Previously bright child in a "fog"?

[teej]

Hi - am hoping someone here can help and apologies for long essay in advance!

DS(7yo)has always been bright (he was followed up to check for developmental problems after a traumatic birth so we know he was performing 2yrs (+) above birth age from very early on). Over the past six months he seems to have ground to a halt - it's like there is a fog over his brain.

We've tried speaking with him but he says he's happy and fine. We flagged it to his teacher who assured us there was nothing to worry about. Now all of a sudden the teacher is saying he has ground to a halt in class and we need to refer him to a child psych.

Thing is - teacher, headmistress etc are saying he's as capable as ever, he just seems to have frozen.

I don't want him to be "labelled" unnecessarily if it's just a phase, boredom in class or anxiety about moving on to middle school.

Anyone out there had a similar experience? All advice gratefully received!

Sorry that should have read junior school - lol.

Maybe he just needs to chill out for a while - if he's been aware fo being "bright" all his not very long life maybe he's had enough for a while? it's nearly the end of teh school year - why not let him coast for a while.

Has the teacher any other reasons for wanting him referrred? If it's just because he's doing as well as expected in class (what year is he in, by the way?) it seems a bit verkill" to me!

He's coming to the end of Yr 2 and moving onto junior school in September.

I think they just can't understand why he isn't working when he had previously been quite diligent and suddenly he is taking ages to do anything. They've told us he is top of the class - when he works! - and is really really far ahead in maths. Because they know it's not a capability issue, and he is not consciously, willfully refusing to work, they have surmised it must be an emotional/developmental issue.

Also - he used to do really intricate, detailed pictures with really complex stories behind them. Now his pictures are less detailed but he has started exhibiting physical tics instead. It's like he can't get all the stuff in his head OUT so he is manifesting it physically instead.

We really do not pressure him and deliberately don't have him going to extra-curricular activities - as we felt he should be allowed to just play and be a child. But maybe he needs something to help channel his thoughts and intellect??

Sorry again for the essay!

Or might he need some sort of physical activity? Doe he so any sports?

It could just be an age thing.

DS1 is just coming to the end of Yr 2 too. He isn't g&t, but he is pretty bright and usually top or near the top of the class. But he seemed to get bored about 2/3 of the way through this academic year, and stopped trying so hard. I didn't particularly do anything about it, and it seems to have righted itself as according to his teacher he has now pulled his socks up and is working hard again, presumably ready for when he moves up to Year 3.

Although the tics do sound slightly more worrying.

Or art class, if he likes drawing. My very bright 7yo went through a rough period last year with poor concentration, behaviour problems (just wouldn't settle in class), then he became interested in drawing and it was like magic. He did extra-c art classes for a while and really enjoyed it - very calming effect helping him to focus.

I do think bright children often need physical outlets - how about Cubs, or football or something that'll make him run about - you say he doesn't do any extra curricular activities - perhaps he should?

seeker, that's what everyone always said about my son, ever since he was small. But it turned out that he needed the opposite - something to calm him and encourage concentration. Its worth trying the less obvious outlets sometimes.

But the OP's son has been concentrating well until recently - and he doesn't do any extra curricular activities. All the boys ~I know of this age - regrdless of intellectual attainment, need loads of exercise - and it;s very easy for a bright child to get all the cerebral ecercise he needs, but not the physical.

Definitely agree re the physical activity. DS1 does football and hockey training 2 nights after school, plus spends what seems like every other waking moment playing tennis/cycling/kicking a ball around at the park.

It seems that when he is active a lot of the time he is then able to sit down and concentrate better when necessary, if that makes sense.

Point taken, seeker. I think I have a slightly skewed perspective because my DS is always on the move - watches TV upside down, does his homework standing up - that sort of thing...

And I have a slightly skewed view because my db and dsil are ALWAYS trying to make my very bright dn 'calm down" - and keep on signing him up fo chess clubs and draving classes beacuse they think he need sto sit down and focus - when anyone with an eye in their head could see that he is just fizzing and bursting with energy and needs to be taken for runs like a collie dog!

Ugh, how frustrating for you!

Hi everyone -

Thanks so much for your comments. Re: exercise - he does PE or swimming three times a week in school, plays in the playground most afternoons running around + climbing etc, tennis on Saturdays and kickabout footie or swimming on a Sunday - what I meant was we aren't pushing any additional academic work outside of school.

