I have a 6th grade student who seems to live in his own world. He doesn’t pay attention to anything is taught, has no interest whatsoever in class activities, doesn’t make any homework, all his classwork is incomplete and most of the time wrong. His learning abilities are far below the rest of the class. What should I do to “bring him back to earth”? Should he be tested for ADHD?
Re: In his own world
I assume you have already brought your concerns to the parent or guardian, have checked to see if the student is on an IEP or 504 plan, and have asked the school nurse to check him as well before taking action on your own; there are many reasons why adolescents might appear to be in a world of their own besides LD and ADHD that has not been previously identified. Use your school based team first, substance abuse, child abuse, depression might also be involved.
Re: In his own world
An additional consideration is, is this new behavior? If not, how was it handled in previous years? If it is, the recommendation to convene the team is an excellent one. Either way, this needs to be addressed by bringing in other team members and involving the parents. Let us know how it works out.
testing
Hmm. What makes you say his learning abilities are far below the rest of the class? That’s something I might say only after a child has been tested.
How’s his home life? What do last year’s teachers say? Was he the same way last year?
In any case, I would certainly have him tested and probably not just for ADD/ADHD. I’d have the school psychologist do a work-up on him. You’d want to know what his IQ might be and might want to consider other possible placements for him.
Good luck.
there are a lot of possibilities including ADHD…. depression, substance abuse, chaotic family life, and just giving up because he knows he is so far below his peers. Bring your concerns to the attention of your school child study team pronto!