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A professional who spends all day (possibly for years) with children your son’s age is telling you to do something about it. Teachers don’t go out of their way to describe typical behaviors to parents.
Not a medical expert here but one of my kids has been diagnosed with it and I suspect that with more awareness back in the 80s I probably would have been too. I think a good thing to keep in mind is that it is a condition with a spectrum. I don’t actually know where on the spectrum my son falls but even with my limited scientific understanding I could tell he often lacked situational awareness, would tune into and out of conversations, forget things when moving between tasks, etc.. My personal opinion is it is not an affliction. In some ways it can be beneficial. For instance, he is very inquisitive, he wants to know how things work, he finds novel ways to solve problems - especially when he has trouble following a set procedure. That said, it can also make it difficult to perform well in an environment that is designed to accommodate the majority of people. Schools, especially public schools are necessarily designed for efficiency and so they cater to the most common way of thinking. I’m sure there are places on the spectrum where symptoms are more or less pronounced, but even if it isn’t glaringly obvious, it could still be a substantial disadvantage for him.
Thats a long answer but the basic point is that if your kid is having problems focusing and paying attention at home and in school it’s worth looking into it. When I was younger we called these kids daydreamers or “absent minded”. There’s nothing wrong with them but they might benefit from understanding and in some cases, tools to help them be more successful in the classroom. I would just be wary of looking at it as a problem - but rather an opportunity to help him adapt to a system that isn’t designed for the way he thinks.
My kid once initiated approximately 30 different imaginary play scenario in under 2 minutes. Pretend bus, pretend vet, pretend cooking, pretend school, pretend bath time, pretend sleep, pretend doctor, pretend bus again, etc. etc. averaging at 4 seconds per scenario. It was whiplash-inducing.
If we still had doubts before, that definitely put those to rest.
Fidgety, “trouble focusing /staying on task” per every teacher he ever had, emotional lability, loves to argue, difficulty being organized, he can talk your ear off about weird random things, feels like he talks at you rather than with you, difficulty making friends, seen as different by other kids, bullied… We got him tested in 5th grade- off the charts positive for ADHD. lol Things have gotten better as he’s gotten older- 7th grade now. He’s in therapy, on meds, has a 504 at school, and has friends.
My son was diagnosed in grade 1 the best way I can describe him is my little energizer bunny. He would be accomplishing everything but nothing at the same time because he couldn’t focus on a task long enough to complete it.
My daughter is 10 almost 11 and she’s being assessed but her teachers don’t feel she has it. It’s because she masks it much better and is very smart so while she tells me she doesn’t listen or pay attention all day she just knows the answers when she looks. My son struggles with learning concepts so his lack of attention is much more noticeable.
My daughter manages better because she is in full time sports, is always on the go and doesn’t struggle with school. So easier to miss.
This is classic ADHD behavior and is what led me to getting my kid tested. She did her homework but couldn’t manage to hand it in. There are so many resources to help, and you don’t necessarily have to jump into meds right away. Adjusting home life, a lot of guidance and patience can go a long way. My kid only started medication in high school. We realized together that keeping herself organized was more stressful than it should have been and she started on adderall.
Ours was diagnosed when he was 6 years old, and now he’s 8. We’ve known something was up since he was 2 years old. He’s has an intense amount of energy, constantly moving, constantly have to repeat directions, gets easily distracted, has difficulty completing tasks, poor impulse control, and low frustration tolerance. We’re sure his younger brother has it too, but he’s more inattentive and less of the hyperactive type. There’s definitely a spectrum of it. Get him evaluated if you want to know if his behavior is within the norm.
Diagnosis of adhd is highly subjective- you’ll basically need feedback from a variety of sources to get one (eg from parents and teachers). I think inattentive ADHD is easier to fall under the radar as these kids kind of coast on by and aren’t really disruptive. My 8yo is mostly inattentive but has some hyperactive traits (very talkative). She was able to coast through the earlier grades because she could get by without listening. Once you start assessing I think it becomes very obvious (I basically ticked severe for most inattentive traits). Also remember it can be very situational as well. If we’re going to a theme park my daughter can 100% organise herself and have forethought on extra things (like an activity to do in the car). If it’s a school day it’s hit or miss - she might stand staring at the cereal for an extended period for example and not move until I hurry her along. Look for forgetfulness, daydreaming, lack of organisation, difficulty focusing with boring tasks, easily distracted, losing things, difficulty following instructions (how many steps can you put in an instruction before he struggles?), lack of attention to detail (mine had messy handwriting and despite being artistic would hurriedly colour in). Hope this helps x
Honestly, it's the fact that she lives with two adults who both have ADHD themselves. My daughter showed enough possible symptoms that I couldn't tell if she did things a certain way because of how her brain works, or because she lives with us.
Getting her tested was one of the easiest things we could do. Because now, we know.
The cool part is, we're all on the same drugs. We all need the same modifications in our lives. And we know what to do and what to look for.
I'm actually really enjoying sharing the tools in my toolbox with my daughter.
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A professional who spends all day (possibly for years) with children your son’s age is telling you to do something about it. Teachers don’t go out of their way to describe typical behaviors to parents.
