A Five Year Old Who Is Easily Distracted and a Short Attention Span.

I think people jump to the ADHD diagnosis WAY WAY to quickly.
THere are a lot of things that can cause her to act this way. It does NOT mean anything is wrong with her.
She is only 5. You can't really believe that a 5 y.o has the same attention span as older kids.
One thing you might want to look at...Is she understanding the lessons she is being taught?
Sometimes when you don't understand something you have a hard time paying attention to it.
Kinda like, if you read a book and come across a word you don't know the meaning of, you don't really grasp what you've just read.
Same goes for everything else in learning.
You can't and will not be able to pay attention if you have no clue what is being said to you.

G.,
How is her sleeping? My 5 year old daughter, will be 6 in July recently was diagnosed with sleep apnea which was causing to almost be hyper. She had very restless sleep and she snored big time. Children who are tired very rarely show symptoms of tiredness. It usually manifests itself into hyperness. And the inability to focus in children. She had her tonsils and adenoids removed and it helped her greatly. I hope this helps.

OMG please with the ADHD! She sounds like a normal 5-year old! 5-year olds don't listen and they get distracted easily. I've been teaching for 20 years and it's a general rule that if you're giving instruction to a group of 5-6 year olds then you'll have to repeat yourself at least 3 times, if not more in order for everyone to have heard and pay attention. It doesn't matter how you try to get everyone's attention (and believe me, I use ALL the methods to gain the attention of the class!) they'll look at you--and then they're off in their own world.

If she's 5 then she has roughly a 5-minute attention span. Like one mom suggested, give her small things to do and set a timer. Do it in 5 minute increments. She'll think it's fun! Also, you're teaching her how to clean her room (it helps if you do it all in the same order each time). That's something she can use the rest of her life.

Do talk to her teacher about what needs to be done about her listening to instructions. I'm sure this is nothing new to her!

If the behavior continues and she shows some other signs then maybe later down the road get her tested for ADHD. All the ADHD kids I've had in my classes have shown signs that are definitely different than what you're telling me. There's just something "off" about them.

Enjoy your "normal" 5-year old!

Actually she sounds pretty normal to me! LOL
Give her very simple instructions O. or two step directions.
The school policies/procedures, etc is a learning curve thing and the "get it" eventually! Hang in there.

If it's any consolation, every single 5 year old I have ever known is like this. Including my own very advanced daughter who is almost 5. I have to remind her a hundred times to "keep getting ready" in the morning. To not get distracted when we're practicing piano, to not forget school stuff. I have to tell her 100 times to continue cleaning her room, continue changing into her jammies. She's very well disciplined and has always been firmly guided to stay on task. She will start doing things right away, but forget 2 seconds later. Because she's almost 5.

She's like "Eloise" about a million different things at a time. Show me a well focused 5 year old who doesn't get distracted by the big fascinating world, and it will be the first one I've ever seen. I'm sure the teacher will assure you there are many other kids in the class acting that way. That's what school is for at that age-to practice routine as well as learn the information.

Be patient, be calm, be firm, and I would wait a bit longer before thinking it's medical unless she really seems way off compared to other kids to you. Make schedules and keep things simple and one at a time. Don't assume it will last until she's a teenager. I was the exact same way at 5 according to my dad, but very advanced and focused a few years later and onward. My friend's daughter, who is now 13, acted this way at 5, and my friend took her to every brain doctor in the world, put her on meds etc. She's now very insecure and has only ever heard how many problems she has from so much therapy etc. My daughter's behavior is identical to hers at five and so are the daughters of several of my other friends. Ease your mind. Be patient.

Make a list on a poster-and have her check off the items as they are completed. Remember-she may need some help-she is only 5-just be patient and teach her the importance of paying attention, doing what is asked of her-and following through and finishing a task. Reward -like when she gets her room cleaned-then you'll teach her how to bake cookies-or talk a walk-or make paper dolls, etc.Try to focus on the things she gets done and downplay the things she doesn't.

My daughter is like yours. She has gotten better as she has gotten older. I cannot give her too many things to do because she forgets. Also, she complains I "talk too fast at her" so she doesn't understand what she is supposed to do. For school, when she started the new year, I had a meeting with the teacher. We would discuss the issue and any problems that may come up. Also, I always let the teacher know that I am hands on and I do not like to let things sit and possibly have problems. If there is any tiny issue, let me know in a note or call. For the attention issue, my daughter got a seat next to the teacher or near the front of the class. The teacher would tap her desk or ask her a question to get her attn. Also, she sat on the end of a row rather than between 2 other students. I think we worked this way through 4th grade. She is now in 6th and recently got an award for her effort and being a role model for other kids. She is also an excellent student. I do have to remind her things. Sometimes she starts to do something and forgets what she was doing. Her personality is hands on visual so if she does not have something to actually show her, she does tend to speed on to something else. Like me, she is a big multitasker so I kind of understand even though it is so frustrating.
For home, we write down what has to be done, from "get out of bed" to "complete homework and put backpack in the closet" to "brush teeth". This ha helped a lot. She also had notes taped to her desk to remember to review her homework list because she would forget to bring it home.
BTW, I had her tested for ADHD etc 2 times. Both times came back as not.

