Anyone's kid easily distracted?

[maestramommy]

Yesterday during Arwyn's speech session the SLP mentioned that Arwyn gets very easily distracted during an activity. I know this is true because I've seen it happen, esp. if an activity is harder. It's very difficult to sustain her interest. Often when the SLP asks her a question it takes forever to answer, sometimes I have to ask her the question phrased just a little differently and she might answer. We know she knows the answer because she's told us before. Sometimes an activity takes a long time because she's busy thinking her own thoughts and doesn't always attend to what's going on in front of her, at least for sustained periods.

Arwyn is up for eval by the district at the end of April. The SLP doesn't know if she would qualify for services based on just this particular quality. The thing is, it hasn't prevented her from learning skills. She will probably breeze through most of the tests (matching colors, shapes, sorting). Of course ADD went through my mind, although I know it's way too early for her to be evaluated for something like that. When she does find an activity interesting to HER, she can be absorbed for long periods of time. She is also very determined when trying to accomplish something, like making her dolls stand up. If she fails she starts to cry, but keeps working at it until she gets it. But I think I read somewhere that ADD and ADHD kids are like this too.

Of course I can't help but wonder if TV has any bearing on this. She watches maybe 30 minutes in the morning, and again before dinner on a normal day. But she has been watching TV from a much earlier age than Dora, who didn't watch any until 14 months, and nothing more than 5 minutes until 20 months.

Anyway, I was wondering if this is still normal behavior for an almost 3yo, and is it personality, something that eventually passes, or something I need to keep my eye on.

[JTsMom]

DS has a lot of issues with attention. Like you mentioned, he can focus on certain things, and will actually hyperfocus at times. Dr. Sears has a lot of ADHD info on his site that may be worth checking out.

[jse107]

If it were me, I'd definately be keeping an eye on the behavior. Could be ADD or just developmental. Regardless, I wouldn't blame yourself or the tv!

[chozen]

i think from your description this sounds normal. i wouldnt worry about it she isnt even 3 yet and really the amount of tv you let her watch is minimal.:)

[belovedgandp]

My 2 1/2 year old is very similar. I think another important question to ask is does she focus on activities at other times? At this age, the ability to focus when the mood strikes them is probably more important than the fact that they can get going every which way randomly. And yes, both my kids seem to jump almost randomly some days. I still think my 6 year old is distracted by bright shiny objects.

I also agree, take the pressure off you and the TV.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Sounds normal to me. I always wonder who in the world the kids are in the classes I have taken the boys to over the years that just sit there. Mine are constantly in motion (ds1 has gotten fine with this as he has gotten older, he just wasn't at all ready for that though till 5yo+). We went to a 2yo zoo class the other day and the other 2yos just sat there and did what they were supposed to be doing but my ds was walking around, drawing...every so often he'd sit and listen but that was the exception. The thing is, both are listening even if it doesn't look like. Ds1 could recall things that they were learning in kindergarten better than the kids who had been calmly sitting there.

I brought up the zoo class experience at preschool yesterday and they teachers reassured me that ds2's behavior there was totally normal.

I don't think it is the tv but who knows?

Beth

[Indianamom2]

Sounds a lot like my Dd#1. She gets very easily distracted, but at the same time, can focus in on something that she's interested in and totally ignore everything else.

She also gets very easily frustrated and more distractible when something is challenging. For example, she melted down this morning when she couldn't get her carseat harness buckled the first time...and then it was over, she wouldn't try anymore.

I don't know if it's normal. Honestly, I guess I won't be surprised to learn that she has ADD some day. She definitely has her own issues, I'm just not entirely sure what they are.

[BabyMine]

Sounds exactly like M. He is already in ST. I was told by a Ped. Behavior Psych. that he may have auditory dyslexia. I brought it up to the ST and she believes he does. She will be testing him in a couple weeks. It belongs to auditory processing disorder. I thought he may be ADD/ADHD but he can sit still if the task didn't involve a lot of language. He has trouble answering question words. Working with the ST has helped for his speech delay and looks to be helping in other areas. I have learned to talk slower, give cues, and keep the backround noise low. Here is the website that explains it.

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/auditory.htm

Quote:

What are the symptoms of possible auditory processing difficulty?


Children with auditory processing difficulty typically have normal hearing and intelligence. However, they have also been observed to

Have trouble paying attention to and remembering information presented orally
Have problems carrying out multistep directions
Have poor listening skills
Need more time to process information
Have low academic performance
Have behavior problems
Have language difficulty (e.g., they confuse syllable sequences and have problems developing vocabulary and understanding language)
Have difficulty with reading, comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary
My son only has a couple of these and the only one that was bad was the first one.

[codex57]

Err, nearly every toddler is like that. If they're still like that at 5 or 6, that's when I'd really start to worry.

We have the same problems with DS in his speech therapy.

[jamesmom]

Sounds a lot like my Dd#1. She gets very easily distracted, but at the same time, can focus in on something that she's interested in and totally ignore everything else.

She also gets very easily frustrated and more distractible when something is challenging. For example, she melted down this morning when she couldn't get her carseat harness buckled the first time...and then it was over, she wouldn't try anymore.

I don't want to raise any red flags because kids can and do change a lot between 3 and 6, and they can change completely by the time they are school age, but my DS was just like that in terms of being distracted and easily frustrated when he was a preschooler. He ended up being diagnosed with language delays, sensory issues, fine and gross motor skills delays, auditory processing delays and ADHD between age 3 and 6. For a while, it seemed like every specialist we brought him to diagnosed him with something. He's now in first grade, taking ADHD medication, receiving speech therapy and OT during and after school, and is doing really well in school both socially and academically, something we never thought we'd see. I think getting him into early intervention and starting therapy early was the key for us.

