Lack of concentration and following instructions in yr1 - how much of a problem?

[diplodocus]

REally looking for some advice from teachers or other parents. DD aged 6 is in yr 1, and the teachers have raised concerns that she cannot always remember and follow a series of instructions, and is easily distracted. They feel she is not working to her full potential. There were no real problems in yr R, which was very relaxed, whereas now she's in a much larger more formal class setting (28 children) with about a third year 1 children and the other two thirds yr 2 (small village school). Her reading is very good and written work fine, but she does struggle a bit with maths (although nothing worrying -maybe a bit below average). I've certainly noticed she works at a much higher level at home than school. At home we do need to repeat ourselves quite a few times to get her to do some things e.g. get dressed etc. but she has no problems with sequencing. She's lively and quite loud at home and can be willful and unco-operative but she's not particularly "naughty". She's quieter at school and there is no suggestion she's disruptive or naughty and socially she seems fine.
How much of a problem is this, and should I be worried about ADD or other processing issues? If so should I be pushing for SENCO input? Should I just wait and see for now? Do others have similar children who have just grown out of it?
She's quite sensitive and compares herself unfavourably to others so I certainly don't want to make a thing of it if I don't have to. Equally don't want to just stick my head in the sand if she needs support.
Have started with Omega oils and am trying to tackle her difficulties sleeping (often doesn't go to sleep until after 9.30 despite going to bed at 7.30 and staying there) as she's very tired which can't help.
Many thanks

She can concentrate very well at home of a range of tasks by the way - e.g. reading, drawing, puzzles, TV etc.

I'm sure you've thought of this- but have you done a hearing check? My daughter often ignored me - it drove me crazy - and wouldn't follow basic instructions. It turned out that she had 1) a tremendous amount of wax in one ear and 2) a possible small problem with one ear drum (doctor has sent us to investigate).
don't need to shout nearly so much after ear wax remeoval and she follows instructions much better. i was particularly worried about her starting school as the classroom is much bigger and noisier than the nursery and i thought that she might be in an auditory fog.

my child also brilliant at concentrating - wonder if it's partly because she finds it easier to block out extraneous sounds?

My first suggestion would be a detailed hearing check to rule out physical problems but the fact she can concentrate at home on things she likes/is good at doesn't rule out an attention problem.

How long have you been on Omega, and which one are you on?

Thanks for the responses. I'd be very surprised if it was hearing - she seems to have extremely acute hearing when she wants to, and has had no problems with ear infections etc. Her speech has also always been extremely good and clear - however will bear this in mind and discuss with GP. Thanks for suggestion
Mrz - Thanks for your reply. I know that being able to concentrate at home doesn't necessarily rule out an attention problem - the teacher hasn't said anything in so many words but I do feel there's a subtext. The reason I'm trying to get other's thoughts is because I know the teacher has also said something similar about two other children in her year (so out of 9 children, although I obviously wasn't there so can't be sure whether the concerns were worded in the same way. I'm trying to work out whether the teacher's expectations are a bit high, or indeed my DD does have a problem - or a bit of both.
Indigo - we've only just started Omega (less than a week) so not expecting to see any changes yet. We're using the IQ liquid.

If you think it isn't hearing then I would ask for a meeting with the school to discuss their concerns and see what they suggest is the best way to help your daughter.

Mrz - I've already had this last week. It was a bit vague - they suggested I practice giving her series of instructions which I will do, and also suggested how I can help her at maths, which again I will do. What I found very difficult to pin down, despite asking explicitly was whether they thought this was a significant, long-standing problem, or something she would grow out of. Maybe of course they aren't able to tell themselves.

Did you speak to the SENCO?

I'm not an expert or anything but she sounds very much like my year 1 dd and many of her friends. I have to ask mine at least 4 times to get dressed. If she's in a class with yr 2 children - could the teacher be comparing her to those - a bit unreasonably? I don't know. It's v difficult to know what's going on there all day. I think I'd be asking for specific examples at this point.

and what are they going to do in school?

Please do get her referred for a hearing test, it's painless and quick and a significant proportion of children of this age have undiagnosed hearing problems (glue ear, not permanent deafness) which really impacts on their lives and behaviour.
In many parts of the Uk you can self refer..get the number for your local audiometry service from GP or HV

If the school are concerned enough to mention it there is a problem which could impact on her learning and progress

Mrz - no they didn't mention involving the SENCO, but I think I'll ask to have another meeting that includes her. The SENCO takes quite a few lessons for that class so will know her already without having to do a formal assessment. They didn't really say they would do anything at school - just put the ball in our court really with the suggestion of what we can to to try to improve her ability to follow instructions. We're having another meeting after half term, and I think I'll ask then for SENcO involvement.

