Would this combination of behaviours flag anything to you?

[ADHDorjust10]

A brief summary of behaviours. Would this flag any sort of neurodiversity to you?

-10 year old boy, year 5

-Performing well-ish academically. Top sets. Messy handwriting and very poor drawing skills (that of average 6 year old). Exceptional general knowledge

-Reading age of 16- vocabulary and comprehension

-Poor attention span at home. No interest in sit down play such as Lego, marble run, building, puzzles, drawing, writing

-Spends free time playing imaginary games in head, walking on treadmill, reading or easy games on tablet

-No friends and awkward around children of own age

-Enjoys company of adults

-Forgetful and messy

-Very anxious about timings. I.e.not being late or missing transport

• fidgets constantly. Like a coiled spring all the time

• A lot of energy but limited ability in sport, no interest in competitive sport

-Obsessed with one TV programme at a time, i.e a documentary.

• Lack of interest in joining clubs/ activities at school.

-Stable family life. Not an only child.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

He seems to have a degree of dyspraxia or DCD (Delayed Coordination Disorder). This can go together with other neurodiversity disorders, like ADHD and ASD. Have you talked to your SENCO or GP? DCD on its own can already account for a lot of your observations, e.g. it's really hard to fit in with other kids when one is not sporty, it's been the bane of my ds existence.

Thank you so much for getting back to me. This is an idea I will explore. He has no issues riding a bike or scooting, and isn't overly clumsy, but definitely struggles with hand eye coordination. His school haven't raised anything with me, and said they would monitor his handwriting, but it may be worth pushing more as he moves into year 6. I'm mostly concerned about his lack of connection with other children. He's very talkative and chatty with them, but just can't seem to find a friend he bonds with. It's almost like he's too innocent to understand other's intentions or that children will be malicious for fun. He certainly doesn't have much in common with the obvious interests of his age group like football and gaming.
He seems happy and told me he doesn't need friends, but I wonder how much of that is a defence mechanism and that actually he would really like a buddy.

It's heartbreaking when our children don't seem to fit in. When I was his age, I did however genuinely prefer daydreaming on my own to company, so he might genuinely be OK. Transition to secondary school is difficult though for everyone, and it's often a time that shows whether someone is 'quirky' and content or severely struggles with neurodiversity, so being prepared, observant and supportive during that time is surely a good thing.

I would start by speaking to the SENCO.

Has the school put in place any support already?

@StrivingForSleep

No support offered by school, though as I say, they don't see an issue as he is as good as gold at school and puts all his effort into listening and learning. We don't have any emotional meltdowns or similar, as I think a lot of his worries are locked away so as not to appear difficult/ so he presents as more mature than he is.

The school should still be providing support. For example, they could try a laptop, support with social interaction, movement breaks, support with co-ordination…