I was exactly like this, maybe even more so. This was in the times before ADHD was a popular diagnosis for so many normal behaviors. My first grade teacher sent me to the back of the room with an advanced reader (who learned from big sister before arriving at school) and this girl actually taught me to read. I remember she used a phonetics "style" -- which was not being used at that time. I had been so distracted in reading group that I had been unable to learn. But my friend, Melissa, had my full attention as it was just the two of us. I really had trouble concentrating fully until third grade, when my teacher gave me "Little House on the Prairie," saying the character Laura was so much like me. I fell in love with reading through that series. I started writing poetry and short stories during the next few years. Then, as an adult, I made my living with writing and editing (Melissa became a nurse).

There is nothing wrong with your daughter... there is something wrong with the way she is being communicated TO. Change the way you speak to her and things will change. You might want to read a book called "How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen So Kids will Talk"--it's a good place to start. By repeating yourself over and over, you are allowing yourself to not be heard. I'd tune you out also, and so would you. Learn better communication skills and you'll improve your communication. IMO, this is the #1 challenge I face as a parent each and every day (I have three boys)... and my children all fit the same description as your daughter.

Geez people ... take a breath. Denying the child MIGHT have ADD/ADHD is no better than jumping to the conclusion she DOES have it. IF she has ADD/ADHD the sooner options are looked into and coping strategies implemented the better.

HOWEVER, most 5 year olds have the attention span of a knat. So this very well could be normal, and if she's a young 5 year old then all the more likely. Although the fact she's halfway through the school year at this point and still having attention span issues could be an early warning sign. I wouldn't stress too much about it yet though.

As one other poster said, when it comes to cleaning her room and such tasks, try breaking them down into smaller tasks. My youngest son DOES have ADHD (and I knew he did by the time he was 18 months old) and I learned early that I had to break things down into smaller parts or nothing got done. Cleaning his room went from "go clean your room" to "go pick up all your dirty clothes, then come back to me" when he came back from that it would be "go pick up all your books, then come back to me" then it was "go pick up all your toys, then come back to me". It made the task less overwhelming, still got it done, and it meant I had to repeat myself less. He still got distracted sometimes ... I mean honestly would YOU rather clean or play? If you would really rather clean than play you need therapy LOL Course I also didn't care if it took him 2 hours to clean the room as long as it got done. :)

Don't assume she's got attention issues but don't ignore or deny the possibility of them either. Keep an eye on the situation. If things don't improve within the next year as far as her attention span goes, look into the possibility of having her tested. Make sure she's getting enough good sleep and well balanced meals and plenty of exercise. If all of those things are happening, she's getting older and her attention span isn't improving at all ... THEN consider the possibility of ADD/ADHD.

I would also talk to the teacher about some options you might have as well as strategies you can come up with together to help her learn to focus a little better at school.

Sounds like a normal 5 yr old to me. My son is 9 now and does have ADHD and anxiety (and testing for aspbergers now) but 5 is too young to diagnose it. I would keep a record of all the behaviors though in case in a few years she still has these same tendencies and you choose to have her tested if she needs it. In his 5 yr old class they were all that way. Also consider that she is probably the youngest kid in her Kindergarten class since the cutoff here anyway is Sep 1. I would be concerned though if the teachers are bringing it up to you as they are probably seeing she has a harder time with it than all the other kids. That's the way my son was. He was in a special ed class as a peer so he had teachers who knew how to deal with him and help him learn so occassionally I would sit in on their class and learned a few tips from them. The biggest thing was learning to read his cues as to when he was able and willing to listen. Good luck

ask the schoo; to do a ADHD/ADD screen
Also Kids cannot remember too many things like we can. One step instructions, play simon says when cleaning. Simon say pick up you socks, simon says put them into your hamper. If she gets that now make it a 2 step instruction, Simon says get your "*&^%&" book and put it on your shelf. Simon says pick up your pants and put it in the hamper. Gradually work up to 3 step (Simon says pick up you pants and socks and put it into the hamper) and 4 step. This will take time, but she will get it.

Deep breaths Mom.

Sounds like ADD (possibly). Talk to your pediatrician first and see about getting an evaluation. My son is now 8 but at 5 he was diagnosed with ADHD and we put him on meds. Personally, I swear by meds, he's happier, he can focus, his school work went from poor to the Gift Program. He's not a perfect angel, he's still an 8y/o but he had major issues with focus and hyperactivity (which came out as agressive behavior). Very stressful time. Anyway, step one is to talk to the pediatrician. If he/she just pushes it off without much consideration, then find a child psychiatrist and schedule an evaluation yourself. You don't need your pediatricians permission to do so.

Oh, and 5 y/o is NOT too young to diagnose a problem (if it is a true problem). Yes, it could just be a 5 y/o being a 5y/o, but if you really think it's more than that, then take the extra step and talk to a doc. Better to check and find out it's nothing, than to not check and it actually be something.
Good luck

Talk to her pediatrician about getting a referral to a child psychiatrist, neuropsychologist or developmental pediatrician. These specialists are in the best position to evaluate your daughter for a possible condition such as ADHD-inattentive type. The school district can not diagnose, but can help with accommodations should she need them.

