10 year old boy concentration problem.?

Question

My 10 year old boy is very bright and loves to make up stories, do art and be active. He is a wonderful boy but he can't seem to concentrate. I have talked to him about it and he says that "No matter how hard I try I end up being distracted." I help him do his homework, but I can tell he is thinking of different things than his homework. I'm confused because he is also gifted. Can a child be gifted and also have a learning disability? What advice do you have so he can concentrate better?

Answer 1

Yes, a child can most deffinetly be gifted as well as have a learning disability. My brother, who is now doing very well in school , was diagnosed with ADD after being in the Gifted stream for four years. A large majority of gifted students have one of multiple learning disabilities regarding concentration . You can talk to your docter as well as a school guidence councellor about testing for ADD or ADHD and working around the problem.

Some of the main things that will help improve concentration include regularity and goals. If you set a time, place and schedule as to Homework , the routine will help him stay concentrated. You can also set goals and awards for completing the tasks.

Good Luck :D

Answer 2

You may want to talk to his doctor.  Also, check out support at his school.  Public schools offer lots of support for kids, even if he doesn't have a learning disability.  Making sure he gets plenty of rest at night, and stays active during the day will help too.  Where he sits in the classroom could make it or break it.  Sometimes too when there is so many creative ideas flowing in a child's mind it is constantly more exciting than the task at hand.  I see this so much!  Let him keep writing creative stories in his free time.  This will help get the ideas out.  These are great qualities, it sounds like your son is wonderful:)

Answer 3

I can relate to your problem. Attention or concentration problem may not necessarily be because of ADD or ADHD, so please be careful before you allow anyone to label your son to be one.

I suggest that you take your son to a paedtrician first. He or she can recommend specific tests that needs to be carried out and recommend the child to be seen to by a specialist in learning problems. Some of these tests could be hearing, eye test (including colour), sleep study, some cognitive test etc.

I went through this path with my son and with the help of three paediatricians with different specialist areas we were able to pin it down. If I had listened to others and believed what I read based on the symptoms my son was exhibiting, I would have labelled him an ADD or ADHD child as well. And it wasn't.

It's important that as you go through this journey, you work with your son's school principal and school teacher. Keep them updated with the results and seek their assistance to support your child in learning.

It was a nerve-racking 12 months for me.  And whilst it was very exhausting and financially draining for a bit, it was worthwhile.

Explain to your son why these tests are being done as well. He needs to be reassured so he won't be intimidated by the process and not think that he's not "normal".

The paedtricians might also include a child psychologist in this process as what was done with us. It was really good because the psychologist helped my son to make sense of what was going on.

Good luck!

Answer 4

alot of parents prefer to call this add or adhd- I on the other hand call it a nutrition deficiency most often of magnesium- i have found that by getting my sons magnesium levels regulated he is so much easier to deal with, listens better and focuses!  There is a wonderful product that you can find at most health food stores or at any holistic or homeopathic doctors office and it is called Kids Calm- it is magnesium and zinc in the form of a powder - i just mix a tsp with a tsp of water and give this to him every night with his meal- i went without this for 2 weeks and after the first week I was almost crazy it really does make a difference in my childrens behavior and it is all natural - plus with the zinc - they have an immunity booster so no more runny noses! i have a 2 year old and a 5 year old they love this- it tastes like a citrus fizz- hope this helps- by the way the maker of this product is Peter Gillihan he has alot of great all natural products for health maintenence.

Answer 5

Does he watch a lot of tv or play video games? Both of those things can cause a person to have poor concentration. You can try limiting those things to see if it has an effect.

Here are some studies:

http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newssto...

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/tva...

Answer 6

He has no LEARNING DISABILITY....He was just having hyperactivity..as long as he could understand his lessons in school, dispite the fact the he couldn't pay much attention, there's nothing much to worry about....just go to your doctor and let your child have his behavioral assestment...ask for techniques that could help you to deal with your child's condition...relax....think positive....LOVE and UNDERSTANDING will helps a lot for your child....Don't worry, i could gave you advices like this because , I do have a HYPERACTIVE SON!!!!!too.......

discipline him with a gentle hand.. a very soulful heart...and  words with full of wisdoms!!!!!

children with hyperactivity really can't concentrate better, but , encouragement and self-discipline will help them to cope up with this attention span problem......you yourself could surf the net to research for more information about your child's situation. you can find ways in how to deal with this case.

Answer 7

Change his diet. Get him off all junk and processed foods.... get him on complex carbs, fruit, veggies and good lean protein,  it will take about 3 weeks to notice the difference.

Answer 8

#1  He has Attention Deficit Disorder

#2  He is too advanced in what the teacher is teaching to the class

Solution:  Get a CORE done by the Public schools and they will tell you which one it is.

Answer 9

Yes they can. That is exactually how I am. Like I can be so good in dancing and singing, but in math I just go blank. It's like my mind goes into another world. Just keep working with him.

Answer 10

My sister had that, its called something, but i frogot. Anyways there is a special pill you take, Talk to your dotor about it.

Answer 11

I would definitely get him assessed for ADHD.  My son sounds just like your son.  He is very smart and fun.  So, when his homework was an issue, it confounded us at first, because we knew he was smart enough to do the work.  We had him assessed for ADHD.  He has what they call mild ADHD.  Once we got the medicine straightened out, along with some help on how to incent him to focus, its like a different kid.  I know people sometimes wonder if ADHD is "real", etc.  I'll give you an example that helped me know we were doing the right thing.  Just yesterday, my son was totally struggling with homework.  It was so strange to me, because its been so long since it was a struggle.  As I was cleaning up as he was doing his homework, I noticed that his ADHD medicine had fallen on the floor (from the morning). It was an AHA moment.

Answer 12

WOW you just described my son....I don't wanna put a label on your son but have you considered ADHD? I know that alot pf people get pissed when that is suggested but sometimes you have to face the facts. Yes it is over diagnosed but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And most ADHA kids are geniuses!!!My son has an amazing imagination and is very smart. The reason he is doing poorly in school isn't because he is unintelligent it's because he is bored.

The amazing thing about kids with ADHD is there is an amazing tool out there that you can buy anywhere, for as little as a dollar, at any grocery store that will put the concentration back into his little brain....I call it CAFFEINE. Kids that are over active have the wiring a little backwards in their head, I am the same way. Caffeine calms me down and helps me concentrate. It's a great harmless little test to do for your son. Give him 4 oz of coffee with Milk and Sugar on the weekend..that way if he get's a little jazzed you can control it by sending his butt outside. But you will know within a few minutes if it's working. Of course this should never be substituted for a Doctors opinion. But it's a great alternative to medications. I'm sure that i will get alot of negative feedback from other members on here but this is just my opinion and what I know to work.

Answer 13

Einstien had a learning disablity. Push him to focus but when he finds what he likes to do, encourage him.

Answer 14

What you are describing is NOT a learning disability (though yes, a gifted child can have a learning disability).

You need to get on this quickly with him - make schedules for him at home, he needs guidelines for all kinds of things, so he knows that when work is done, he has free time to pursue more 'dreamy' options.

Also, have him use a homework book and talk to the teacher about using this - so you know what he needs to have done each day, when tests are, etc., and he'll feel better about having short term goals.

I've been through this - though we got it on track a little earlier. That didn't mean the work for us as parents stopped, either.

If he's a bright boy as you say, he will understand if you talk to him gently about his responsibilities, and what is appropriate to do when. You don't want to crush or delay his creativity - but USE it to everyone's advantage - both at home and at school.