[Teddi9192]

My problem is my own son. He is a first grader. He is truely gifted but completely unable to finish anything at school. He is distracted at everything. He has said to me "I just want my mind to slow down sometimes, I am so tired." He is the most observant oblivious child you have ever seen. ie. he might be observing the texture of a crayon so intently that he doesn't hear the fire alarm (this happened) The principal indicated that testing for asbergers(sp) may be in line. Do you have any suggestions for helping him focus on the here and now until we can find out what is going on?

[lillian]

This man, Tony Attwood, is very highly respected for his research and publications on Asperger's. Maybe, you will find something on his site that will be helpful:

http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/

[josephineg]

Maybe your child is an introvert who has an intense focus, which is typical for this personality type. I would not necessarily pathologize him. I don't finish things either, especially when I'm no longer interested in them.

I would have him evaluated for personality type, even before I'd have him evaluated for Asperger's. My brain has never slowed down, actually. Sometimes, when people realize how slow other people's brains work, they wish their brains would slow down to that pace...out of boredom.

Maybe this child is bored or overstimulated in a classroom of extroverts. I too notice things that others do not, and sometimes tune out distractions (like a fire alarm) while concentrating. Nothing wrong with any of that--introverts tend to be gifted.

Let us know what the evaluations reveal. There are some great sites on introverts with good info on introverted children and how to spot them even in photographs (no kidding). Just google introvert and see...

A good book on Asperger's is Elijah's Cup.

[yesteach]

Being Gifted/ADD and an introvert myself, I can relate to what the child is saying.. there are times I can't filter out anything.. then at other times I am so intent on what I'm doing that I don't hear anything around me. Lesson 1 in my classroom is, "Be sure I am looking at you when I answer a question and that I respond in some way other than.. ummhmm... otherwise, odds are very good I didn't hear a thing you said."

I used to have a corkboard in my classroom (when I had a self-contained class) where students had to move a pushpin to "where" they were going when they left the room... because too often students would say "May I go to... " and I'd be so involved with helping another student and just say "mmmhmmm" and next thing I know, I can't remember where they told me they were going. The pushpin solved the problem, I could walk over and see that they went to the library, restroom, computer lab, etc.

I don't see Asperger's in the things you are describing.

[josephineg]

for your post. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only introverted/gifted teacher on the block.

I love your corkboard and push-pin idea. I too would not be able to remember what a child said to me five seconds after he/she had left the room.

I suspect the children, especially the kinesthetic ones, loved being able to move the push-pins on the board, too.

That would have worked great with my sixth graders this past year.