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my 11 year old wont stay on task
For Years the complaint from all my daughters teachers is that she does not stay on task in class and does not comprehend her school work at all she's getting F's and being moved on by this ridiculous school. I asked her if she could please sit still in class and she said " I cant Mom every time I try my leg twitches and it makes me mad.." Her Teacher wants her to keep her hand on the desk but she also says that is really hard for her to do. does anyone know what this is? she's been tested for ADHD and the results were that she did not have that so if you know what I can do to help her please message me
This discussion is related to 11 year old can't stay focused .
This discussion is related to 11 year old can't stay focused .
Has your daughter been checked out if she has dyspraxia? Dyspraxia is to do with the part of the brain that deals with co-ordination.
Apraxia (also called Dyspraxia) is believed to stem from disorders in the parietal lobes of the brain.
In the classroom, students with Dyspraxia have unique needs. While they generally receive information well and understand instruction, they cannot effectively demonstrate what they have learned. This leads to a great deal of frustration for students.
Children with this condition have difficulty in sitting still and concentrating on what is going on and they are very easily distracted.
Other symptoms of dyspraxia are falling or being clumsy. If her handwriting is "all over the place", that could also be due to this condition.
There is no cure for dyspraxia, but children are given certain tasks like threading beads, tying shoe laces, have a shaped pencil to help to hold the pencil to help with writing to help with co-ordination skills and of course would be given better support once it is recognised that the child does require that extra help.
As your daughter has been having F grades, I feel she needs further diagnosing to establish the root of the problem.
The twitching may be due to involuntary muscle spasms. She may feel anxious and this could be a nervous thing. She may be lacking in magnesium in her diet. Make sure that she has a good and healthy balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and that she drinks plenty of fluids, milk, water, juices so that she does not get dehydrated.
I only got to know about Dyspraxia last year.
Ask the school to refer your daughter or your doctor to refer your daughter to the appropriate medical team to assess her properly. People have different degrees of this disorder, some may have it mild, some more severe.
I would also send a note to the teacher explaining that your daughter has difficulty in keeping her arm up on her desk that she does have problems doing certain things and for the teacher not to make her do what is uncomfortable for her.
It appears that there is a problem that has not been identified yet and the sooner it is the better for your child so that she can get the help she needs to be able to do well in her school work.
Let me know how things go.
Best wishes.
Apraxia (also called Dyspraxia) is believed to stem from disorders in the parietal lobes of the brain.
In the classroom, students with Dyspraxia have unique needs. While they generally receive information well and understand instruction, they cannot effectively demonstrate what they have learned. This leads to a great deal of frustration for students.
Children with this condition have difficulty in sitting still and concentrating on what is going on and they are very easily distracted.
Other symptoms of dyspraxia are falling or being clumsy. If her handwriting is "all over the place", that could also be due to this condition.
There is no cure for dyspraxia, but children are given certain tasks like threading beads, tying shoe laces, have a shaped pencil to help to hold the pencil to help with writing to help with co-ordination skills and of course would be given better support once it is recognised that the child does require that extra help.
As your daughter has been having F grades, I feel she needs further diagnosing to establish the root of the problem.
The twitching may be due to involuntary muscle spasms. She may feel anxious and this could be a nervous thing. She may be lacking in magnesium in her diet. Make sure that she has a good and healthy balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and that she drinks plenty of fluids, milk, water, juices so that she does not get dehydrated.
I only got to know about Dyspraxia last year.
Ask the school to refer your daughter or your doctor to refer your daughter to the appropriate medical team to assess her properly. People have different degrees of this disorder, some may have it mild, some more severe.
I would also send a note to the teacher explaining that your daughter has difficulty in keeping her arm up on her desk that she does have problems doing certain things and for the teacher not to make her do what is uncomfortable for her.
It appears that there is a problem that has not been identified yet and the sooner it is the better for your child so that she can get the help she needs to be able to do well in her school work.
Let me know how things go.
Best wishes.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Good posts above.
How long ago was the testing done for ADHD and who did the testing? Was a questionnaire used and sent both home and to the teacher?
I should also note that girls are many times overlooked because they have ADD, not the hyperactive ADHD. Good information on ADD here - http://www.help4adhd.org/about/what/WWK8
How long ago was the testing done for ADHD and who did the testing? Was a questionnaire used and sent both home and to the teacher?
I should also note that girls are many times overlooked because they have ADD, not the hyperactive ADHD. Good information on ADD here - http://www.help4adhd.org/about/what/WWK8
My son has sensory integration disorder and we deal with those twitches as well. One thing that helps is a 'stress ball' or hand fidget. Our teachers keep a basket of them and passes out a few during the day including any kids that might need them. Movement breaks can also really help. My son actually needs to move in order to clear his head at times. This is more common than you think! There have been studies done about the classic classroom set up and that not all kids have an easy time with it. Something else that greatly helps my son is an active diet of what they call 'heavy work' which is an occupational therapy term for activities that soothe and calm the nervous system. These include things like swimming, jumping on a trampoline, any muscle work like push ups, wall push ups, lifting a light weight, etc. Hanging from monkey bars, swinging, walking up and down hills, riding a bike, etc. All of these activities have a calming affect on the nervous system and help my son sit still.
So, what's YOUR thought? When you work with her on things and home, what is she like? How does she do?
So, what's YOUR thought? When you work with her on things and home, what is she like? How does she do?
I really wouldn't want to second guess this issue. My first thought was ADHD but this was ruled out. I would have her evaluated by her pediatrician to determine what he/she thinks and go from there. Has the school made any recommendations? Has she been evaluated by the school counselor? Certainly, the school must have an opinion.
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