Help - daughter reading math problems | ADHD Information

My son is having problems with some of the same issues having to reword things so he can get it.  He actually has an appt to be evaulated for auditory processing as he had problems with his ears when he was young.

Make sure you get someone certified/qualified to evaluate for auditory processing, not just anyone knows what they are doing.  If you live in VA, UVA has someone qualified to do this.  For instance, our evaulation is going to take three hours.

Also, look into digit spans to help with auditory problems.

My son has problems with switching words like, /the/ for /a/.  Drives me crazy and he gets flustered at me when I correct him.  Last year, I had the idea to make him read a lot of AR books.  He read the most in his grade.  This year he won't take a test on any, but he will read though.  The teacher told me last week that he was one of the best readers in his class and is in the group with the best readers.  So, all the reading last year helped I guess.


I live in upstate NY but will try to find someone qualified to test for auditory
processing disorder. She seems so with it in so many ways that I wonder
why things are so difficult for her. I did some research on this condition.
Another sign that this could be the problem is that she often says "what"
right away after I tell her something. Thanks for the suggestions!My 7 year old daughter was just diagnosed with ADHD this summer.
We've been giving her fish oil for about 3 months, and started
Magnesium/b6 about 2 months ago.
She used to be pretty down on herself, but her mood/anxiety has greatly
improved. She also used to have sensitivity to clothes, which was just
awful in the mornings when getting ready for school. That has also
greatly improved. She has more friends this year.
She is still having difficulty in Math and Reading in the 3rd grade, which
has been a problem since Kindergarten.
What the teacher and I both see are these problems:
-she does not remain focused and has to be redirected/reminded to pay
attention frequently.
-she does not understand directions, either verbal or written.
-Her math is known as a spiral math and it has lots of problems that are
not concrete but very thought provoking. If I reword the directions one
or several times, then often the light bulb goes on and she knows what to
do on her math homework.
-In her spelling book they do in class the directions are often a bit
complicated as well, and the teacher says she often has to reexplain the
directions to my daughter. She ends up doing well on the spelling test,
just has trouble with the assignments because she does not understand
the directions.
-She also takes a long time completing the short math assessments the
teacher gives the kids every month, and also needs help understanding
what to do on the assessments.
-She is ok with phonics, but reads slowly and substitutes words (like "I"
for "we")
- She loves writing stories and does well with this and also loves the
music class, art, social studies and especially science.
Do you all think this is an adhd focusing problem or something else, like
auditory processing disorder?
Do you think a adhd med would help with her understanding oral and
written directions?



I think I would try to have her evaluated for learning disabilities. The difficulties with focus and needing directions repeated are definitely common ADHD symptoms, but it sounds like there could be additional issues, so I would get it checked out so you will know for sure. You may be able to get a 504 plan or IEP that could specify that your daughter needs directions repeated and clarified, and that she is allowed extra time for assignments and tests.
Glad that the omegas, etc. seem to be helping with the mood, anxiety, and sensitivity issues! That is great news. And sorry she is having so many academic issues. It sounds like both you and the teacher are really on top of it, so I'm sure you will get it all sorted out.
Also just wanted to add that my daughter's elementary school also used a "spiral" math curriculum. Is it "Everyday Math"? I'm sure it is fantastic for some children, but my daughter really struggled with it. It made me want to scream at times. Seemed to make math unnecessarily abstract whereas I would think that making it more concrete and hands-on would be more effective. Just my opinion.
Best of luck and let us know how things go for your daughter.
Everyday Math is what she uses as well. Your daughter sounds similar to my 6th grader who started middle school this year. My advice to you is do do everything in your power not to let her fall behind.  I also gave my daughter omegas and magnesium for many years hoping that would be enough.  I wanted to avoid meds. Unfortunately her elementary school told me what I was hoping to hear and minimized her difficulty with reading (she reads on grade level but also substitutes words which has an impact on comprehension) and math.  They used everyday math,  which I think is the worst for add kids.  She still does not have down her basic facts.  I think repetition  rather that the spiraling is much more beneficial, because although it may take her a while to understand something, once she does she retains it.

So now comes middle school and they want to move her to resource for english ,which in our school consists of mainly children with behavioral issues  Lucky for me my daughter does not have major behavioral issues but being with kids who do I think will just be an additional distraction. She needs to be around kids who  model appropriate behavior. 

 The middle school child studies team has determined that the elementary school let her fall too far behind in her skills, especially writing.  They said that after reviewing her work and file, that her issues are due to ADD not a learning disability.  On her report card she had 7 As (all in the classes that she likes, such as science, social studies  and chinese).  The classes she finds boring (English and Math) she got C- .  She is not able to maintain focus at all, and I do mean at all  she seems like she's on another planet and the teachers get very VERY frustrated with her, because they know she is bright and a good student in her other classes.  At the elementary level teachers are sometimes able to adjust the material to make it more entertaining but come middle school they are either unable or unwilling to do so.  My daughter is frustrated by her inability to focus in these situations. And frustrated at the length of time it takes her to complete work. Homework can be an all night event. Grades are important to her.  So we decided on meds.  My daughter who was, during her elementary years opposed to taking any meds is now eager to start.  She really feels the need I hope they work.  And if, as child studies has claimed, her problems are due to attention, the medication should improve her English and Math grades. I'll let you know.

Our DD 6 also has ADHD - more the impulsive type and not so much the hyperactivity, inattentive type.  She is also a twin who's brother is very very bright and ahead in school.  We realized though that she was struggling more "than normal" with reading.  She knew the sounds of each letter but when it came to blending the letters together the concept was lost on her.  I am a huge reader and we have always read to her.  We could show her sight words flash cards and she could get one word right off the bat and then two minutes later show her the same word and she is stumped.  She also confuses they=there=the, for example.  Her teachers were not too concerned but I did not want her to have school struggles on top of her 'other' struggles.  We started her in the Sylvan Learning Centre reading program in August.  She has come on leaps and bounds.  She get 1/1 or 3/1 at the most and loves the encourgament, recognition and reward system they do.  She is blending so much better and her confidence is back!  It is not cheap but for us the money is well worth it. Althought distraction is not a big issue for her , it was when she was struggling to read b/c she became frustrated and would just try to get it over with.  However she less likely to do this with the teachers at Sylvan than with Mom & Dad if you know what I mean.  I told the Sylvan teachers I was not trying to create a genuis, I just wanted her to be able to read for her level, be confident in her abilities and ENJOY doing the work.  I also knew that if there was a learning disability in there, they would pick up on it.  So far they have not.

I hope you are able to figure out what the issue is and help your child

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