Please Help I Have a 6 Year Old That Says He Brain Does Not Work

As kindergarten teachers we get alot of kids who though they are old enough are just not ready for kindergarten yet....But they more than succeed the second time around...They just need the summer to get their thoughts together and then it all clicks the next year...If I were you I would just casually work with him through his play this summer and not stress about it or trying to get him through to first grade b/c this will stress him out and it will drive you crazy...There is no shame in repeating kindergarten....in fact if any child should have to repeat kindergarten is the best time to do it..the earlier you catch it the better and he is still young enough he doesnt have a sense of what it means....he will get it but when he is ready....as for his letters make a game of it and just model model model it for him b/c that is one of the best ways for kindergarteners to catch on...point out letters and say their names as you're driving etc. just have fun with it! and if he is still having trouble pronouncing them next year you may want to request speech services... He will be fine! You will be amazed at how he catches on next year...

I would have him evaluated by a developmental pediatrician. We did this with our son and it reassured us about some areas, and pointed out areas where he could benefit from therapy. It was a series of three visits. In the first visit she evaluated him physically, the second visit was a series of mental and physical tests (can you draw this, can you hop on one foot, etc.) while my husband and I watched and listened behind a two way mirror. The third visit was a meeting to go over her findings and recommendations. If you think this is something you want to do make an appointment NOW, because I think most of them have waits of several months. We saw Dr. Sonia George Bussey at Woodlawn Developmental Pediatrics in Marietta. Her number is ###-###-####.

Hun Ive had the same problem all my life, and all through elementry school.
It must be some type of learning disability, but not ADD. These days doctors only want to diegnose ADD and ADHD and nothing else, leading to both an overdiegnosis and a misconception of what it really is, so even if your son WERE to have it, the doctors wouldnt be able to detect it.
It sounds like he grasps the conceps normally but cant RETAIN them. Am I right? Thats my problem as well, and if I do retain the information it only stay for so long, then its gone. He may need engouragment and more practice unfortunitly :(
I've found that the only way my learning skills get any better is by reading, but i'm such a poor reader that I hate to read.
I'm sure there is a non-medicated answer out there, talk to your school counselors and doctors :)
Good Luck!

My son was having a lot of the same problems you described he did test for + ADHD though. They wanted to hold Jacob back in kindergarden and I refused to allow them. He passed within the 70 percential they just felt he wasn't ready for first grade. He had a great first grade teacher both years because I did hold him back in first grade and at our school you have the option of having the same teacher both years.HE is still struggling with the reading and language arts but he trys very hard and thats all any mom can ask for. Jacob did speech for 3 years and it really helped him. I didn't think he needed it but the school ask me to let him try and I did and we started to see improvements. I then put him in private speech where they started teaching him excercises for his tongue that he wasn't really using much that I didn't even relize. I hope this helps. Good luck. If you need to talk email me ____@____.com

C., how did your son perform when he was in preschool. Because the learning process needs to start from there. He should have started the pronunciation of words from pre school. Are you reading little books with him? I don't think that the teacher was refering to the way he acts when she said he is not mature. I think she meant that his mind may be slightly behind where he needs to be. But if you think about progrmas like hooked on phonics, etc. I am sure this will help him through out the summer gain the skills he needs to be succesful in kindergarten. Read to him often and have him repeat and visualize the word so they will become familiar to him. I did this with my daughter, she is 6 going to the second garde, straight A's.

(What about Sylvan)

Hi C.,

There may be some outside stimuli that is causing him to know something at one time and not at another. My Lydia, who was 7 at the time could not focus on anything. I was having a horrible time teaching her to read. But one day, my sister who was a social worker and had her Master's in Education told me to get the chemicals out of my house and see if she improved. I did and she was on grade level in 2 weeks. Her willingness to mind improved as well. She was having reactions to the two things she liked to help Mommy with the most, washing the windows with Windex and polishing the tables with Pledge, which are neurotoxins. It says so on the label!

Observe where he is at his best and look at what is there vs. what is everywhere else....like in the school system with industrial cleaners. If you don't know where to get alternative cleaners that are cheaper I can help you with that.

I do agree with Kelly about the educational process. Remember every child is an individual. Please do not worry over what other people say about your son. Our society has clumped us all in a mold that doesn't fit everyone. If you have ever studied anything about child development it will tell you that boys are not ready for "sit-down" school until they are 7 or 8. A prominant homeschool advocate did not start formal teaching with any of his kids until they were 9. All attended Ivy League schools!

I hope this helps!

M.