[maestramommy]

I cut out the ones that don't pertain to Arwyn. The SLP hasn't said she is a poor listener, but she does need to listen better. And she has said for some time now that Arwyn seems to need more time to process when asked a question. But she has attributed this to motor delay. Yesterday she said Arwyn is doing great academically, which is a funny word (imo) to apply to a 3 yo:p

I will ask the SLP next week about auditory processing, although I don't know if she is qualified to give a definite opinion. She seemed quite sure Arwyn is NOT ADHD (emphasis on the H), based on her behavior.



Quote:

What are the symptoms of possible auditory processing difficulty?


Children with auditory processing difficulty typically have normal hearing and intelligence. However, they have also been observed to

Have trouble paying attention to and remembering information presented orally
Have problems carrying out multistep directions
Have poor listening skills
Need more time to process information

[HIU8]

Yup, DS is easily distracted. He had an educational eval and also went through IQ testing. He is immature for his age and that could be a part of it (he is 5). I was told that we have to wait a few years, but if things don't improve DS will be tested for ADHD and/or auditory processing disorder. FWIW, we are not going through the county for the testing at this point b/c DS will be starting out in private school.

I should also add that DS is currently in OT for SPD and will be undergoing a speech/language eval later this spring b/c of some issues brought up by the testing.

Mostly, I was told that for some of the testing DS is still to young for the results to be accurate (hence the reason for waiting a few years).

[JTsMom]

A lot of SLP's know at least something about auditory processing disorders, IME. Yes, all toddlers have a short attention span and can be easily distracted, but if the SLP is mentioning it stands out to her frequently, AND you feel it's an issue, I'd stay on top of it. It definitely could be nothing, but mama's instinct is there for a reason.

And it could be a whole range of things. She could be missing the H and just be dealing w/ADD. Plus, attention difficulties tend to present differently in girls. It could be related to auditory processing issues, or the speech delay, and she's not paying attention b/c it's too challenging, or it's just taking her a while to decode and/or come up with a response. It could be sensory related, and she's too busy trying to deal with that stuff to focus. Or, it could be that she's 3. :) I'm just throwing a bunch of stuff out there, not knowing Arwyn at all, to see if any of it strikes a chord.

ETA: With you being a mom to 3, you know what typical 3 year old behavior is like. Is this different, in your experience?

[maestramommy]

ETA: With you being a mom to 3, you know what typical 3 year old behavior is like. Is this different, in your experience?

Well, actually I don't know. The only 3 yo I know well is Dora, and she's not a typical anything, imo:p I had to read, "Your 3 year old" to find out what parts were considered common, what was still normal, and what were her own quirks. Arwyn is nothing like Dora, and Laurel is shaping up to be nothing like the first two.

If I want to know what typical 3 yo behavior is like, I probably should ask Dora's preschool teacher. She's been teaching the 3's class for over 10 years. And I should probably also ask Dora's teacher from last year, who's been teaching a 2s class for over 30 years.

[HIU8]

This sounds exactly like my DS. He is in OT for SPD. He is going to be tested for S/L issues and will have to be tested for ADHD and APD in a couple of years. We are currently trying to get him into a developmental school that goes from preschool to 1st grade (DS will go to K next year). It was suggested I do pre-K again (or K twice once in private and once in another school), but DS's bday is November and our cuttoff is Sept. 1st. I'm hoping this school with OT, SL etc.. in the school will help him and he will mature next year enough to go right from K to 1st grade (in another private setting most likely with other kids like himself--or stay in the developmental school and see where he should go for 2nd grade.

[JTsMom]

Well, actually I don't know. The only 3 yo I know well is Dora, and she's not a typical anything, imo:p I had to read, "Your 3 year old" to find out what parts were considered common, what was still normal, and what were her own quirks. Arwyn is nothing like Dora, and Laurel is shaping up to be nothing like the first two.

If I want to know what typical 3 yo behavior is like, I probably should ask Dora's preschool teacher. She's been teaching the 3's class for over 10 years. And I should probably also ask Dora's teacher from last year, who's been teaching a 2s class for over 30 years.

Sorry, I just guessed between playdates and school and stuff. I definitely get that siblings are different- I'm kind of banking on that actually. :rotflmao:Anyway, yeah, definitely ask the teachers. Is Arwyn doing any classes or anything that you can compare during? Maybe storytime at the library or B&N?

[maestramommy]

Sorry, I just guessed between playdates and school and stuff. I definitely get that siblings are different- I'm kind of banking on that actually. :rotflmao:Anyway, yeah, definitely ask the teachers. Is Arwyn doing any classes or anything that you can compare during? Maybe storytime at the library or B&N?

Arwyn doesn't take any classes yet. Last year I took both kids to story hour at the library and it was awesome. This year I just can't. Just going to the library is stressful. Dora just wants to play the computer game, and Arwyn wants to wander around the stacks, press the button to make the trains go, and play the magnet table. Once we actually went during a story hour, but I couldn't get them to leave their individual pursuits. Then towards the end of the film strip they both wandered in, so they made it for that, and the craft:p Which they did sit down and try to do.

To date Dora has only had a couple of playdates with one classmate, who has a much older sister, so I don't know if she's typical either. As for school, the only thing I can see is that Dora seems to fit in developmentally, even though she's the oldest. Hard to tell though, since I'm only there for pickup and drop off.