Blog
Dr. Selznick’s blogs are written to help parents navigate the difficult waters of raising children struggling with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, as well as ADHD and deficits of executive functioning. His overriding mission is to speak to parents in “down-to-earth terms free of jargon.”
“My Kid Can’t Pay Attention – Must Be ADHD” (Not So Fast)
Every week I hear an array of concerns regarding distractibility and inattentiveness.
Beyond the immediate assumption that the child has ADHD/ADD (in other words a neurological disorder), I do my best to broaden the narrative and review other factors to consider that may contribute to why a child is not consistently paying attention.
There are multiple reasons why a child could be struggling to pay attention, which is not always ADHD.
Some others to consider that are commonly in the “soup pot” include:
- Perhaps the child is obsessed (addicted?) to playing video games, leaving little in the “mental tank” for sustained mental effort.
- Perhaps the child is also playing video games far too late in the evening and not getting enough sleep.
- Perhaps the school work is too hard.
- Maybe there’s been a lot of tension and fighting in the family that is unsettling to the child, contributing to a sense of distractibility.
- Perhaps the teacher is not that motivating and the work has become overly boring
- Perhaps the child is being flooded by too many worksheets (or its on-line equivalent), leaving the child feeling disconnected and unmotivated.
- Perhaps the child has significant reading problems, making it difficult to pay attention and to comprehend.
- Perhaps there is a lot of distraction in the environment (whether it be an actual classroom or at home), and the atmosphere does not lend itself to paying attention.
- .Maybe the child is struggling with anxiety and the excessive worrying looks like inattention.
- Perhaps the child is feeling like she may have social issues as she goes on TikTok and Instagram and sees her friends and she’s not included.
- Maybe the child has been made fun of or ridiculed, but no one really knows of it other than the child.
Takeaway Point
There are many more such as these, but these are some of the ones that readily come to mind when considering why a child may not be paying attention.
Sure, the child may ADHD/ADD, but make sure you go through a checklist to see what else may be contributing to the inattention.
Copyright, 2022 www.shutdownlearner.com
Questions or topics email Dr. Selznick email: rselznick615@gmail.com.
“New School Year Blues – Part II”
Last week we started our two-part series to try and help you have a smoother ride this school year and to try and reduce the New School Year Blues. In the first three tips, we encouraged you to turn down the heat during homework; to find ways as a parent to back it...
New School Year Blues – Part I
Well, it's just past Labor Day. You know what's coming. That pit in the stomach is starting to form. Yep, it's back to school. I know that you will see all kinds of articles in parenting magazines and the internet such as the 10 Tips for Having an Easy, Breezy School...
“Ain’t the Beatles ‘Day in the Life'”
“Woke up, fell out of bed Dragged a comb across my head Found my way downstairs and drank a cup And looking up, I noticed I was late Found my coat and grabbed my hat Made the bus in seconds flat Found my way upstairs and had a smoke And somebody spoke and I went into...
“World of Dyslexia – Part II”
Lowering Your "Frustration Quotient" Before getting into this week’s blog, there are two corrections to make from the previous week’s post: It was pointed out to me that the correct website for the International Dyslexia Association is www.dyslexiaida.org, not the one...
“Welcome to the World of Dyslexia” (Part I)
https://shutdownlearner.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/triangle.png
(***For every one of these blogs (500+ and counting), I feel I need to put out a front-end disclaimer, in case people get riled up. What is said here is an opinion. Take it for what it’s worth!) So, let’s dive in the opinion pool again. Not sure when this light bulb...
“What About the Grandparents? (Part II)”
This is an opinion driven business. Sure, there’s research on child behavior and clinical theories, but ultimately it comes down to an opinion. So, here’s one more. When it comes to the question raised in the previous blog on the role of grandparents (Role of...
“What About the Grandparents?”
I will confess. In the years that this blog has been written I haven’t given grandparents much of a thought. In over 500 posts, I don’t think there was one of them where the grandparents were in my sights. A good friend of mine, Lloyd, who has been a faithful reader...
“Delivering the Message – Eminent Clarity”
Building on last week’s theme regarding the way parental messages are delivered ( "Your Inside Voice"), a mom recently talked to me about her very strong willed, temperamentally challenging child named Abbey. You know the type - the ones that always go against the...