Unfortunately he is small for his age and his co-ordination has taken longer to develop than a lot of his peers, so they tend to let him know he is rubbish at insert sport here & he has been unwilling to do footie clubs etc. The tennis was always a fun thing and because they work with the children individually (in the context of the class) I think it was easier for him to stick with that and not have to be as good as x or y child.

He sometimes comes back in tears when he does Sunday morning footie as his friends will invariably have told him he's rubbish, but he wants to keep on doing it - maybe just to keep in with his chums. So we just wipe his tears and give him a cuddle.

We have looked at cubs/scouts and unfortunately there are no places in the local area, but after your comments I'm going to ask him if he'd like to do a theatre/art or additional sports club of some sort. I've been googling child development (when I should be working!)and a common theme is that this age appreciates more structure. Maybe that is part of the answer.

Geocentric your experience sounds similar, albeit he isn't being disruptive. In so far as the intellectual side is concerned - he hasn't stalled in terms of what he is taking in as far as I can see, because when you speak with him you can tell he has absorbed it all - he just seems to be having problems getting it back out again!

I do wonder a bit that the school has gone from "everything's fine" to "call in a child psychologist". I would have thought that his teacher would have had some strategies to try first. What have they suggested?

It's so close to the end of the year (5 weeks? Less?) that i would be inclined to let him coast until nextr yeare. If he's a couple of years ahead of his peers it won't do him amy harm.

We initially flagged our concerns to the year teacher, but last week I spoke with the headmistress who has always seemed more switched on. It's really only since she became involved that we had this meeting(yesterday afternoon).

I have a nagging feeling that he hasn't had much close attention because they assumed he was fine and other children needed more attention to get everyone up to speed for SATs. How do I know? E.g. - any time someone listened to his reading, as noted (rarely) in his homework diary, it was nearly always the (lovely) teaching assistant rather than the teacher (particularly over the past couple of terms).

Frankly I think they missed the fact things were going downhill until it became really obvious and they are now - as per your original response - in overkill mode.

But to be fair it's also probably hard for them to embark upon a programme of action now - there are only a few weeks of term left and then he's off to another school.

That said, I think bright children can be a bit more sensitive and maybe he is stressing himself out about this school move or something else without realising it. So I am not averse to him seeing someone and chatting things through. It might be easier to admit his fears to a stranger than mum and dad - no matter how understanding and sympathetic we're trying to be!

I take your point about letting him coast, enjoy the summer and maybe try different things.

Ironically I've spoken with the head this afternoon and she thinks he seems much calmer today. Maybe he just feels like people are paying attention (even though no-one has talked about what is going on in front of him) and that was what he wanted?

Thanks everyone for all your advice

If he is at a State school ask for them to refer him to the Educational Psychologist (the appointment won't come through until the autumn now anyhow). I would also watch his lack of co-ordination, just in case there is something there.
Otherwise just keep a watch and maybe talk to his new school (so they don't let things slide for a couple of months).

Good luck.

Hi Teej,

Has he had a hearing test recently? It might be a touch of glue ear. It affects one in five children aged 7 and under and can give them a severe hearing loss but it can fluctuate madly so they don't necessarily present as not being able to hear.

It can affect confidence, behaviour and school-work and the child may not report it because how to they know that what they're hearing isn't the same as everyone else? Are you able to ask him whether he sometimes feels like he's hearing under water?

It's usually treated with antibiotics or sometimes grommets if necessary. I would ask the GP to refer him for a test if you feel it could be this.

I saw it happen to a child in my class when I taught Reception and I couldn't work out what was wrong with her until they found her hearing was down.

Just a suggestion but it may be worth checking.

Good thought Choccy

Hi there - I just wanted to provide an update for all you lovely mners who were so kind to reply to my post in July.

I let my ds concentrate on his burgeoning interest in sports during the summer, and also agreed with him what he wanted to do in terms of reading/writing/maths/generally being curious about the world during the school hols. His interest and confidence picked up again and now he's started at his new school I've got my boy back - he's so much happier.

The more we talked during the summer the more I came to appreciate how unhappy he had become during Y2 in his old school. I do wish I had pushed him (about how he was feeling) earlier in the year when he was saying everything was fine - lesson learned for the future!

Thanks again for all your advice...