<p>Thanks MichiganGeorgia, I appreciate your insight. I have reached out to my DS’s gifted resource teacher, so hopefully this week I’ll have some idea on next steps. Maggiedog, I’ll check out the websites you suggested. </p>
<p>Love this thread - Have two gifted boys who fit these descriptions to a tee. No advice - just thanks for reminding me that I’m not alone. The gifted teachers keep reminding us that it is a common trait for gifted people. My Senior son is just now coming down to the point where I think he is starting to get it…but he still is a long way off from being truly organized. Now attempting to show a 12 year old how to organize, but he uses almost the exact same language as the older one as far as why he ‘can’t’ get organized. Frustrating, but they are both bright and will one day be the kids who invent something amazing precisely because their minds are so profoundly active.</p>
<p>Just found this thread and I was smiling and wincing. Son is also gifted and ADHD, inattentive. He seems happily oblivious to me, but every year he has improved. He has his own method of “organization” and as a Senior in HS his backpack continues to look like a bomb went off inside. Though he has managed to be fairly successful in HS, his obliviousness still pops up. He is auditioning for a performing arts major, and was asked by an auditor his GPA…he didn’t know! He also could have told the auditor he had already been academically accepted to the University, but he didn’t think of that. </p>
<p>Entertainersmom – I am with you on the son who couldn’t tell you his gpa – the list of what my son cannot recalll is long. Makes me crazy, as I am an attention-to-detail person so I struggle to understand why he can’t just 'do it." The stories we had, about middle school exams he didn’t know he had, the book that was forgotten the night before a high school exam . . . things still creep up with him because he gets so caught up in the moment he doesn’t see what is coming. Watching him, I can see that being busy actually helps him because it forces him to exercise more attention to organization and to plan ahead. </p>
<p>Hang in there, parents, these are wonderful, interesting kids with so much to offer. They just don’t fit the mold of success, especially in high school. </p>
<p>I think alot of these kids have issues with their Executive Function…Executive functions are the brain functions we use to manage our attention, our emotions, and our behavior in pursuit of our goals. Kids with ADD or autism often have issues with Executive Functions (<a href=“Executive Function Disorder & Executive Functioning Skills”>Executive Function Disorder & Executive Functioning Skills).</p>
<p>I love the discussion on BACKPACKS! My Son’s…well…it is just a place to stuff things! This year, in the beginning of the semester, I put all the binders in different colors and labelled them. I also added lots of those extra clear “pockets”…I figured even if he can’t put things in order, or put them in the three rings…there will be “pockets” for him to 'stuff" them in “neater” than shoving them into the backpack and causing a mess! Yes, Bopper, that is what the neuropsychologist described…the executive functions…which, I don’t think medication really helps…??</p>
<p>My son’s experience is that meds do help with focus, which allows him to pay attention to some of those details that would have escaped him before. The other benefit of specific diagnosis is that he has registered with disabilty services on campus and can now get one-on-one and group training/support on organization etc. Last year, as a college freshman, he did not register with student services because he felt conspicuous. This fall, he asked me to help him navigate the registration process because he realized he could not manage his schedule without outside support and help. </p>
<p>OP</p>
<p>My oldest (who is high IQ, ADHD, executive functioning issues) is medicated on and off. He really doesn’t like the meds and will only use as needed. He went off senior year of high school, went back on for the fall semester of college. He DID take advantage of disability services in college (he is in second semester). </p>
<p>My youngest (14 yr old boy) has what I refer to as “normal” boy brain. It is very similar to the “pregnancy” brain I went through.</p>
<p>Executive function, what executive function, lol!?! Medication is a very individual choice. Medication helps my son tremendously. I work with student’s like my son at the High School level, and my observation has led me to believe that many of these kids are what we used to call “late bloomers”. Development of different faculties varies, and it seems to me, that for some of these kids it takes a little longer for the pieces of the puzzle to come together. I also think maturation is a big factor in helping to ameliorate some of the issues these kids have. One of the decisions we made was to have our son go to a variety of sleep away programs starting in high school. Last summer he attended a pre-college program for six weeks in a state far,far away. The program replicated the first semester in the college program, and students were responsible for being on time, doing homework, laundry, etc. It was a great experience for him, and a reassuring one for his parents to know he can manage on his own. As someone mentioned above, he used his phone apps to keep track of assignments, tasks,etc.</p>
