Worried about DS2 after parent's evening - concentration issues

[Loueytb3]

So DS2 is Yr4. He's an immature child, but very bright. We've always had comments that he can take a while to start a task but generally once he starts he is ok. Also we generally get told that he doesn't write enough but the content is good.

His report came home last night and it highlighted his poor concentration, he has to be told several times to start things, or sit down when the rest of the class has already. He always has his head in a book but often should be doing what the teacher tells him and hasn't been listening properly.

Parent's evening today. His class teacher reiterated what she had said in the report and also that his concentration has got worse this year and is significantly worse than other children.

He doesn't listen to us at home and will just carry on what he is doing when asked to do something else. Hearing does not appear to be an issue. He sucks his thumb a lot (despite all my attempts to get him to stop) and despite telling us that he didn't do it at school, his teacher said today he does it a lot in class. How he hasn't been bullied yet, I have no idea.

We are due to see a paediatrician in the next couple of weeks because he hasn't grown much in the past 18 months and is very underweight. His appetite is very hit and miss (for example yesterday, during the school day he only ate a yoghurt). He also doesn't drink much. None of this is going to help his concentration. But I am at my wits end because I don't know how to handle it, and it is driving us up the wall.

Any advice gratefully received! DH thinks it will improve over time but it's getting the stage where it is a real problem.

I'm not sure how the teacher expects you to fix the issue in school.

However, make sure he's getting enough sleep
Make sure he's drinking more.

At home, touch him, make eye contact and then tell him what he needs to be doing

I definitely think he needs to see the paediatric service though and I would get his sight and hearing checked.

It may be he's just a dreamer but better to get this checked out now.

I don't know either, that's the problem.

He sleeps reasonably ok, usually in bed before 8pm, apart from one night when he has cubs when it's nearer 9pm. Drinking is a real issue at school as he refuses to drink water. I now hide apple squash in his water bottle but often he comes home having drunk very little.

I think its more likely he is a dreamer than his hearing is an issue but I guess the paediatrician may well suggest we get it checked anyway. His maths teacher says that sometimes he looks as though he's in his own world when she is giving instructions and he can be slow to start working but then when he does, he does it at twice the speed of the other children. Similarly, his writing contains everything he should (most of the time) but is too short. He seems to manage to cram in metaphors, adjectives, subjunctive clauses etc in three sentences whereas everyone else writes a page.