Suggestions for children who have a hard timeconcentrating

agh ↓

Sun, Nov 09 2008, 9:22 pm

Has anyone tried anything bennificial for their children to help them concentrate in school and have more patience in general. someone told me to try fish oil caplets? has anyone had success with that? any other remedies?

pecan

Sun, Nov 09 2008, 10:03 pm

Maxi health has some supplements. You could email them with the problem and they will email back. But before you try supplements, why don't you make sure that there are no external issues? A great book to read is, "Please don't label my child," by Scott M. Shannon. Is the child sleeping well, going to sleep on time, receiving proper nutrition, getting enough attention, having a good relationship with caregiver/parents, in the right school setting? These can all affect a child.

morahaviva

Mon, Nov 10 2008, 12:55 am

Speak to the teacher, have her set up cues with your child so if the teacher sees your child spacing she can give a non verbal cue to bring your child back to earth, without the whole class knowing and without disrupting the class. At home - buy a 3 fold presentation board to put on the table during homework time - it blocks off your child and gives them a place to work with no distractions. If it is really bad you may want to have your child evaluated - while I dont think every kids needs to be medicated, it really makes a difference in some - and maybe s/he needs behavior modification or to learn organizational skills to be able to concentrate.

btMOMtoFFBs

Mon, Nov 10 2008, 6:13 am

Assuming there isn't a medical condition behind it. Concentration skills are like any other academic skills. developed and built up slowly over time... they are not gained by taking capsules or supplements.

The problem today is that kids are used to quick-hit activities and aren't generally conditioned to develop a strong attention span.

Give your child activities every day that really capture his/her attention. Increase the intensity of these activities over time to hold his or her attention for longer and longer.

You didn't say how old your child is, but here are some activities that can draw in a young child.

Lego (following steps to complete houses/cars/etc)
sewing/lacing cards
matching and rolling/folding socks
taking apart a flashlight and putting it back together

I'm PMing you some more information

Hatzlacha

Strudel

Mon, Nov 10 2008, 9:15 am

You need to find out the root of the problem. Is it the teacher, who's style doesn't work for your kid? Something physical like needing glasses?
You could try and get simple sensory equipment like these Move "n" Sit cushions or fidgit toys that help a kid refocus.

http://www.theraproducts.com/I.....=4220

PIP

Mon, Nov 10 2008, 9:29 am

My daughter also has issues w\ concentration. she has B"H gotten much better in the past year, after a lot of work.
One day I sat with her for about 2 hours "teaching" her how to think. I know she knows the aleph bet backwards and forwards, so I took the letters, and had her read them to me. She was ok in the begininng, then her mind started wandering and she just kinda threw out answers. I would cover every other letter except for the one she was doing, and ask her look at this letter and nowhere else, THINK about it before you tell me anything. I want to hear the right answer. After some time, she finally got the jist of it. Even now sometimes I need to close her hw and tell her to tell me when she is ready to think. She'll sit for a minute then tell me she's ready. I hate being such a toughy on her, but it really helped her a lot!
I also gave her the Omega 3 Chocolate Teddy bear vitamins (I know the Omega 3 helps me concentrate, so why not her?)
It takes time, and patience, but the main thing is to accept her the way she is, and don't try and make a genius out of her. If she's not an A+ student, what's gunna happen??
Good luck!