Attention deficit?

[Guest Guest_SDK]

My 8-year old son has had tics since last September. There has been some indication that he may be a PANDAS case. He is a very smart boy (dxed highly gifted), but he often puts minimal effort into his work at school. At home, if he is told very explicitly before an assignment that he is expected to focus on the assignment and do it well, he can deliver a good product. I am trying to understand if his behavior indicates an attention deficit condition, whether it is normal for an 8-year old boy to behave this way, or if he is bored with the assignments. Any thoughts or similar experiences?

[Guest Guest]

The following link is specific for ADD/ADHD, so you may get more replies by posting there:

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showforum=2

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Hi SDK,

 

As you know my son has PANDAS. He definitely exhibits ADHD type behaviour when his tics increase with strep or other illnesses. He lacks focus at school and is very distracted. Now that his teacher has seen him when he is doing so well, she is actually able to tell when he is coming down with something based on how much (or I should say little) he is able to focus at school. These are all things I have read are connected to the PANDAS diagnosis. Along with the emotional lability, separation anxiety, trouble sleeping - and for some the OCD stuff. We have experienced the ADHD as I mentioned, and the trouble sleeping as well as the deterioration in fine motor skills, writing and drawing - when the tics are gone so is all the other stuff.

My son is also quite bright and when he is able to concentrate he does amazing work.

[Guest Jeff]

SDK, Could it be something he's eating that's affecting his focus? That certainly is the case with many children. For example, artificial colors and flavors, or corn syrup can have an effect on children's behavior and/or attention.

We follow the Feingold program to eliminate those types of things from our diet. It has definitely helped us not only with tics, but with behavior and focus issues too. Most who follow Feingold do so because of behavioral and focus issues. You can learn more at feingold.org. If you want any more info, there are a few of us on this board that have experience with the program.

Jeff