Any body got a child with add, audio processing problems, or hearing problems. Could use some advice?

Question

Ok my son seems to not hear you until u yell or speak loudly unless hes already focused on you then you can whisper and he can hear you. and he says second grade is to hard. his teacher says he looks to the other kids for directions and if u say get in line he sits there acts like he don't hear you or other times he gets up and goes the other direction. hes not doing good he does have a speech problem and he seems to be in another world at times. is this anything your kids go thur. he never talked til he was 2 then he went to speach classes where he learned to talk. he had a ld test and hes got a pretty good iq his reading score is 18 word per minute. what could be the problem. thanks for any advice.

Answer 1

MY CHILD IS 9 YEARS OLD AND HAS THIS PROBLEM WE HAVE DONE IT ALL AND ARE STILL WORKING ON AN OUT COME FOR HIM.THE VERY FIRST THING YOU NEED TO DO IS TAKE HIM TO THE EAR DOCTOR FOR A HEARING TEST THEN THEY WILL SEND HIM TO AN AUDIOLOGIST TO HAVE HIS HEARING TESTED IN THE SOUND PROOF BOX. THIS WILL LET YOU KNOW IF THERE IS A HEARING PROBLEM. YOU NEED TO SEE WHERE THEY TEST FOR APD IN YOUR AREA IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO GET IN AND YOUR CHILD HAS TO BE 8.WE ARE STILL TRYING TO GET MY SON TESTED WE HAVE BEEN TRYING SINCE 2005.  WE HAVE HAD HIM TESTED FOR ADD, IQ, LEARNING DISABILITY'S, HEARING, EYES,LANGUAGE. YOU NAME IT  WE HAVE DONE IT AND ARE STILL DOING ALL WE CAN TO COME UP WITH THE RIGHT HELP. THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS KEEP COPY'S OF EVERY THING THE DOCTORS GIVE YOU THE SCHOOL GIVES YOU. THE SCHOOL HAS TO BY LAW HELP YOU HELP HIM. SO HAVE THEM TEST HIM GET HIM A 504 PLAN AND GO FROM THERE. GOOD LUCK YOU WILL NEED IT BECAUSE THE SCHOOL AND SOME DOCTORS WILL NOT TAKE THE TIME TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. DON'T GIVE UP YOU ARE HELPING YOUR CHILD,IF NOT YOU THEN WHO?

Answer 2

some of it may be hearing problems but it sounds like alot of it is daydreaming.  my ADD son does the same thing.  and until i threatened to take away all his privileges he would not do his work cause he was daydreaming and not paying attention.  it took time but he knows i mean what i say now and he pays attention.

Good luck. and be patient with him.

Answer 3

Talk to your pediatrician. Have a hearing test done, which your child's doctor will recommend. My son had a slight hearing problem, and come to find out he needed tubes put in his ears. He's fine now. That may have something to do with his speech also, he's not hearing the words correctly. It will make you feel better once you have gotten this checked out.

Answer 4

You need to take your son to a developmental specialist through your local State health department or other developmental services program for evaluation by a occupational therapist who will be able to determine areas of deficits that impact on him.  I would also have him evaluated by a developmental occulist, not just a regular eye doctor.  His hearing needs a full range of testing, not just what the school days.

You said he had speech therapy and maybe he continues to need that support.

I expect you aware that by Federal law he should be offered speech and language therapy free through school as well as other developmental supports.  And, at the IEP you require that the school pay for summer education that will help him plus those therapies.

ADD is a very treatable diagnosis but requires consistent and long-term intervention by a variety of people outside the classroom.  Surprisingly music therapy, which uses the other side of the brain, helps.  That could be singing or playing an instrument.  And video games also have had good impact, especially those that have music and multiple events to monitor.

Because your son has issues in hearing and reading in no way reflects on his intellegence.  In fact many people believe that kids (and adults) with ADD have a higher than average intellegence, observe many things at once but have problems processing and limiting their scope of observation and task.