Concentration/attention span

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DS1 is a reasonably bright 9yo in yr5.

Every time I speak to his teachers I'm told he'd do better if only he could focus for more than a few minutes. His maths teacher put a figure on it today and said he can only listen and take things is for 6 mins. It's the same with his written work. He'll do 2-3 questions and then he's off finding something to distract himself with.

He had some maths problems to do this evening. Not so easy as to be boring, but within his ability. He did 3 straight away, then he's tapping his pencil, asking for a drink, getting cross because he wants to do something else, talking about what's for tea, getting up to find a toy on the other side of the room etc. The 10 questions took 45 mins in the end.

I share the teacher's frustration!

No-one's suggested this is a serious problem along the lines of AHDH, but does anyone have any suggestions for ways in which I can help him focus?

Does he concentrate for longer periods on stuff that he is interested in?

Omega fish oil

yes, does he concentrate longer on other things that are equally demanding on the brain but interesting to him?

Yes, he can be completely absorbed for ages setting up his toy soldiers and he's a keen reader, can sit with Harry Potter for an hour or more, but I can't think of anything else he sticks at for long.

Even when the task is of his own chosing i.e. building a den from bedding or making a junk model, it will involve gettng everything out, spending a few minutes building and is then left unfinished.

Can't the teacher give you any suggestions? That's good he can sit and read for an hour or more though and does suggest he has a long concentration span. Does he have lots of distractions at home like internet, TV, messages, facebook pages while he tries to work? If so, try and eliminate those things.

Does the fish oil really work Indigobell. I ask because my son (6) also struggles with attention and the situation described by the OP (faffing around during the homework) drives me to the end of my tether at times.

Would you recommend a particular brand or would any old cheapy supermarket cod liver ooil do?

OP, you are describing my DD to a tee. She has always had concentration problems and the omega 3/6 seemed to help when she started taking it (4 years ago), but I am not so sure now. OTOH, I am scared to stop giving it to her.
The school sort of suggested that she may have ADD without the H part, but it all went quiet on that front.
We are moving back to the UK in the summer, so I'll probably try to sort something out then.

I'd try the fish oil too, don't know whether it was just coincidence but my own DD and a friend'd child were noticeably calmer and more pleasant to live with after a couple of months on it. I used Tesco vitamins with omega-3.

I think omega fish oil really does work. Avoid cod liver oil but get any of the other omega fish oil products. The hard thing is getting your child to take it. They come in capsules and various flavoured syrups and also in oil which can be mixed into yoghurts. But get one made from fish not from seeds.

You might notice a difference straight away or it could take up to 3 months. If you see no difference after 3 months then it would be reasonable to assume it won't help your child.

It's a fairly safe, cheap and easy experiment to try....

You are describing my DS1 (aged 8) exactly! I have just this minute put a post on the behaviour/development board asking for suggestions. Our school is also as frustrated as we are as they know he is bright and could do better (his marks are in free fall at the moment) - he is already having extra maths and English after school (suggested and provided by the school) but haven't seen an improvement yet. We have limited TV/Wii time but the problems remain. HELP!

I give my ds2 rest breaks(mild dyspraxia)I tell him that he has to do an agreed number of questions as well as he can, then a break, then do the rest. I always make sure he does it on the night that he gets it so that the amount doesn't build up.
His teacher chivvys him along (quite firmly I think). This works well for him because she doesn't chastise him for not concentrating at all, but at the same time sets high standards and pushes him to do the work. Understanding that it is a real issue and not just laziness is the key I think.

op, I wouldnt say reading and toy soldiers are as intellectually demanding as schoolwork. So he probably doesnt have problems with attention as such (since he can read for an hour), but maybe he is struggling with work that he finds "difficult". Is there anything else he does in his free time that he enjoys but responds to in a similar way to his schoolwork eg a slightly too difficult jigsaw, lego technics etc?

Is it possible that he needs to relearn how to continue to focus even when things get difficult?

redcats - even children with very bad ADHD can concentrate on some things.

thank you indigo, I didnt realise that

From Wikepaedia:

Signs and symptoms

Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless doing something enjoyable

And here's a thread all about it....

You are describing my DS who is now in Yr 6 and approaching his SATs (capable but not engaged in academic work.....at the moment!)Ever since he started school we have used every tactic possible to motivate and inspire him to focus. We feel so helpless sitting in front of the teachers whilst they share their obvious frustration. Surely our children develop at different rates and paces. The curriculum is target driven and sadly so are the teachers. We have now decided to 'back off' because the pressure has proved too much and made our home into a battleground at times. It's been a difficult decision!!

Create you may have given birth to my ds2's twin! He is also 9 (Yr 5) and has exactly the same problems. Academically, he is probably middle of the class, could definitely be higher placed if he could only concentrate for more than 5 minutes and I am getting very concerned for him. It doesn't help that his teacher is frustrated with him and he is becoming aware of this. I think she is looking to me to solve the problem and I am looking to her to provide strategies (as he is spending most of his formal learning time in school) so we have kind of reached an impasse. I will be following this thread with interest!

Well here are they symptoms of ADHD-Inattentive so that you can rule that out:

Predominantly inattentive type symptoms may include:

* Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
* Have difficulty maintaining focus on one task
* Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless doing something enjoyable
* Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new or trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
* Not seem to listen when spoken to
* Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
* Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
* Struggle to follow instructions.

My DS,9, is in similar situation. He's just been assessed by speech therapist to see how he processes information and instructions as he often finds it hard to stay focussed. The assessment is a series of audio and visual tests and then observation in the classroom. We're waiting to find out the findings but early indications are that he finds it hard to hold more than two things in a list of instructions in his head, so gets flustered when trying to complete his schoolwork, or just drifts off into his own world. Put Lego in front of him though and he'll sit for hours absorbed with it! I also think there's a big element of not finding maths and literacy that interesting, whereas other subjects such as history, art and DT keep him interested and on task.

Maggie, seems like you've already sussed that your DS is just developing at his own pace and he is motivated by the things that interest him. I am genuinely concerned that the education system is expecting all our children to come out like little factory sausages...all exactly the same. Were we so aware of our development at their age? I can't recall this kind of pressure.
It seems that many of the children who seem to lack this concentration in the numeracy and literacy subjects are kinesthetic learners. Unless these children have Special Educational Needs then why not let them develop at their own pace just as they grow, talk and mature at different paces....it's called being an individual.Let them be children for as long as possible. There is enough pressure to look forward to in adult life??!!