concentration

[mummaPJ]

Im starting to prepare Mr6 for going back to school to make this year alot easier for him than last.
Mr6 has a few issues that we are trying to work out and work with, his teachers and myself are convinced hes on the spectrum. His constant need to repeat things and a few other quirks which are him and his lovely self, we are working towards a diganosis mostly so i know what im working with and how we can help him.
The other thing is his constant need to be moving, i dont believe its ADD/ADHD related but the school and OT are helping us out with that.
He now has a jiggle seat, i dunno what its actually called but its a seat that sits on his school chair that allows him to wobble and wiggle his lower half of his body while still doing his school work and not being disruptive or distractive to the other childrens.
He has exercises to do to build up his wrists cause they are really weak, i think this is somehow related to his weak bones not sure how though.
Anyway the point of this post was does anyone have any ideas how i can help him increase his concentration?
Some things catch his attention (building with lego etc) but most of the time he cant concentrate for longer than a couple minutes if that, even if its something he enjoys.

TIA and sorry this doesnt make much sense.

[Savannah]

I know a friend of mine looked into BrainGym stuff. Apparently it's good for everything from fine motor skills to concentration. I know it certainly helped her son. Perhaps worth a google?

[jodiemiller]

Was going to suggest similar. Also, have you considered kinesiology? I've heard some very interesting things about it.

I suppose you've looked into dietary stuff already?

[mummaPJ]

Thanks ill have a look into that when the kids go off to bed, Jodie yeah hes our low Salicylates and Amines kiddlet he totally looses the plot with too much.

[Jamie]

What are the exercises to strengthen hands? Sam could do with some of that. We've already tried a squeezy ball, playdough, lego etc on the suggestion of his Kinder teacher.

Sam's report said we need to increase his concentration without computers and technology, so that's what I'm trying to work on this holidays.

I will keep an eye on this thread with interest. :)

[Phoenix]

I think it is a time thing to be honest PJ. I feel that encouraging time that he has to sit, like for meals and while playing with the lego (at a table instead of the floor), will help him to know that sometimes sitting is required.
Is the wobble seat a disk of plastic with air in it? B has one of those too but hates using it.
I plan activities that require a certain amount of localised play, for example painting, playdough, building blocks, paper plane building, he chooses how long he wants to play with them but while he is playing it will build up over time and capabilities. B isn't on the spectrum though he does have concentration issues.

Wrist excercises can include putting the forearm on the table and pulling a tea towel in so it is scrunched up. Drawing in a restricted area, like following the pattern of a wiggly road. Squeezing things like playdough, stress balls and those long handled picker upy things (ha very descriptive of me), like you would use to pick up rubbish without bending down.
ETA: I missed that you have tried the squeezy stuff. I found this (http://www.skillbuilders.com.au/home/) site that has some good ideas. HTH

[Rinelle]

I posted recently about building up muscle strength in the hands, and there were some great ideas in there. Some that we've found helpful that might not be mentioned are plasticine (harder than play dough, and doesn't dry out, so lasts forever), and swinging from one of those bar style swings (with rings).

Concentration is a little harder. Ezri isn't big on concentration, and will often skip from one thing to another. Thankfully, as homeschoolers (and unschoolers at that), it isn't really an issue for us, so I haven't made much attempt to try to increase her concentration. I figure it will come with time. A little harder when dealing with school though. Hope others come along with some good suggestions for you.

[Rinelle]

Out of interest, I did a quick search around, and there is actually lots of information around the web on increasing concentration levels.

Firstly, this page (http://ezinearticles.com/?Concentration---3-Parenting-Tips-for-Increasing-Attention-Span-in-Kids&id=835765) says that a child's concentration span is about the age in minutes, so 5 minutes for a 5 year old. So firstly, I'd be looking at whether the expections on him are reasonable for his age. At 6, he should be able to concentrate on something for about 6 minutes. Most first grade classes accomodate for this by changing topics pretty frequently, and putting in lots of chances for kids to move. Hopefully his class structure will support this at least a little.

This page (http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/improve-concentration-activities-for-3294.html) has some great ideas for increasing concentration, mainly through playing board and card games etc.

This one (http://www.empoweringparents.com/Five-Simple-Brain-Exercise-Activities-for-Your-ADHD-Child.php#) talks about concentration specifically with regards to ADHD. I know you said you don't believe this is the issue, but it is good to read that the techniques are virtually the same as the previous page, lots of games etc.

I thought I'd posted last night, but apparently I didn't, but I found the Very Sensitive Child helpful in understanding that some kids really do have a need for movement. Looking at things like sensory integration disorder, which involves kids who both avoid and seek out certain activities (like movement) also can help understand, and sometimes have suggestions on how to deal with it. There's two big books about it, one is The Out of Sync Child, and I can't remember the title of the other. Sorry if this is disjointed, trying to type while child is bugging me to play.