The earlier you get her help, the better off she will be in the long run. If you're seeing consistent issues at home and at school, it very well could be ADHD or a similar condition.

ETA: DON'T minimize your concerns and blow this off because people say "oh, typical five year old." It's NOT typical to get the complaints from teachers about lack of attention. That's a major red flag. I minimized my own concerns about my son for too long because people (who were not experts) blew them off as "typical boy" and it wasn't typical. Trust your gut instinct on this.

Good thing that you are noticing and taking action now. The first action you will need to take is to have her tested to find out her learning style and any issues she may have. We had our daughter tested by the school but did not agree with their diagnosis (anxiety disorder) and paid a private neuro psychologist to test her later and his diagnosis (ADD + Dyslexia) matched what we had seen. Depending on the diagnosis, there will be different paths to take or try. For the last 2 years we have tried: working with the teachers and Reading Recovery teachers, requesting the school assessment, 1st IEP meeting (declined since anxiety is a doctor not school issue), testing by our own neuro psych, 2nd IEP meeting (declined since they disagreed with the private diagnosis), starting 5th grade with "good teaching practices (really accommodations but school did not want to make it official for some reason - probably because it costs them time and effort and some money), trying Vyvance meds (she could not sleep), trying Concerta meds(she became depressed), hiring a special ed advocate, perhaps trying Adderal XR next week. We have high hopes that our advocate can help us navigate the legal issues and education options that are available. I just wrote all this to let you know it is not as easy as it could be. There are laws but it is up to the parents to make the schools enforce them, and since we do not know the laws and the schools "interpret" them to their advantage, you might need legal help. But start with knowing your daughters neurological and learning profile. To request the testing from the school you write the principal and they have 30 days to convene a Team Meeting (of all teachers and counselors to review her school work) and then 15 days to respond to you (in Massachusetts that is, your state may differ). If I had to do it all over again I would have skipped the school testing, paid for the private testing, and immediately hired an advocate (our pediatrician recommended several). It is not cheap, but here we are 2 years later and still having paid a lot of money and still no real changes for our daughter. Good luck.

I didn't read through all the suggestions, but thought I'd mention a few things that have helped my kids. First, saying, "Clean you room" is way too hard for some young kids. Even when I think "Okay I have to clean my house" I can feel overwhelmed and have no idea what really needs to be done (prioritizing), and it's hard to stay focused. And I'm 26. I'd make a checklist (I do them for me and my kids, a new one each time, but I know some moms who have a daily or weekly list, etc, and I'm hoping to do that soon). Draw a t-shirt or something and put a box next to it. That's "Pick up clothes: clean put away, dirty to laundry room" (we have a 1 level house, and I have the laundry baskets in the laundry room instead of individual rooms, so each kid is responsible for taking their clothes to the laundry room for me to wash.) My son would do one thing, check it off his list, and go on to the next. It helped give him direction without me having to give a lot of directions. My daughter is much more prone to still jump from one thing to the next, so I give her specifics. "Put away all the dollhouse stuff." Then a couple minutes later I tell her the next item. I also help sometimes not by doing it for her, but by helping with certain items if there are small pieces I'll get some of those and have her get the larger ones, having specific places where each item goes, and not allowing too much to be out at once. My daughter loves to just hide stuff. Toys, clothes, etc. I don't know why, but I know I did the same thing. Only my parents let it get worse and worse; I try to help her keep her things tidy and explain why we do that, and I help her organize everything probably once every 2 weeks. My son also sometimes doesn't hear directions b/c he's distracted, but honestly I kind of put that back on the teacher. "Well, what are you doing to keep his interest?" That may sound mean, but if my son needs a challenge, then give him one! If he's really misbehaving, trust me I'll deal with that, but he's 5, and he sits in school 7 hours a day. Give him a book at his desk so he can finish stuff quickly and then try to read some. Give him extra work so he can learn more. There are a lot of kids who seem to control the teacher in my son's class and then she ends up paying attention to them and my son has gotten used to her not talking to him, but to the bad kids and those who just don't understand the assignments as quickly. Think about it-he's actually taught himself to drown out what she's saying b/c it usually doesn't impact him. But everything he's asked to do, he does, and I thought maybe she grades everyone with high grades, but his best friend doesn't get what he gets, so that's not it. Could that be going on with your daughter? My son gets high marks on everything, so I'm not about to punish his not listening, he's doing everything perfectly-especially knowing his classmates and his teacher. I'm not saying it's her fault she has to do this with the kids, b/c it's not her fault their parents didn't teach them better, but it's the way it is. That means I teach my son a little more at home, not replacing what he learns in school, but building on it. I also ask him to tell us 2 new things he learns everyday, and he knows we'll discuss it every night. That helps him pay attention to see what he can tell us later. Hope you find something that works for you and your daughter.

Well, it is possible that she has some level of ADD, or it could be that she's just a typical five-year old! Sounds completely normal to me.