What does this sound like? Help? - Parenting Issues Message Board

mom1000 · 10-14-2008, 01:13 PM

I am very concerned about my 15 year old so. He is barely making it through high school.

He does not accomplish much in class. His handwriting is sloppy, he cannot concentrate. He does not take notes and is easily distracted. The only way he is getting his work done, is with my help at home practically walking him through his assignments and quizzing him for tests. If I don't, he does not rise to the challenge, I don't think it is merely a choice, there is a difficulty.

He has always had some difficulty even as a young child with peer relationships and focus in school. He is better now socially, but still not very popular. I wouldn't say odd as much as geeky, sometimes not even geeky.

He had been tested like crazy and has a scatter pattern on intelligent tests. He scored very high in some things like spatial, and lower in processing speed and timed tests.

We looked at a diagnosis of Asperger's, one counselor still believes that is it, but the expert at Children's said that his language scores or off the chart and he does not have special interests and has an interest in socializing and does not quite meet that profile. The things that do fit, he poor eye contact when young, but that is fine now, he has a science interest and "invents" things in his head. He will pace around the house and thinks, so there is that overfocus. Plus attentional issues.

A psychiatrist thought he had a flat blunted affect and decided it was schizoaffective disorder. We took him off stimulants and hey, no more flat affect. His focus is worse and almost needs someone to sit with him and constantly redirect him to stay on task. I say it was worse, but in some ways it was better because he longer zoned out and is no longer sort of confused. On the stimulants, it was like he wasn't quite there, now he is distractable, but he is with you, but he does not accomplish schoolwork by himself.

His motivation is not good. Without the flat affect, I wondered about bi-polar, instead, but he really does not rage or have those types of things I read about researching it. He does get slightly hyper at times, but it does not sound like hypomania according to websites.

He was diagnosed with a writing disability. He obviously has attentional issues, but can LD and ADD cause a student to not get any schoolwork done without help? He is not a behavioral problem other than lack of attention and motivation.

He does sometimes get a bit annoying like not keeping his hands to himself and minor pesky stuff, but that hardly seems like any of the other more serious diagnosis?

Can LD and attentional issues alone be it? Does anything else sound right?

rudiraven · 10-15-2008, 09:40 AM

Has he been diagnosed LD or ADD? Both of those can cause a lack of motivation and inability to concentrate. Is he in special classes? Some kids, especially boys, are just not good students and don't do well with the structure of the classroom. Everyone does not fit neatly into a classification. He just may be a little different and "march to the beat of his own drummer". My youngest son was a lousy student from elementary to high school. I didn't think he'd graduate, but he did by the skin of his teeth. He went to college, night classes, and graduated Magna *** Laude and is a teacher now. Go figure!! Try not to stress too much and help him with what you can and always let him know that he is special to you. Take care.

InsaneMom · 10-15-2008, 10:23 AM

My daughter does some of the same things you are talking about and she has a ADHD dx. I keep asking are you sure and they keep telling me that it is very typical of ADHD. She does a little better on medication but we still have to walk her through everything.

Good Luck.

cleansweap · 10-24-2008, 09:39 AM

Sounds like ADD. My son had the same problems. First of all, we had him put in a special Ed class so he could get more of the attention he needed. We tried the medication rout but it made him sluggish, and tired so we took him off. What worked for us is motivation!
If one thing didn't work to motivate him in school I would try another. It wasn't to long before we found possitive things that he liked, and that motivated him to do his work. It wasn't easy, but now he's doing much, much better! No more (f) letters on his report card. Find a way to reward him for all the possitive things he does in school. You will be amaze at what a difference it makes.

goddessoflubboc · 11-30-2008, 12:15 AM

Your son sounds like nearly classic Asperger's with the dysgraphia, etc. An interest in being social doesn't rule him out, it's the ability. And many of these kids learn to mimic as they grow up to fit in. His test scores are pretty classic too, with the slow processing speeds but no lack of intelligence. Most kids with AS are actually very bright. My own son, who is just ready to turn 14, has AS. Last year he was on the honor roll. This year I think he's trying to flunk... I'm also part of a great site with plenty of info and support, just google my name, goddessoflubbock, and it'll pop up. Good luck!