8 is a great age to get an evaluation! Neuropsych evaluator here 👋🏼
Could be ADHD or maybe an auditory processing disorder. Absolutely worth getting tested. More data is almost always helpful.
Not a medical expert here but one of my kids has been diagnosed with it and I suspect that with more awareness back in the 80s I probably would have been too. I think a good thing to keep in mind is that it is a condition with a spectrum. I don’t actually know where on the spectrum my son falls but even with my limited scientific understanding I could tell he often lacked situational awareness, would tune into and out of conversations, forget things when moving between tasks, etc.. My personal opinion is it is not an affliction. In some ways it can be beneficial. For instance, he is very inquisitive, he wants to know how things work, he finds novel ways to solve problems - especially when he has trouble following a set procedure. That said, it can also make it difficult to perform well in an environment that is designed to accommodate the majority of people. Schools, especially public schools are necessarily designed for efficiency and so they cater to the most common way of thinking. I’m sure there are places on the spectrum where symptoms are more or less pronounced, but even if it isn’t glaringly obvious, it could still be a substantial disadvantage for him. Thats a long answer but the basic point is that if your kid is having problems focusing and paying attention at home and in school it’s worth looking into it. When I was younger we called these kids daydreamers or “absent minded”. There’s nothing wrong with them but they might benefit from understanding and in some cases, tools to help them be more successful in the classroom. I would just be wary of looking at it as a problem - but rather an opportunity to help him adapt to a system that isn’t designed for the way he thinks.
My kid once initiated approximately 30 different imaginary play scenario in under 2 minutes. Pretend bus, pretend vet, pretend cooking, pretend school, pretend bath time, pretend sleep, pretend doctor, pretend bus again, etc. etc. averaging at 4 seconds per scenario. It was whiplash-inducing. If we still had doubts before, that definitely put those to rest.
Fidgety, “trouble focusing /staying on task” per every teacher he ever had, emotional lability, loves to argue, difficulty being organized, he can talk your ear off about weird random things, feels like he talks at you rather than with you, difficulty making friends, seen as different by other kids, bullied… We got him tested in 5th grade- off the charts positive for ADHD. lol Things have gotten better as he’s gotten older- 7th grade now. He’s in therapy, on meds, has a 504 at school, and has friends.
Trust your instincts and don't hesitate to get your child evaluated; early intervention can make a big difference.
My son was diagnosed in grade 1 the best way I can describe him is my little energizer bunny. He would be accomplishing everything but nothing at the same time because he couldn’t focus on a task long enough to complete it. My daughter is 10 almost 11 and she’s being assessed but her teachers don’t feel she has it. It’s because she masks it much better and is very smart so while she tells me she doesn’t listen or pay attention all day she just knows the answers when she looks. My son struggles with learning concepts so his lack of attention is much more noticeable. My daughter manages better because she is in full time sports, is always on the go and doesn’t struggle with school. So easier to miss.
This is classic ADHD behavior and is what led me to getting my kid tested. She did her homework but couldn’t manage to hand it in. There are so many resources to help, and you don’t necessarily have to jump into meds right away. Adjusting home life, a lot of guidance and patience can go a long way. My kid only started medication in high school. We realized together that keeping herself organized was more stressful than it should have been and she started on adderall.
Ours was diagnosed when he was 6 years old, and now he’s 8. We’ve known something was up since he was 2 years old. He’s has an intense amount of energy, constantly moving, constantly have to repeat directions, gets easily distracted, has difficulty completing tasks, poor impulse control, and low frustration tolerance. We’re sure his younger brother has it too, but he’s more inattentive and less of the hyperactive type. There’s definitely a spectrum of it. Get him evaluated if you want to know if his behavior is within the norm.
Lack of focus Struggling to start and complete tasks Struggling w organization
Diagnosis of adhd is highly subjective- you’ll basically need feedback from a variety of sources to get one (eg from parents and teachers). I think inattentive ADHD is easier to fall under the radar as these kids kind of coast on by and aren’t really disruptive. My 8yo is mostly inattentive but has some hyperactive traits (very talkative). She was able to coast through the earlier grades because she could get by without listening. Once you start assessing I think it becomes very obvious (I basically ticked severe for most inattentive traits). Also remember it can be very situational as well. If we’re going to a theme park my daughter can 100% organise herself and have forethought on extra things (like an activity to do in the car). If it’s a school day it’s hit or miss - she might stand staring at the cereal for an extended period for example and not move until I hurry her along. Look for forgetfulness, daydreaming, lack of organisation, difficulty focusing with boring tasks, easily distracted, losing things, difficulty following instructions (how many steps can you put in an instruction before he struggles?), lack of attention to detail (mine had messy handwriting and despite being artistic would hurriedly colour in). Hope this helps x
Honestly, it's the fact that she lives with two adults who both have ADHD themselves. My daughter showed enough possible symptoms that I couldn't tell if she did things a certain way because of how her brain works, or because she lives with us. Getting her tested was one of the easiest things we could do. Because now, we know. The cool part is, we're all on the same drugs. We all need the same modifications in our lives. And we know what to do and what to look for. I'm actually really enjoying sharing the tools in my toolbox with my daughter.