Posted by Mike McKenzie

In Reply to: Testing for 10 year old with potential learning disability posted by olga

>His teachers say that he has difficulty focusing
>and suspected that something may be wrong.

Sounds like Attention Deficit Disorder could be a possibility.

>However, they are not sure if he should be referred for testing.

I wasn't diagnosed with ADD until I was in college, so I'm not
familiar with how one would go about testing in elementary school,
much less a Catholic school which is likely to deal with learning
difficulties in different ways than a traditional school district.
Check out alt.support.attn-deficit There are plenty of people who are
knowledgable in that area in there. There are a few trolls/nutcases
in there, but overall there are some good people who will be able to
help you by passing on their experiences. Be sure to check out the
FAQ. If you don't see it, ask Joe Parsons to post it. Also, I highly
recommend that you take a look at CHADD's (Children and Adults with
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) website at:
http://chadd.org/facts/add_facts.htm They are one of the more
prominent organizations dealing with ADD and have good information.

If your little brother does have ADD, it would be important to get
help with learning how to manage his problems as soon as possible.
His dificulties are likely to compound as he enters junior high
because people with ADD generally have problems with dealing with
transitional periods. So the sooner you find out ways to help him the
more easier it will be to deal with things down the road.

Another thing to keep in mind is that people with ADD/ADHD tend to
have a high incidence of having one or more other
disorders/disabilities. For me personally, I have mild OCD and
anxiety problems which co-exist with my ADD. So if your brother is
dx'd with ADD/ADHD, consider the possibilities that he may have other
problems.

I hope you successfully find the help your brother needs. I'm sure
that you will. : )

Mike

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