Gifted and talented kids.

[doright]

I would not rely on a general practitioner for this type of problem . Look around for someone that specializes in behavioral issues. Most doctors want throw pills at it. It will most likely be a combination of medication along with learning how to deal with the problem so they can hopefully not have to take meds any longer than needed.As someone above stated they need to learn how to harness the energy and put it to good use. If they cant focus it will be difficult for them to do that.

[kyle1974]

ADHD is probably what he’s got going on.

For those of us with this gift, a list of things to do each day is the best tool we can have to stay focused. Even if you have to add sub bullets to each item on the list to help him complete the task.

Once he learns to harness the power of ADHD, look out World!!!

I agree. I have 4 kids. one of them is extraordinarily intelligent. He's ranked in the top 10 jr high students in math in Texas. As an 8th grader, he scored a 1480 on his SAT, missing 1 on the math section.

but sometimes, I want to strangle him because he wears the same shirt for 3 days in a row, has to be constantly reminded to do his chores, doesn't brush his hair, and will stay up way late playing video games. he has to be constantly reminded to do basic things. I think he doesn't view these as "important" in his brain, and he he brushes it off. It's very frustrating.

he's on ADD meds, and it's probably the only reason I haven't abandoned him with a family of wolves.

there are some drawbacks with appetite, but it levels him off where he can focus much better. His grades definitely improved too when we put him on it.

[txpitdog]

I worry about the "zombie state" but have also read to keep changing meds and doses till we find a good fit. Apparently if they are zombies the medication is not correct.

That is correct. Everyone is different. Our son was acting foolish in class and had to sit by himself. He could not get assignments done in class, and 30 minutes of homework took an agonizing 3 hours. We finally had him tested by a psychologist who found that he met the criteria for ADD, though he didn’t tend to have much of the hyperactivity component. My wife and I were very adverse to medication, so we worked with our son to help him identify strategies to help get him through class and to get his work done at home. This worked for 4-6th grade. In 7th grade the pre-AP workload was more than his strategies could support, so we talked to him about what he was going through and asked if he wanted to consider medication. He decided to try it. It took some adjustment, but he has found that a particular dose during the school year is completely unnoticeable to him. It just removes the “merry-go-round” of thoughts, as he calls it. In the summer though, he only takes half that because he finds it is too much. He’s in 10th grade this year, all AP, all A’s and doing great.

I was anti-medication because of the stigma I had associated with ADHD, but when fit to the person it really does help them. Hope this helps.

[Maddox]

He is a kid, his attention span is zero, especially if a TV is on.

Let him grow up without medication.

[twistedmidnite]

This is my son's test scores. I have 3 nephews and also coach little league football and youth track/field. My son is different. Trust me I don't want to have a medicated son but each year we see the focus getting less and less. He plays youth football, we can be in the huddle, tell the play and count and by the time they break, get to the line and down hes already forgot. But he doesn't know he's forgotten it, he just goes and does his own thing. When we try to correct him he says he wants to do the play and count that we said but his brain won't let him? Idk guess, me and his mom don't know what else to do.

[kyle1974]

Here is my personal experience.........I was one of the most hyper kids that ever walked the planet. To this day I am more physically active then most people and I am currently 55. My parents always said that is I was born first then they would not have ever had another child. Back then they did not throw meds at kids for these issues. My parents simple kept me inline. My kids were not as bad as me but doctors and teachers always wanted to put them on meds. We got through it the old fashion way and I think we are all better off because of that. I have seen so many kids that seem to be zombies while on that stuff. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

-john

We used to put leeches on sick people too.

[Rush2Judge]

This is a flashback to our youngest. Exact same story (without the self harm). We did have him tested and thankfully, we had a good doctor that didn't just jump on the ADD bandwagon. She basically said he's a very smart kid that learns differently. My wife is the queen of multitasking and in my career I have had to juggle many balls at the same time. As such, we were flooding our son with too much input. He couldn't keep it all straight in his head (by the way he has grown out of this). He just needed very specific direction. One thing at a time that he could accomplish before moving to the next. It was a learning experience for all of us. My son recently completed his Masters and has a great job in Technical Sales for IBM where he has to juggle many balls at once. Your situation may well be different but, don't get too frustrated. Keep an eye on the long game.

