Losing things, forgetting things and absent minded

[Guest Guest_efgh]

My son loses a lot of things in the school , forgets where he kept his things and is absent minded. he is very intelligent and sharp but has a poor short term memory especially when it comes to remembering to pick up his things like the water bottle, books, school jackets, etc and is forgetful. is this a part of TS? how many of your TS kids have the same problem or is it a part of childhood behaviour..

 

thanks.

[sgrunin]

I would say it has something to do with TS..when I had my baby and came back to work and my tourettes started up again..I started forgetting things to and my short term memory was AWFUL.

 

It has gotten a little better lately but it was so bad that my wife would ask me to go downstairs and get something for her, I would go downstairs and just look around because I forgot what she needed.

 

Scott

[Claire]

Likely the ADD tendencies so often comorbid with TS.

 

Not into 'labels', and I believe in spectrums, but good to recognize tendencies.

 

By the way, short term memory can be related to pyroluria--did you ever do the $40 test for this?

 

Claire

[Guest Diane]

I don't know whether or not it's related to TS, but my youngest son (who has TS), and like your son is extremely intelligent, frequently forgot things in the same way your son does, especially in the younger grades. I just decided to write him little lists every day (not long, maybe 3 or 4 of the most important things for him to remember) and put it in his agenda each day. Or before I dropped him off for school, I would say - "what three things are we going to remember today?", and he would repeat it back to me. Eventually it taught him to make mental lists and he is in Gr 6 now and is quite good at remembering things.

Even if it is a TS thing, I believe you can overcome it by practice and making lists. In my son's case, I think he was so overwhelmed with worry and anxiety (he suffers from this big-time) that the smaller details he needed to remember at school were often put on the back-burner...

[Chemar]

My son and husband have found Ginko Biloba and the EFAs very helpful with memory.

 

I do think it is linked to the ADD component in their TS

[Heather]

Just to add my input here, my son is also terrible with short term memory. He is at the top of his class academically and he astounds me with the mental math he can do in his head at 8 years old, yet he walks out the door in the morning right past his knapsack for school and wouldn't even realize he didn't have it until he got to school and needed his homework. He forgets sweaters, mitts and water bottles daily. When he goes somewhere with a friend to any social outing I send him with as little as possible as whatever he takes does not come home with him.

 

Go figure!!!

 

Heather

[Claire]

I remember a kindergarten boy who kept forgetting his jacket. The teacher's response: Let him go outside in the cold and suffer, so that he will remember it.

 

I know an elementary school whose policy was: Parent's DON'T put the child's lunch with their packpack --let them do it. If they forget it, we let them go hungry. These consequences are critical to teaching them responsibility.

 

I was apalled at both schools' approaches. It is punishing children for the way their minds work! Child abuse to me.

 

I have heard of a ton of transition issues to middle school due to forgetting things--intelligence has zero to do with this, as you know...I guess this is why they talk about the absent minded professor. Today they would not do well in school!

 

Claire

 

ps Diane, good point about anxiety. And written lists are terrific--good idea re the agenda. So is limiting the number of key things to remember or do--both from a memory and an anxiety point of view. The worse thing is when teachers get mad at them--like that will do anything but raise anxiety levels and lower self-esteem.

[Gina]

Hi Everyone,

 

My son who is 9 and also my Husband both with TS (no ADD) have awsome memory, long term and short term. I used to think that thier good memory was linked to TS. Go Figure.... I do have a friend with a child that has ADD (no TS) and his short term memory is like what I read in the other posts. Constantly forgetting things.

 

Gina

[Claire]

I think the comorbidity was 50%?

 

Claire

[Guest Guest_efgh]

thanks for all your valuable inputs. I too have been trying that small checklist which I keep in his school bag in order to remember to bring back things (Guess what, he says he FORGETS to see the checklist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Some of you have mentioned its a part of ADD , but he has very good concentration most of the time.. more inputs on this are welcome.

One tic that I notice in him these days is that whenever he reads a book and he turns the page he says he HAS TO BLINK HIS EYE HARD (ONLY when he turns the page). is it ocd or a tic?

overall he is doing fine and I hope and pray that he gets more better soon.

What a site this is, hearty congrats to every one member of this forum for keeping this site so active and useful!

[Ausclare]

Hi there,

 

high aluminum levels can cause short term memory loss, thats how they linked Alzheimers.

 

I also worried about my memory because it was getting really bad and I thought it was because I was doing night shift and had lack of sleep.

Then my kids tested high for aluminium, unfortunately I didn't get tested, but since we changed cooking pots and I now take some supplements I hardly forget anything.

I still do the night shift.