My 7 year old daughter in struggling?

Question

Hi everyone.  I'm having some trouble with my 7 year old daughter regarding school.  A little background...  We moved here about five weeks into the school year last year when she was in the first grade.  She struggled with emotions and anxieties over school almost the entire year.  We pressed on and she barely passed her grade.  We had assumed the problem was her starting school later in the year and thought this year would be better.

Today is the 4th day of 2nd grade, and I've already had a phone conference with her teacher.  She cried at school yesterday because she missed her friend.  Luckily they were able to get her face to face with this friend and she was okay.  Her teacher said she was very distracted and she's not getting her work done in class.  They were playing a game and she didn't want to play but instead of telling her teacher, she just stared at her.

I'm not trying to label my daughter as an excuse for her behavior, but I want to know if anyone can tell me what could possibly be going on in her head.  I'd like to be able to fix this problem early, or at least get on the right path, so her 2nd grade year isn't as big of a struggle as her 1st grade year was.  

I started doing some research on ADD today.  The websites I found broke it down into three categories: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.   She really only fits into the inattention category, but the websites said that a child doesn't have to have all three to be considered ADD.  It also said that ADD is genetic and can show through in other forms, such as depression and anxiety (I have both and my grandmother suffers from depression) and learning disorders (my brother and one of my husband's brothers had learning problems), as well as alcoholism (also prevalent in my family).

Last night we tried talking to her about things she could do to focus better in class and she started giggling almost uncontrollably.  Finally, we asked what was so funny and she said that her stuffed bunny farted.  I mean, seriously?  She couldn't even stay focused on us telling her ways to keep focused.  

So, any ideas?  Please no mean comments.  We had such a rough year last year and I would hate to have to go through that again this year.  Like I said, we're not trying to jump to conclusions, but if anyone has dealt with a low-level of ADD like this, I'd like to know so I can talk to her pediatrician sooner rather than later.  Thanks in advance!

big booty mama · Accepted Answer

My advise to you would be to do some research on a " Highly Sensitive Child" Your daughter sounds similar to my son. The reward system works very well. Have meetings with the teacher. Have the teacher send back feed back evey day on how your child did that day. Reward your child for good behaviour and discipline for unacceptable behaviour. Take something away for example. 

Good Luck and be patient.

Bailey James · Answer

I'm no expert on the subject but I really think the only way you can know what's going on with your daughter is to talk to her pediatrician. However, it may not be smart to start medicating your daughter at such a young age. Some children just develop more slowly than others and she may be a little bit less socially developed than the other kids in her grade. Perhaps, if she is a little young for her grade you may want to hold her back a year. It can be more difficult for a younger classmate to work with someone almost a year older than them. 

To Summarize: Talk to your daughter's pediatrician first, not yahoo answers. She may or may not have ADD and have caution with a hasty diagnosis of ADD because it is often an over used "excuse" for a child's possible learning disability besides ADD. Talk to her teachers and pediatrician. They are the most reliable sources of information.

The Witch King of Angmar · Answer

Rather than telling her how, you should help her by possibly rewarding her for getting good scores ect.

It may seem 'cheap' but it works.
By reinforcing the idea that being good rewards, she'll probably behave a lot better.

The downside is you'll have to keep rewarding her with things like sweets (candy) for a long time otherwise the good times will stop.

But before you do anything serious you need her to talk about what's going on, it's usually better if you try to do this yourself and not get a psychiatrist (Speaking from personal experience).

However, you will need a psychiatrist to do any diagnosis, after you've let her speak of what's going on.
Also a psychiatrist will help make sense of any information you can give.

Anonymous · Answer

I feel your pain, multiplied by three.  I'm a single dad (mom is long gone) to three girls, 13, 10, and 7.  At the beginning of the year, it's difficult on all of them - even my 13 year old, for various reasons.  I leave notes in their backpacks, text them during lunch, etc etc, to help with the anxiety.... but if she went through this last year, probably want to see a psychologist.  It could be ADD and you'd rather get ahead of it now if it is.

KeppyDearest · Answer

Before diagnosing your daughter with ADD yourself, I would take her to a child psychiatrist or physiologist.  Often, schools provide this service to students free of charge.
Maybe she just needs a forum to vent what she is feeling.  I would be very careful of labeling her as ADD and pigeonholing her and yourself into thinking that she has it before she has had a professional evaluation.

? · Answer

I have to agree with annette.. 
I have a son who was showing the same signs as you daughter and it turn out to be a preservative in white bread and mild dyslexia all easily controlled and if picked up early easily resolved. and it was a teacher who picked it up 
Good Luck

My 7 year old daughter in struggling?

6 Answers