NOT ADD/ADHD

I finally met with Tracy at the Health Dept/Child Guidance Center to discuss the results of James' ADD/ADHD assessment. What she has concluded is that he does NOT have ADD/ADHD. As he has gotten older, he has become less and less hyper and more and more focused on most things. As he gets better at different skills, he is more able to sit still and work on things that require those skills. His distractibility, largely visual, seems due to frustration or disinterest in something that is hard for him and he redirects his attention to something more interesting/less intimidating or as a way to avoid what he is finding difficult. I think it’s like when I have something I have to do that I don’t want to, like cleaning the bathroom or doing math homework, and I decide to procrastinate it by doing other things that need to get done instead. She also found that he has an above average IQ in areas that do not require verbal/auditory skills but he falls somewhat short in things that do. Just as was shown in other assessments, her tests also showed that James is functioning at a Preschool level in verbal skills. He can also describe things but cannot figure out what something is by listening to a description. No surprise here. I feel that maybe repeating kindergarten will be the perfect solution. Maybe the whole problem is simply being a late-bloomer after all.