost to send her to another one.
Off to the supermarket now then to collect her.

agree that the diagnosis can be changeable. I do suspect ds1's ADD is actaully APD and his initial diagnosis was for dypsraxia which I knew didn't fit the bill at all.
I did find the book "Ritalin is not the Answer" to be very helpful wrt coping strategies and keeping them off meds. I have not said "Never" to meds but would prefer to avoid them if I can.