dana Report post Posted January 4, 2009 Hi, I need any help or advise,please! My son has ADD (problems with focusing) and when he is at school or when I work with him at home (maths ) often he starts loughing .It is so annoying when me (or teacher) tries to explain to him something he switches of and starts loughing.He finds it difficult to stop.When I ask him what is so funny he tells me that he remembers somthing what happened even yesterday! The same happened at school as well. He finds maths particularly difficult although I try to break tasks into small,manageble steps. I keep telling him to focus on what is happening right now but unles I get very upset he takes no notice.My son DS is 9 tears old and also has problems with socializing .He annoys choldren at school with his lough too.He finds some things funny what nobody else does and loughs when he is not suppose to, finding it difficult to stop.I don't mind he being happy and loughing but not when the situation recuires different behavior. How can I help him with focusing? dana Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JsMum Report post Posted January 4, 2009 His laughing could be a nervous reaction and gets confused, laughing may be done to help him distinguish which feeling he is feeling, maybe because he has difficulties with experiencing emotions, understanding emotional feelings and witnessing emotions, so getting you to the point of upset could be were he is trying to get to a point he has seen before, he doesnt quite understand it and so does it again. At school it could be that he cant express what it is he is feeling inside, and does this laugh, to get something, laughing can hide sadness, anxiety, inadequacies, embarrassement, it can even release certain hormones so becoming additctive, it could be self stimulating, if he has ADD then his brain is unstimulated in certain areas, if he is taking medication for his ADD then it could be that the brain is over stimulated in certain areas. It sounds like he is having difficulties with the work, doesnt really understand it, input/output, he is avioding confronting the situation with stories, memories to maybe cover up his difficulties. Focusing and concerntrating is hard to do as it is with ADD but with pressure to focus, listen, read, write, do this, now, will just be overloading his brain that is already struggling. I would try and arrange a meeting to see if his homework and work is differentiated to meet his needs, extra time, 1-1 support, small groups. I would request extra support for his social skills and his understanding of emotions and feelings, and support to help him express. I really do think that the laughing is a deeper inner anxiety and could be a stress reaction, have you ever smiled at someone when they say is everything ok love, and you dont really want them to know it isnt, then you give them that false smile, to reasurre them your fine, but underneath your feeling ######, sometimes the mask gives others reasurrances everything is fine, when were actually struggling the most. ADDISS is a website that help you look at further stratagies for support that the teachers and the school can put into place to help him focus and concentrate. JsMum Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dana Report post Posted January 5, 2009 His laughing could be a nervous reaction and gets confused, laughing may be done to help him distinguish which feeling he is feeling, maybe because he has difficulties with experiencing emotions, understanding emotional feelings and witnessing emotions, so getting you to the point of upset could be were he is trying to get to a point he has seen before, he doesnt quite understand it and so does it again. At school it could be that he cant express what it is he is feeling inside, and does this laugh, to get something, laughing can hide sadness, anxiety, inadequacies, embarrassement, it can even release certain hormones so becoming additctive, it could be self stimulating, if he has ADD then his brain is unstimulated in certain areas, if he is taking medication for his ADD then it could be that the brain is over stimulated in certain areas. It sounds like he is having difficulties with the work, doesnt really understand it, input/output, he is avioding confronting the situation with stories, memories to maybe cover up his difficulties. Focusing and concerntrating is hard to do as it is with ADD but with pressure to focus, listen, read, write, do this, now, will just be overloading his brain that is already struggling. I would try and arrange a meeting to see if his homework and work is differentiated to meet his needs, extra time, 1-1 support, small groups. I would request extra support for his social skills and his understanding of emotions and feelings, and support to help him express. I really do think that the laughing is a deeper inner anxiety and could be a stress reaction, have you ever smiled at someone when they say is everything ok love, and you dont really want them to know it isnt, then you give them that false smile, to reasurre them your fine, but underneath your feeling ######, sometimes the mask gives others reasurrances everything is fine, when were actually struggling the most. ADDISS is a website that help you look at further stratagies for support that the teachers and the school can put into place to help him focus and concentrate. JsMum Thank you, JsMum, your advise gave me food for thought ! dana Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joybed Report post Posted January 5, 2009 My son ASD also does this he laughs very loudly anyway. we went to the cinema yesterday and he laughed much louder than anyone, it used to embarrass me but now it doesn,t. He also laughs innapropriatley, when he is being told off, when he is finding things difficult or stressful and even when being bullied. He displays most of his emotions innapropriatley. i remember when he was about 5 he used to ask you to squeese him really tightly bertween your legs and howl like it hurt him but when you stopped doing it he would say why have you stopped that feels nice, we would ask why he cried and said "OW" but he just looked confused. The laughing has got him into lots of trouble mainly with his stepdad who doesn,t get it at all. I try to explain to him why it is innapropriate, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn,t. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maryanne Report post Posted January 7, 2009 Pages of math problems are visually overwhelming for kids with attention problems. Try putting two-four problems written fairly big on a page and have something for a reward-a little break, a small snack, etc.-for getting each page of problems done. Breaking any task down into small parts helps kids with attention problems. Maryanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dana Report post Posted January 8, 2009 Pages of math problems are visually overwhelming for kids with attention problems. Try putting two-four problems written fairly big on a page and have something for a reward-a little break, a small snack, etc.-for getting each page of problems done. Breaking any task down into small parts helps kids with attention problems. Maryanne Thanks Maryanne, I will try that at home ! dana Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