“‘Your Inside Voice'”
Modern parents can make you nostalgic for the good old days. You know, those were the days when children went outside to play and basically did not see their mother for a solid 8 hours (except when she made them a nutritious bologna sandwich on white bread, which were...
“‘When I Was Born There Something Wrong With My Brain, So I Took This Pill…”’
Jacob is an endearing, extremely verbal 7-year-old. Whenever asked a question, Jacob talks with great enthusiasm taking you on a verbal roller coaster ride. In psychology jargon, Jacob also has a problem with “self-regulation.” (Don’t you love all the terms out...
“At the Self-Checkout”
Going through the self-checkout lines in supermarkets and in other major stores, I notice the combined feeling of sadness and irritation as the automatized voice (yet another) commands how to pay and where to put my bags. This reminds me of a reflection piece, “Those...
More on the ‘Drip, Drip Dripping’ of Behavior”
It looks like the description of the “drip, drip dripping” of behaviors resonated with some people. People asked (rightfully) whether I had “strategies” for such children, like Carter who was previously referenced (."Drip, Drip, Dripping") It will be essential that...
“The Drip, Drip, Dripping of Behavior”
Not sure why (I have my theories), but there has been a considerable increase of children landing on my doorstep with behaviors that have become something of a water torture of “drip, drip, dripping” to others around them. The social fallout is the result of this this...
“The Marginally Ready Child”
Over the years, I’ve been a bit of a hoarder. Like most things, there are advantages and disadvantages to this habit. One advantage (not that my wife agrees) is that I have held on to different journals that were in the dustbins of Temple University’s renowned Reading...
“Stamina” (Part II)
Last week we talked about the idea that “stamina” is not a word parents reference much to when talking about their concerns ("Stamina" (Part I) This lack of stamina probably manifests in many different forms, much of which overlaps with some of the concepts of the...
“Stamina?”
It’s always interesting to me how words or terms come in and out of favor. When parents come in to talk about their children, “stamina” is a word that I don’t hear mentioned too often. Parents will make reference to a child having difficulty with “executive...
“Like Giving Them Oxygen”
Last Sunday on the front page of the New York Times was a major piece on the proponent of “balanced literacy,” offering some type of retreat for the philosophy behind “balanced literacy” that has been espoused for decades having failed legions of children (NYT...
“IQ-Achievement Model – ‘Ineffective, Irrational, Immoral & Indefensible'”
Child A, we’ll call him Leo, a second grader, is in the 10th percentile of reading, spelling and writing. Depending on whether you are a “glass half full or half empty” type you can translate it that Leo is better than 10% of the children his age or that 90% are...
“Sorry, Our Hands Are Tied”
Perhaps nothing is more frustrating and resulting in tremendous parental consternation than when they hear the following from me after I’ve done an assessment: “Yes, you were right. The results validate your concerns. Your child has a serious reading (spelling and...
“504-ing – Part II (‘Swimmies’)”
In last week’s post we talked about some of the basics involved with obtaining a 504 Plan (504-ing-part-i/) This week we move it along to bring some practical realities to you. Remember that a 504 does not offer any interventions, but accommodations. It is intended...
“504-ing” – Part I
Parents will come to me loaded with terms that are only partially understood. Let's look at one of the common ones - "504's." I will hear things like, “We just need to get him a ‘504.’ We just want to get him the help that he needs so he can start reading better.”...
“Executive Functioning” – Are You Too Hot or Too Cold?
For those of you who follow this blog or read my other “stuff,” you know that my overall is to present to parents in down-to-earth, understandable terms, concepts that I think have become unnecessarily complicated. “Executive Functioning” is a term I hear parents use...
“Upside Down & Stuck”
In many respects, writing is the window in to understanding what a child needs academically and emotionally. Let’s take a look at George, a 9-year boy in the fourth grade. George feels that other kids make fun of him because of the way he spells and writes. George...
“Pie Chart Revisited”
As those of you who follow this blog knows there are two overriding missions that drive everything done in the blogs, books, tid-bit tips, and in interactions that take place with parents. These are: Help parents to cut through the tremendous amount of misinformation...