Hi, I'm very worried about my 6.5yo son. He sometimes has zero attention span and unable to follow the simplest requests. Asking him to put his shoes on can often result in 10 requests, yelling, tears and after all that his shoes still not on! I've always thought he was a "deep thinker" and he's often called a "dreamer" but I think it's more than that. He's not a naughty kid but just seems to really struggle with listening and/or any kind of focus at times. I know 6yo boys are not known great listeners but he is next level. My gut tells me there is something going on but i don't even know where to start! He doesn't get in trouble at school but he is falling behind work wise and i'm worried that will only get worse if i don't find some ways to help.
4 Replies
OP here - i should note he has done a standard hearing test and all clear
Get a referal for a paediatrician. He could have ADHD since you mentioned attention span issues. My son was diagnosed with ADHD at 2, for having literally no attention span. He was always rushing, loud, forgetful, and impulsive to name a few things. He would also zone out and get easily distracted. He's 15 now and still has ADHD but it has settled down and gotten so much better, as it can do when they get older. Some children 'can' actually grow out of it somewhat. He still has episodes of it but he has learned with many years of therapy how to focus on his behaviour , especially in group settings.
Starting behavioral therapy ( and sometimes even medication) early is a big factor to how they adjust and prepare as tweens , teens, and adults . The wait list for pediatricians are long ( unless you have PHC ) so get in with a referral ASAP.
He may not even have ADHD, sensory processing disorder, Austism or any real issues anyway, but you won't know unless you take him for assessment as a lot of these conditions overlap and may look like one thing,
even though they are actually another. Or it may be nothing at all but a child being a regular 6 year old. It might all just be his personality and nothing to do with his brain function. Get him seen though so you get to the bottom of what, if anything anyway, it actually is.
you start with a paediatrician. As a parent I’d be looking at ADD (non hyperactive)
Sounds like inattentive Adhd - follow Olwen forker of backchat speech pathology. She’s an expert in the field.