[TxBowHntr]

Let me start off by saying that my son is very smart, he tested higher than 99% of kids his age on some test the school gives now lol. Anyway, he struggles with basic directions badly. We can give him a chore to do and before he gets it completed hes forgot what he was supposed to do. He can't focus on one task at one time. I read thru the old thread about the add and adhd kids. Lots said that medicine helped them focus. So should we have our son tested and possibly put on medication?

My experience - I tested high when young and was put into the GT programs throughout elementary, junior, and into HS. In elementary, I was always distracted, active, fidgeting, etc... I still made top grades, but was a loud, obnoxious, annoying kid the whole way. I am not sure if my parents thought/talked about it, but I was not put on medication of any kind. I am glad for it. Learning to deal, or better put, harness these behaviors and putting them to better use, or just understanding what I have to do to function at life was invaluable. I don't know how I would have turned out with medicine, but I have a career in a highly creative industry, and love what I do. Being that he is so young, I wouldn't worry too much about it until JR. High and just let him he him. He'll surprise you I am sure.

[Jason Fry]

We put ours in gymnastics when he hit that point. The combination of exercise and learning to control your body was effective in getting him over the hump. He's a well functioning not-ADHD-looking senior in HS now.

[TreyRo]

My experience - I tested high when young and was put into the GT programs throughout elementary, junior, and into HS. In elementary, I was always distracted, active, fidgeting, etc... I still made top grades, but was a loud, obnoxious, annoying kid the whole way. I am not sure if my parents thought/talked about it, but I was not put on medication of any kind. I am glad for it. Learning to deal, or better put, harness these behaviors and putting them to better use, or just understanding what I have to do to function at life was invaluable. I don't know how I would have turned out with medicine, but I have a career in a highly creative industry, and love what I do. Being that he is so young, I wouldn't worry too much about it until JR. High and just let him he him. He'll surprise you I am sure.

Very similar to my experience as well. Never ended up on meds of any kind. My dad is an MD as-is most of my family.

[Shane]

This is my son's test scores. I have 3 nephews and also coach little league football and youth track/field. My son is different. Trust me I don't want to have a medicated son but each year we see the focus getting less and less. He plays youth football, we can be in the huddle, tell the play and count and by the time they break, get to the line and down hes already forgot. But he doesn't know he's forgotten it, he just goes and does his own thing. When we try to correct him he says he wants to do the play and count that we said but his brain won't let him? Idk guess, me and his mom don't know what else to do.

I always scored 99th percentile on every test I ever took growing up. I didn't have the kind of focus issues that you're describing. I'm sure I had plenty of other "issues" you could ask my parents about though. Is is possible that your son is somewhere on the autism spectrum?

[RJK70]

Like others I am not doctor and didn't have these issues growing up. I will say I had a lot of friends that ADHD Meds and I can say that just about every one of them turned into pot smokers in middle/high school and beyond. I don't know if there is a medical connection to this but it happened too much to be a coincidence in my mind.

[BigOh!]

Our Son Is Gifted in Math & Science but he's Terrible at remembering his daily duties around the house.. We Got Him in Jr. AG and He's Got Two Projects going now Lamb/Goat...
That has helped A Lot, His attention to his Responsibilities has Gotten Much better over all..

[warrington]

A lot of people struggle with this me included. He will figure out how to cope with this disability. If he is succeeded in school I would not put him on medicine. You will just need to stay on top of him with reminding him to finish the chores. This is a very common problem. I don’t recommend medication unless he is a severe disturbance in the class room or can’t focus in school

I had a good friend that his dad rx him Ritalin because he couldn’t focus for taking tests. He crushed them when he had the meds but failed when he didn’t.

[gingib]

Be ready for them to tell you ADHD!!! The most over diagnosed thing i have ever seen

Ask me how i know