Concentration: nearly 7 yr old

[Ana27]

I really don't know how worried to be about my nearly 7 yr old DD. Sorry this is a bit of an essay.

I spoke to her teacher today who said that DD is always in a world of her own and she's concerned about how this will affect her when she goes up to year 3 and is expected to work more efficiently and independently. This is not new at all. Practically every activity she's ever been involved in (drama, swimming, ballet etc) has said the same thing - she's 'away with the fairies' and doesn't focus well on what is going on around her. I know it is a problem but I don't know how much of a problem and what I can best do to help her. I asked the (very experienced) teacher exactly what she though was causing it and gave her plenty of opportunity to say she thought there were medical problems but she just said she thought "it was what DD is like".

Just to give a bigger picture. On the positive side she is a bright and happy girl. She's very imaginative and creative. Her music teacher stopped me the other day and said she has never taught a child like her - her creativity is excellent and she loves playing the piano and inventing music. She is always making up stories (and then living in them!). She reads well, is very articulate (when she concentrates for long enough) and seems to find maths reasonably easy. She's not so good at sport or fine motor skills but is very young for the year so part of this might just be being younger than her peers. She's generally well behaved at home though still has occasional temper tantrums. She has good friends and plays well with her little sisters.

There are several things that worry me in that I think they might be linked. She isn't very good at clearing up after herself and will do things like take off her clothes and leave them on the floor (this may be most 6 year olds...). She is sometimes so lost in her own world that she'll forget to do things like look before crossing the road. She's not always good at making eye contact, although other times she's fine. It's often difficult to get her to concentrate on a task as she'll start day-dreaming but if I specifically motivate her (e.g. finish the homework sheet in the next 5 mins and we can do X) then she can.

Sorry for the essay but I wanted to give as big a picture as possible. How worried should I be and is there anything I should try to help?

She sounds almost exactly like my 7 year old. I was told at her parents evening she was by far the worst in the class for day dreaming. Like your daughter she seems to live in a world of her own, always making up stories and acting them out (sometimes just for her own amusement not for anyone else's benefit). Last week I sent her into the bathroom for her toothpaste and toothbrush and she came back with a toilet roll!! She also has issues with fine motor skills and was diagnosed with hypermobility at two. At 4 she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia so did miss a lot of school in reception and year one. To check for effects of chemo she had a cognitive assessment recently and scored really highly on all but working memory and processing speed which the psychologist believes is down to chemo effecting her nerve endings and memory. She is an excellent reader and speller and average at maths. She was also seen by an occupational therapist who diagnosed a sensory processing disorder. She believes my daughters day dreaming is caused by her brain shutting off from her surroundings when she is forced to keep still in a classroom setting ( she fidgets, rocks and kicks her feet constantly at home). We were advised to try a wobble cushion which allows her to receive sensory input as its bumpy and she can move slightly on it without it causing disruption to those sitting near her. The theory is this small movement will keep her brain active. She has used it in school since March but I'm not sure how effective its been as the school are not particularly good at communicating but that's another story.

I could have written your post. My 6 year old DS is exactly like this.
I'm really concerned about his development. He simply cannot focus on anything. He doesn't seem to 'hear' me. I've jut given him a massive bollocking in the street for running repeatedly in the road. He makes sound effects to go alongside everything and I just find his behaviour exhausting. He also SHOUTS ALL THE TIME!!!!!
He already has extra support in school and his teacher has concerns about his concentration, as I do.
He does all the things that you've mentioned. Again he's creative and imaginative and can spend hours drawing an colouring, but ask him to write something alongside it and he has a complete meltdown.