Are there at home tests for a five year old to see if they need extra help?
Answer:
I spoke to my son's pediatrician about ADD and ADHD after we (my husband and I) and his First grade teacher noticed he was having trouble with letter, numbers and daily tasks. HE was in first grade had a tutor, was working with hooked on phonics and still not at K level of reading. Also Daily activities like brushing teeth, getting dressed, etc..he would just loose concentration on. The school first offered to run an evaluation, then his pediatrician ran his own evaluation after reading the schools. My son was diagnosed with ADHD last year. This year was a new beginning for our son, He is at a second grade reading level, and his mind isn't constantly changing channels. I realize that my son is a little older than your boy but, I think if we would have paid more attention to his actions in Kindergarten then first grade would have went so much smoother.
Actually, try the local school system. Evaluation is sometimes available through them to evaluate a childs learning pattern/process.
Has anyone tried to teach him these things? Maybe he should be around other children who are learning these things so he realizes he needs to learn them when he sees his peers doing so. If this doesn't help, he might have something that needs to be treated with therapy.
There's a difference between "not recognizing" and "not caring". The last thing on a 5 yr. olds mind is letters and numbers. They could care less which is why alot of people wonder "are they normal?" when in reality their kids are just fine.
Do you feel he's behind in other things? Vocabulary? Concentrating on simple things like tying his shoes or eating his breakfast? If he seems fine in every other aspect, there's probably no learning or concentration problem.
If you truly feels there's something wrong, then talk to his pediatrician about it.
yes it is normal if noone has sat down for 10 minutes per day and shown them these things.
Kids that age are a sponge but it takes devotion of a few minutes day for them to ahve the materials to absorb.
If, on the other hand, you, the childs mom or dad have taught these things and there is still a problem recognizing them then you should probably seek professional help, as in a teacher friend or some type of testing.
Please keep in mind that a 5 year old could care less about these things and once they enter the school system and all the other children are learning them together they should settle down and learn them fairly quickly.
Is he in kindergarten or preschool? If not, put him in preschool 3 mornings a week. It's not easy to teach these things at home for most parents, and if you can get him in a program, they should be able to teach him. If he is in a program now, talk to the teacher about your concern. She can tell you what you're next step should be. One last piece of advise, read to him every day for atleast 15 minutes. Best of luck!
There is no way to diagnose a learning disability at home, but if no one has tried to teach your step son these things, he would not have the opportunity to learn them. I'm guessing he goes back and forth from his dad's to his mom's and you have no way to intervene on his behalf as a parent. You can "volunteer" when you have him to take him to the school district for his Early Childhood Screening or Pre-Kindergarten Screening that all kids are supposed to get. Just tell mom and dad that you didn't have anything planned and would be happy to take him. Maybe they'll go for it. He will be put into Special Ed right away if he is too far behind his class and that will really hurt his self-esteem.
You can check out the homeschooling websites for activities to help him learn, also check out stuff like NickJr or Disney, they have some really fun learning activities too (my son loves Disney, they even have an online preschool). The best way to teach letters and numbers is by doing lots of different things and reading and writing with him A LOT. You can get workbooks and stuff at Walmart or any book store.
Good Luck
A lot of schools won't screen 5s. There are far to many variables at that young age - and often with gentle patience they grow out.
From their perspective, if they tested every 5 y.o. with concentration problems, they'd have to test them all.
Continue to work with him at home and most importantly - DOCUMENT EVERYTHING YOU DO! That way you can have evidence that you are making an effort to no avail.
My son is also prone to "ants in his pants" but I have learned that the more tired he is the more restless he is. We have to put him to bed at 8:00.
For his letters try the Leap videos - great suff!
Your son sounds perfectly normal, he may have ADD/ADHD, in fact it sounds like he does. I would take him to his pediatrician. If this is the case please remember that he can't help so many things that would make you think he is being naughty. Read and research as much as you can on it, and do not be afraid of medication, it will help your son's concentration, etc.. Good luck -_-.
I would ask these things first: can he ride a bike with no training wheels, can he use a video game controller, can he make his radio controlled car work and if he can then there is probably nothing wrong with him except hes a boy. Hes just not interested in letters and numbers as he sees nothing too interesting there.
You may want to get him tested for ADD. If he hasnt started school yet thinking about holding him back a year before he starts. Trust me I wish that I would have done this with my son who was very immature for his age and now struggles. I didnt do it because he had a twin sister that was very ready and I had to keep them together. Looking back it would have been much better for him to stay back a year. If he does have ADD there are other things that you could do instead of medication but it will be a struggle for him all of his life. This is what I am going through right now and it is a challange. Good luck.
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