Dance teacher says my daughter needs medication for ADHD, should I take this seriously?

My 7 year old daughter has been dancing for 4 years and is on the competition team. She always seems to be doing such a good job and is having lots of fun. Lately though the dance teacher has been telling me that she thinks she is having trouble paying attention and that I should get her evaluated. I was shocked because I never see her goofing off in class, she learns the steps quickly, has amazing natural ability, and memorizes the dances perfectly. Also I have never had any of her teachers at school complain, she makes excellent grades and has no behavior problems. I was willing to overlook this teachers opinion, but she just keeps bringing it up. I'm not sure if I am just being blind to a possible problem. Should I take her opinion more seriously, or if not then what would be a nice way of telling her that she's wrong and to let this go?

Sometimes people don't speak up and say things when they should. On the contrary, sometimes people do speak up and say things when they shouldn't. My point?

Tell the teachers at her elementary school that her dance teacher mentioned having trouble with your daughter and suggested she get tested for ADHD. Then ask them for their opinion. They may have noticed but not said anything. Usually elementary school teachers are good about letting parents know when there is trouble with a child, so odds are if they haven't said anything, there isn't a problem.

Your daughter's dance teacher may be blowing things out of proportion as well. Especially if she is a young, unexperienced teacher, it might just be that she is not used to working with rambunctious 7 year olds. Does your studio have a viewing area? If so, watch your daughter in class and see how she compares to other students in the class. Make sure you are giving her a fair and honest evaluation and not giving her the benefit of the doubt because she is your daughter. If your studio does not have a viewing area, then I would suggest asking the teacher if you could watch a class, keeping in mind that she may act differently when you are in the room. This will give you a better idea of what the teacher is talking about.

When all is said and done, you are the parent of your child and ultimately responsible for what happens with your daughter. If after further evaluation on your own you find that perhaps your daughter's dance teacher is right, take her to the doctor to get her evaluated. If you find that the teacher is wrong, let her know that you appreciate her concern but that your daughter is fine and that you don't need to discuss the problem further. Keep in mind that your daughter's teacher only has your daughter's best interests in mind, and wouldn't have bothered saying anything if she didn't care about your daughter. Best of luck to you!

You might want to check with the elementary school teachers to possibly confirm her attention span. If they say it doesn't exist, then tell the dance instructor( in a nice way ) that she may be wrong. Then again, if your daughter had that talent of doing the dance without any effort, perhaps she isn't paying attention for she has absorbed the routine the first time. That happens in the academic world where some students have theability for perfect recall of what was said.

take her opinion seriously. she has probably a lot of students at her dance studio and she knows ADHD when she sees it. i would say take your daughter to the doctors and get checked out. rather be safe than sorry. also try asking the other dance teachers on what they thing. good luck with your daughter and her dancing! i hope she does well in life :)

There is a self help book and video for children to improve concentration and focus with natural techniques. " Being In Control: Natural Solutions For ADHD Dyslexia and Test Anxiety." with Amazon.com

By law, this dance teacher has no right to suggest nor threaten you to have your daughter take meds for ADHD. She is allowed to consolidate in you and let you know that she may have an incling that your daughter has ADHD and suggest that she get tested, but she isn't allowed to tell you anything else. I'm not trying to get you to sue the teacher or anything, but just letting you know that she isn't allowed to do that.

If you are really concerned for your daughter, you should go to a psychologist and/or a psychiatrist so your daughter can take the full test to determine if she does have ADHD, but from the looks of it, it doesn't sound like she does. One of the main symptoms is not doing well in school and having a hard time paying attention. She may just need discipline in dance class- 2 completely different things. If you are worried about it at all, go see a psychologist about it.