Hi C. Im not a Dr. but just from what you are saying your child may have a lerning disability. If he is having problems pronouncing letters he may need to have speech therpy. My daughter had speech in k5 and 1st grades. I remember the day she came home with the book about rights to education for students with disabilities.I was crushed I thought my child would have to ride the short bus to school. You may want to speak with some else in your childs school about haveing him tested speech and hearing he may not hear his sounds correctly and this could be why he is struggling.

Hi C.!

I worked in the Cobb County School System for fifteen years, and do remember a specific little boy that did not do well in Kindergarten, as he was still very immature. He repeated Kindergarten and did extremely well the second time around. Because of that experience, I do believe that some children are just not mature enough to handle school, and one year can make all the difference. It was as if the little guy's brain just needed to catch up with his age. He stayed on target from that point on, right through elementary school.

Hey C.! I'm a special education teacher and a mom, and I know it's hard when kids have difficulty. Is he having trouble across the board or just with pronouncing his letters? Has he had a speech evaluation performed? If possible, my advice would be to have him evaluated privately...but they will also evaluate him in the school if a parent requests it. If your son does repeat Kindergarten...it is a great year to do it. And don't worry too much--they told my mom that my brother had trouble learning when he was very little. Turns out he's now a doctor with several titles that are too difficult to spell, and he practices in one of the best hospitals in the US!! So all kids learn at different rates :)

One thing I'd love to share with you is about a product that the company I have produces. It's nutritional food (in chocolate or vanialla shake form) that is specifically a kid's formula. You need to hear the stories about how they have helped children. One lady that I have on the product is a home schooling mom. She has her daughter on it, and she LOVES the product and the affect it's having on her daughter. Her daughter has been able to retain information like never before. I have my son it as well, and it's done wonders in helping him to focus and respond to the information. His teachers even noticed what great things it was doing. My son always tells me when it's time to take his shake. He told me the other day he needed it for his "brain things". He knows it makes a difference. It's just another avenue to explore. If you're interested I'd love to share more.

Either way--best of luck. Everything will be okay!!

I suggest you first get all the specifics from his school as to why he failed. What exactly was he failing. Also find out what he passed. Hopefully you've gotten information on what the teacher specifically was describing when he stated your son was not mature enough. Try to get as many records as you can and take that to a doctor or specialist. The sooner you act on his problem, the sooner he will be able to thrive in a school environment.

At home, try to build his self worth by starting with things he is good at, trying something difficult and ending with something he is good at. This will help with his frustration level and his feeling like he is not smart. If he's good with art, music, or building something, try that in addition to the lesson. Building his self worth might help him to try a little harder. Best of luck to you and your family!

I agree with Sandy check out a developmental ped Dr, Bussey is really great she helped my son however she has changed what insurance she accepts check that out also. There are some really good Dr's out there...not everyone thinks is ADD or ADHD. Sounds like maybe some speech thera. could help. I moved from up north and it seems the trend here and FL everyone puts there child in K at 5 yrs old but some children do better waiting until they are 6 for K. I have a child who's birthday is in Aug put him in K couldn't cut it because of developmental delay took him out sent him just before his 6 birthday he did great. It will work out make sure you make learning fun and make games out of it I've had this advise from a really good teacher child seem to retain more information with that process of learing with games and fun.

C.,
The other responses you have give you great leads and what to do for your son's situation. If I could offer a bit of advice....don't push him into 1st grade if he isn't really ready for it. It has been my experience that 1st grade is much different from Kdg. Kids are expected to be more self-directed and reading and language arts are over 50% of the focus. My suggestion would be to have him repeat Kdg (it's much easier socially at this age than trying to do it later on), get the testing done and work very closely with the school to make sure he receives the special services/help he needs.

We had our son repeat Kdg for maturity issues. Now in 3rd grade he is a leader in his class, in advanced classes and has so much confidence in who he is in school. We strongly believe that extra year made all the difference. Just my 2 cents.

You and your son have rights by law. The school system has to provide - for free - a full assessment for all possible learning disabilities if you request it. You need to contact your son's school and/or the county in which you reside and request a full assessment be done with the school psychologist, count occupational therapist, etc. I am a children's counselor and a mom of a son who receives special ed. so I know the drill. You must be an advocate for your son and take full advantage of all the resources the county will provide but you have to request it. I recommend doing it in writing and follow with a phone call and stress the urgency based on your concern for his having been held back. In the meantime, your son would benefit from some play therapy with a children's counselor who can help him with his self esteem issues. go to www.a4pt.org and go under the tab "directories" and then "find a play therapist" to find one in your area. You can also read all about play therapy there and see why it's so important and effective. good luck!