2nd grader troubles in school

3lilgems · #1 04-30-2008, 04:56 PM

My daughter is in 2nd grade. Her doctors have said that she has ADD but I've not had her on medication and would really rather not. Anyway, two times this week she has had notes from her teacher that she is playing around and not doing her classwork. today she's doing her classwork for homework because it didn't get done. She is our first child and I do not know what else to tell her to motivate her to pay attention in class. I've tried punishing her but it doesn't seem to faze her at all.

Any suggestions without bashing my sweet little girl would be appreciated.

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Pythoness · #2 04-30-2008, 05:01 PM

Heh, duh. More coffee, Py. More coffee.

Can you get her to do her schoolwork at home without a problem, or is the problem only happening in school?

Roogle · #3 04-30-2008, 05:02 PM

Welcome to the site. You'll love it here.

I'm no doctor, but my son is ultra hyper. I have to take him to the park very often, so he can pay attention in school. That may be the thing that could help. i know she may get recess in school, but 30 minutes for a child isn't much at all.

In my opinion. (i'm no doctor.) Kids are overloaded with instant gratifications like TV, internet, video games, and food. I try to regulate my son's consumption of sweets, and tv/internet time. It gets hard to keep him under control when he's loaded up with cookies.

But i've seen a good improvement when i take him out to play. When we get home he is so relaxed. At school the next day. He is well rested and focuses better.

I hope that helps. From one parent to another.

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hockey · #4 04-30-2008, 05:13 PM

Get the book...

"Maybe You Know My Kid"
by:Mary Fowler

Great book for frustrated parents of ADD or AD/HD kids. I've heard parents say it completely changed their lives and how they handle their children...a lifesaver.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/May...9724906/?itm=1

I know a few people having the exact same issues you are having right now. You don't want to medicate or label your child but you also want your child to be successful and not get frustrated in school. It's a dilemma and I wish you luck. Keep in mind that every situation and child is different.

Have you had your daughter evaluated by her pediatrician?
BTW....Welcome to TD.

Pythoness · #5 04-30-2008, 05:22 PM

I was an only child and was doing stuff like that in the second grade.

It wasn't that I *couldn't* pay attention, it's just that I wasn't motivated to do so, and I didn't want to.

I think the teachers of the time, for the most part, understood that and gave me some leeway with my antics.

But I was a real hyper kid. Typical hyper kid. I was loud, I ran around constantly, I talked super fast and never shut up, and my attention skipped here there and everywhere. ADD right? Nope - just being a kid.

When I was in the 3rd grade, as a punishment for not paying attention, my seat was moved away from the rest of the class and put up against some book shelves.

In true Py contrary/stubbornness, I decided I wasn't going to let THAT stop me. I just didn't do my work anyway, and read all the books on the shelves instead.

I also was too lazy to write legibly and would get halfway through a word and just scribble.

I think ADD is one of the most over-diagnosed problems ever.

They tried to say FunHater had ADD when he was very young, too. Now, everyone who's ever met FunHater will tell you he's a very calm person. They wanted him on ADD meds and in therapy for drawing pictures of guns. Some of his drawings are in the gallery. You'll probably agree with me if you see them that his mom was right in not letting them medicate and psychoanalyze that particular talent out of him.

The people I have seen that truly do have ADD are like, all-the-time non-stop out of control, way-over-the-top hyper. A friend of mine acts like he's just done cocaine all day long. But this also doesn't seem to affect his life in any major way.

He doesn't take the meds because he knows the meds make him aggressive. And they do. As soon as they get in his system he starts instigating fights.

3lilgems · #6 04-30-2008, 06:02 PM

First, thank you all for your quick responses

Pythoness - No, i can't get her to do homework either, she is very easily distracted and her little brother doesn't help that any. So, its not just at home.

Roogle - Thank you for your welcome to the forum

I'm already liking it

I will definitely try the park thing but for right now she is on restriction so going there would kinda break that. I can't win for losing!

HockeyandDMB - I will keep an eye out for that book. Maybe the library has it. thank you for the suggestion.

Pythoness (again

) - I don't want her on meds either, just don't want her to be a space cadet or a zombie!! I want her to be a kid like everyone else but just need her to pay attention when she is supposed to. and she is like you, she would do everything else at the new seat for punishment just for spite

lol

again, thanks a bunch!!! I've emailed her teacher, I'm hoping she will call me so we can discuss this problem.

Tracy · #7 04-30-2008, 06:56 PM

3lil gems..my daughter has ADHD...she was on ritalin for awhile. She really doesn't need it anymore, but don't rule it out. Her pediatrician started with a VERY low dosage and worked her way up so that she wouldn't be a zombie. If you trust your pediatrician, they shouldn't take away her imagination and spunk just to help her learn.

Panama Girl · #8 04-30-2008, 07:12 PM

hi 3lilgems

There's a thread Py started about never giving her son sugary cereals again... you might want to look into that. Hyperactivity is mostly excess energy that needs spending, and sugar = fast-acting fuel.

motherof3 · #9 04-30-2008, 07:43 PM

Actually 2 of my 3 kids have been diagnosed as ADHD by numerous doctors. We didn't try medication as the first answer. It's a decision each family has to make. My oldest was on medicine from 1st grade (we held her back in the second grade she wasn't ready for some of the social situations) and her first year of 2nd grade. She's now in 5th and has done wonderfully, she's in excel classes but she still sees a doctor and therapist for some emotional issues. She was just diagnosed with ADHD and ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) So she's back on a very low dose to see if that helps, after no meds for 2 1/2 yrs. Not every med works for every kid but we've stayed to the lowest doses just to help her combined with therapy.
Now my son was diagnosed with ADHD last year. When he was diagnosed he was having problems at home and school and in his extra curricular activities. My kids have always been involved in sports and get a lot of exercise and have very little TV and video/ computer time. So it wasn't a matter of exercise, although it does help ADHD kids to be active. Plus my son just stopped sleeping. No matter how tired he was, he would be up at all hours of the night and nothing could get him to go to sleep and stay asleep. Anyway, when we found the right meds for him his school work went through the roof. His class participation went up, his test scores went up and his self confidence was amazing to see. He stopped feeling like he was stupid and it was all his fault. He wrote an 11 page story (this is 2nd grade) that was entered in the reflections contest and won 1st place at the school level and 3rd place at the district level. He has continued to improve this year too. My son is only on meds Mon - Fri but my daughter needs to be on hers every day.
Like I said each child is different. We tried a lot of different things before we decided on meds. You will have to talk to your doctor and possibly more than one doctor to have her properly evaluated. The bottom line is you know your child best, you will have to decide what will work best for her and your family. Just know that not all meds will make the kids aggressive or zombies. There can be a happy medium, you just have to monitor the dosage and your child and stay in touch with the teacher as much as possible, that really helped us too. My kids have had some really awesome teachers so far. Good luck to you and your family. If you want to talk more about it feel free to PM me. And welcome to TD! It's a GREAT site with fantastic people.

3lilgems · #10 04-30-2008, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panama Girl

hi 3lilgems

There's a thread Py started about never giving her son sugary cereals again... you might want to look into that. Hyperactivity is mostly excess energy that needs spending, and sugar = fast-acting fuel.

I did see that thread. I give Haleigh a bowl of grits before school every day. We don't buy the sugary cereal either and really except for the occasional cookie and bowl of ice cream, she mainly gets her sweets at Grandma's house.

You know how Grandma's can be hehe

2nd grader troubles in school

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