Child not working at school

[lizwizz]

We have just seen my son's teacher at school who has told us he is a bit concerned about his attitude to work at school. He doesn't seem to concentrate for very long and doesn't work well in a group. Sometimes he finds him just doodling on his paper, when asked what he is doing he says that he is bored. Though he seems a bright lad, we feel he may be dyslexic, he's on the lower end of the scale in terms of the work he produces. He doen't seem to get on too well with his classmates, but is always calling out in class, trying to be funny. I feel he is looking for approval from them. How can I help him concentrate and improve his social skills?

[saxy_jag]

Maybe school just doesn't suit him.

[Le Chat]

There's no easy answer to this one...As an aid to concentration, have you tried giving him Omega 3? It is a fish oil and tastes pretty disgusting!! However, after much searching, I found one called 'Eskimo' which I get from our local health shop. It has a tutti frutti flavour, although it still needs swallowing pretty fast! I have been giving it to my 10yr old son now for 3 months and have noticed a difference in his ability to concentrate. He complains when he takes it but I pointed out to him yesterday how easily he gets down to doing and passing his spellings. He begrudgingly agreed and said that yes, he does feel like he can concentrate better now. Result!
It has been on the news in the last few months (Google it) and is definitely worth a try.

[auzzie]

Have you approached the school about the possiblity that he may be dyslexic? They should have the means to test him, if not, where you should be taking him to be tested. He may well have slight autism, this too can be tested for. Again you should be speaking to the people in the "know".

[darcydark]

Hi, If you write to the Dyslexic Association they will send you info on what the signs are which may help you to know if he is?
Darcy

[Revs]

I agree with Le Chat my kids moan at taking it but it does work and yo WILL notice a huge difference.

[FlowerPetal]

We had similar problems to you and it worried us sick.
We had a chat with my sons teacher - who was soo helpful as she made our worries seem both nothing to worry about but also made us feel that w were right to ask for help.
My son was disrupting the class, not paying attention, not submitting quality work etc etc. His results in his SATs were good but disapointing as we all knew he could do better (although we didnt tell him we were as disapointed).
We sat him down and discussed matters and he admitted that he didnt know why he did these things and that sometimes he was bored. The teacher then sat him on his own and nearer to her so that any mis-behaviour could be nipped in the bud before it kicked off.
this may not help you right now, but my son has recently started secondary and had settled down ( for the moment )
We recently spoke to a child psychologist who says that unbeliebably, its true childhood nature.

good luck xx

[FlowerPetal]

P.S.....just wanted to add - try praising ANY good behaviour or good school work and TRY to ignore and silly behaviour or just below average schoolwork. If it works with your son, try star charts and decide between you, your son and they school, what is acceptable and what is not. Also decide what the reward and punishment will be together.

good luck xx

[ganesh]

He could be bored, he could be naughty, he could be going through a phase. You dont say how old he is. He could have ADD, my daughter has recently been diagnosed at 15yrs old. She is very intelligent but has concentration problems,and is rather badly organised. If your problem continues it might be worth checking with the Educational Pscycologist. My daughter's work is usually very good but she usually forgets to hand it in,or leaves it at home.
Teachers are usually quite good at spotting dyslexia though but social skills are a bit tricky-you can't force people to be friends.

[ganesh]

He could be bored, he could be naughty, he could be going through a phase. You dont say how old he is. He could have ADD, my daughter has recently been diagnosed at 15yrs old. She is very intelligent but has concentration problems,and is rather badly organised. If your problem continues it might be worth checking with an Educational Pscycologist. My daughter's work is usually very good but she usually forgets to hand it in,or leaves it at home.
Teachers are usually quite good at spotting dyslexia though but social skills are a bit tricky-you can't force people to be friends.
If there are no real problems, maybe a different school may suit him better.