<p>the maturity issue is a key, I think…but, we have no control over that part…If my S could just mature enough to listen to what his elders are suggesting… lol…when’s that going to happen??</p>
<p>Okay, I will tell on myself. </p>
<p>When I was a child, maybe 5-7 years old, I had no innate sense of organization or order and a good amount of cluelessness. I remember learning that other kids colored inside the lines when I was kindergarten and some little goodie goodie teacher’s pet called me out for not coloring inside the lines. It had just never occurred to me that someone might do that. As a clueless first grader, I stuffed every paper the teacher returned to me under my desk. I never took the papers home or threw them out, just stuffed them in there. When we cleaned out our desks at the end of the year, I pulled out every paper we had done, crumbled to be sure, but present. Everyone, including the teacher, was amazed that I had done that. After that I understood I was supposed to take those papers home. </p>
<p>I just throw that out there to show that some otherwise smart people can be 1) pretty out of touch and 2) can benefit from some seemingly obvious organizational tips. </p>
<p>Hi Lizardly, I was the exact same way. I’m sure I had “girl ADHD”. I wasn’t hyper at all but clueless pretty much describes it. I remember too taking things very literally. My older son was the same way when he was little - I learned to be very specific i.e. “here’s your paper - you need to take it home and show your parents”. Drmom - agree with the maturity. My older son will always have organizational issues but it seems to be easier now that he’s older. I sure hope so for his sake. </p>
<p>Thank you for starting this thread! Guess I am not the only one with a Gifted Scatterbrain / Absent-Minded Professor! He’s a HS senior now and some level of maturity is starting to help a little, but he still has a long way to go in the “organization” department. Still trying various things… Several of you have described his backpack to a T. Oh, and the “bored with homework so doesn’t do it or turns it in late but excels on tests” – yep! Can’t say anymore because he may see this response :)</p>
<p>DS comes home from school today after being on the medication for the first day (in school) “it isn’t working”…“i still am bored and can’t do well in the class…”…turns out…funny…you still have to do the homework!!! and hand it in!!!</p>
<p>Oldest son is very gifted and a total airhead. No AD, not LD, no nothing, just scatterbrained. We tried everything all through school, notebooks, PDA’s, email reminders, etc.,etc. Everything mentioned here we tried and none of it worked. I finally figured out that he just didn’t see the point. Flash forward to college – he found his passion, a creative field, and all of sudden he was good, but only in the area of his passion, everything else just falls away. He graduated from college some four years ago and he has pursued his passion to high level, travelling all over the world, meeting and working with some of the top names in his field. This winter he put out applications for graduate school and we saw the same patterns. He couldn’t remember his GRE scores, forgot that he had to get transcripts, did his personal statements at the last minute on a beach in Spain and therefor didn’t bother to spell check it, etc.,etc, etc. Just hope that some really impressive recommendations from some really impressive names in his field gets him a least an interview, cause once they meet him people almost always see what he is – bright and spacey.</p>
<p>Isn’t this all soooo frustrating?!</p>
<p>It is frustrating, especially for a type A organizational freak like me. It’s so hard for me to relate to my son and not get totally frustrated and discouraged. I’m glad I started this thread too. It’s nice not to be alone and to be validated that what we are trying to do to help him get organized has been done by others.</p>
<p>me too. Type A all the way…except for my closets…they’re a mess! I am really having to learn to take a step back and learn to say that if he improves just a bit…like, he gets his homework in the box for one subject, each time…that’s great! because, he could have had all A’s this marking period…except for those darn homeworks—which he did complete…but just didn’t seem to get it where it was supposed to be.<br>
the other problem I’m finding, is if he doesn’t “respect” the teacher…it doesn’t seem to matter the subject…he just will not try to do much more than what is expected…and even that is not always accomplished…</p>
<p>Gosh drmom - does my son live with you??? </p>
<p>BTMell: you too!!! :)<br>
It is nice to know we are all not alone…
and my son is just oblivious…but there are days he does end up becoming very sad and emotional (although he will never say it) and then he thinks “I’ll never get into college”…which isn’t true…but, I do feel like saying “well…” but that would be mean…and not true… it is just frustrating. sigh</p>