Is daydreaming a problem

[mystery]

Oh dear - a year of disaster teacher. I can sympathise as I have years of this behind and in front of me. There will be many in the class with the fidgets by the end of the year.

[talea51]

Oh dear - a year of disaster teacher. I can sympathise as I have years of this behind and in front of me. There will be many in the class with the fidgets by the end of the year.

I am just hoping that she will be different with dd2 than she was with dd1. Dd1 lacks social boundaries, she can be very blunt. For instance she told this teacher in front of the entire class that she has misspelled February. To say the teacher wasn't delighted is an understatement. dd2 wouldn't dream of doing that, so perhaps she and this teacher will rub along better...

The thing is that she is a very experienced teacher, she's just quite inflexible and not willing to listen nor to admit that she may be wrong.

[mystery]

Oh goodness. How many adults, let alone teachers, expect 8 year olds to be tactful in that way. Why did she spell February incorrectly anyhow?

Like you say though, it will hopefully all work out better than you think. But there should be a long way between receiving an add / ADHD diagnosis and being medicated. Ther should be a lot of teaching techniques tried out before that.

Does your school push for the medication route?

Was parents' evening useful?

[talea51]

Thank you all for your replies. Sometimes it's very difficult to distinguish what is normal childhood behaviour and what is something that requires a bit more intervention.

dd's teacher does seem to feel that she spends more time with the fairies than is perhaps "normal" and that it doesn't seem to be a deliberate thing on her part, just something that happens. She felt that it's not appropriate to take it further at this stage but if things get worse, then she said she would recommend having dd assessed.

I've done a lot of reading around this area and I think that there may be some simple things that we can try with dd before we do anything else.

First of all, a reward system for persevering with her work despite it being boring. Dd is very keen to do the work but a few minutes after she has started she's in la la land and getting nothing done.

Secondly, setting time limits on her work and splitting it up. We'll start with small chunks I think and then see if we can get her to gradually increase the amount of time she can concentrate.

Thirdly, getting her to bed earlier. Somehow her bedtime has slipped and slipped and she now goes to bed at 8:30 which I think is probably too late for a 7 year old. She seems to like about 12 hours of sleep (at least that is what she sleeps on the weekends) so I am going to move her bedtime back a bit and see if that helps her.

I have also bought her omega 3, 6 and 9 supplements. She doesn't like fish so doesn't eat any which means she is probably lacking in omega vits in any case and even if they don't help, they won't harm her.

If anyone has any other suggestions as to what we can do to help her, I am very keen to hear them.

Thanks!

[southbucks3]

Sounds like you have a plan T51

I also started watching short, half hour documentaries with ds3 (the one who's teacher drew his window curtains) these can be found on you tube, or discovery channel. They are not as exciting as kids telly, and obviously have a lot more information to absorb. He definitely improved his concentration and listening, and now often absorbs information read to him like a sponge, unless it is out of context. The downside is that he can now tell us the make up and dimensions of guard hairs on polar bears, the reason stars orbit planets, or how to make a cast of an ant hill, but still does not know the order of the months. dh has upped the game now he is older, and finds radio programmes to share with him, no visual stimulus, so even more concentration required.

Sadly it was too late for ds1 by the time we learnt these tricks, but he is getting a little bit better too, I promise...

Oh, also remembered...judo! The junior courses, as taught by British judo, require lots of concentration in deed. They actually incorporate games which insist on concentration, such as moving the right limb, moving to the correct coloured mat, etc etc. Judo is a sport that demands you concentrate thoroughly on your partner, one lapse and you are basically flat on your back!

[talea51]

Sounds like you have a plan T51

I also started watching short, half hour documentaries with ds3 (the one who's teacher drew his window curtains) these can be found on you tube, or discovery channel. They are not as exciting as kids telly, and obviously have a lot more information to absorb. He definitely improved his concentration and listening, and now often absorbs information read to him like a sponge, unless it is out of context. The downside is that he can now tell us the make up and dimensions of guard hairs on polar bears, the reason stars orbit planets, or how to make a cast of an ant hill, but still does not know the order of the months. dh has upped the game now he is older, and finds radio programmes to share with him, no visual stimulus, so even more concentration required.

Sadly it was too late for ds1 by the time we learnt these tricks, but he is getting a little bit better too, I promise...

Oh, also remembered...judo! The junior courses, as taught by British judo, require lots of concentration in deed. They actually incorporate games which insist on concentration, such as moving the right limb, moving to the correct coloured mat, etc etc. Judo is a sport that demands you concentrate thoroughly on your partner, one lapse and you are basically flat on your back!

Both my dd's love Nat Geo channels and Animal Planet, they watch loads of documentaries so that's interesting to hear. We do audio books in the car, but I might also look for audio documentaries. My girls love a documentary.

What you have said about Judo is very interesting. I might look into that for dd2...

Thank you

[mystery]

OOh please can you suggest some documentaries on You Tube? I'm hopeless at this kind of thing and we don't have Nat Geo or Discovery Channel --- I buy some cheap non-fiction DVDs from the garden centre from time to time but some of them are extremely boring (and it's not just the children who think that --- really bad ones).

[southbucks3]

Mystery....both discovery channel and history channel are on you tube with many full length episodes. My boys do tend towards the grisley, so I will not inflict their faves on your delicate little flowers.

[mystery]

Delicate little flowers - if only! No please tell me their favourites - think it will work a treat. And never knew all that was on You Tube .

[southbucks3]

Think vlad the impaler on discovery channel history...very graphic sequence on how to impale, hernan cortez and Aztecs ripping out hearts, Roman gladiators and I particularly hated a scene on decimating (i had remained innocent to its true meaning until I had kids). Ds3 prefers anything nature, particularly oceans, but again he does like to learn about a shark attack, or death by sting ray. Ds1 loves documentaries on new materials and inventions. They all bore me silly, I prefer architecture. Lots and lots there to browse through, though the reproduction quality is sometimes fuzzy.

You have to watch with them, so you can ask them tricky questions and make sure they were concentrating, so choose something you like. As I am completely outnumbered I have given up, it tends to be me in la la land!