Timetosmile - I'll get her hearing tested. Thanks.
psketti - I do wonder this as she seems quite normal when I talk to other mothers, but obviously don't know what happens in school. She gave one example which did sound a bit of a problem - she was unable to repeat back instructions for a piece of work they'd been asked to do. However, if she's stressed she tends to say "I don't know" when questioned, and she's quite scared of the teacher so there's a part of me that wonders if this is contributing.

As a SENCO I wouldn't do any formal assessments but I would probably observe her in class and look at samples of her work.

I wouldn't imagine the teacher would mention it/be concerned if it was just a single incident

mrz - no it's not a single incident - that's just the example she gave when I asked for one. I'll certainly ask for a meeting with the SENCO.

Maybe your DD's goal oriented behaviour is still developing.

You can work on this by involving her in choosing things to do and then planning to do them. Lots of 'if we want x (eg to make a cake) what will we have to do?' or 'we need to do a then b then c to get to d (instructions to make a sandwich)' etc.

Attention/ inhibition/ working memory/ goal oriented behaviour problems are all exectutive functioning difficulties and IMO develop at different rates in different children and can be worked on and supported.

That's interesting EBD - will try that. Can you suggest anything I could read about this?

Link to wiki

Thanks!

Activities to develop listening and attention skills

Listening to sounds on CD ? there are commercial materials available, or you can make your own. Ask the pupils to listen to a sound and do a specific activity.
Sound bingo ? listening to sounds on CD and covering the correct picture.
Sound walk ? listening for different sounds they head on a walk, then using these to paint a picture or compose a group poem.
Simon says ? listen carefully for specific instructions and then do the actions.
Share reading ? using big books to help focus attention on the visual cues.
Circle-time activities ? when one child is speaking they could hold a listening shell, which means that everyone else (including the adults) must listen to what they say.
Story CDs ? listening-centre activities can include listening to story CDs interspersed with activities related to the text.
Who am I? ? miming activities can be related to a classroom topic (story characters, occupations, people in the school).
Parachute activities ? pupils need to listen carefully to the instructions in order ot be part of a team activity.
Messages ? ask the pupils to recall simple messages.
Chinese whispers ? pass an action message round the circle. The last pupil to receive the message has to perform the action.
Listen and colour ? colour a picture by listening to the instructions.
Listen and draw ? draw a picture by listening to the isntructions (there are some published materials for this).
Twenty questions ? allow the pupils twenty questions to discover the identity of a hidden object related to a class project. Pupils need to listen carefully to make deductions.
Hot-seating ? one pupil chooses to be a particular story character and sits in the 'hot seat'. The other pupils ask questions to discover the identity of the character. This works well for all ages, from Little Red Riding Hood to Romeo.

Activites to help develop memory

Kim?s game Place 4, 5 or 6 items on a tray and remove one at a time while the child closes their eyes. They must then tell you what is missing. Increase the number of items as appropriate.
Matching pairs Place picture, letter or number cards face down on the table − children must take turns to turn over two at a time and collect matching pairs.
Look at a picture for 30 seconds (or longer) and then describe what was on it/answer questions about it.
Play ?I went to market and I bought/ I packed my suitcase and put in?? etc.
Repeat nursery rhymes, poems, songs, drum beats, number sequences.
Arrange coloured counters, toy cars, beads in a certain order or pattern; cover with cloth and ask child to duplicate the formation.
Practise a simple dance sequence or action rhyme.

Most of the books available are geared to older children but search for Lyn Meltzer on Amazon.

The Tools of the Mind curriculum is based on developing exective functioning in younger children- books also available on amazon.

Following directions 1 ? in the classroom (eg. 'Come and sit on the carpet'. 'Line up by the door').
Simon says ? using body movements (eg. 'Stand on one leg', 'Raise one arm').
Following directions 2 ? during PE, games and other physical activities.
Following instructions 1 ? using possessives (eg. 'Put the book on my table').
Following instructions 2 ? using adjectives (eg. 'Pick up the red ball).
Following instructions 3 ? using the language of time (eg. 'you can go out to play after you have put the toys away').
Listen and colour ? eg. 'Colour the big fish red and the little fish green.'
Yes or no ? true or false statements (eg. 'A pig can fly. A fish can swim.')
Sense or nonsense 1 ? ask pupils to listen and identify the sentence that makes sense.

mrz's activities all sound excellent