Nothing gets a child with sensory integration disorder tagged with an ADHD label than an inability to pay attention in class. To teachers, this seems clear cut: If a child is daydreaming, fidgeting, talking to himself, or doing poorly on tests, she's not paying attention. If a child is unable to answer a question when asked, find a spot on a page to read, or locate information in an open-book exam, she's not paying attention. If a child complains about noise, light, smells, or uncomfortable seating positions, that child is not paying attention.

But as you've learned, children with sensory integration disorder can want very much to pay attention and try very hard to do so. Whether they need to move to do it, or whether they are thwarted by their body's inability to process the information from their senses, they need help and understanding, not judgment. Teachers can only make things worse by laying on punishment and raising stress.

Now Hear This

Giving the teacher her undivided attention may be hard for a child who has sensory integration problems with the auditory sense. It may be difficult for her to distinguish the teacher's voice over other sounds in the classroom.

Anxiety over sudden sharp sounds like fire alarms may preoccupy her, and loud noises from outside can be distracting. Unpleasant sounds like the squeaking of chalk on a chalkboard or chair legs on a tile floor may cause her to tune out, missing the teacher's talk along the way.

Difficulty with the visual sense can also keep your child from being as attentive as he wants to be. The many jumbled sights of a cluttered classroom will vie for his attention. If he has trouble organizing visual information, it can be hard to follow along in a textbook, all the more so when the book in question is full of illustrations and captions.

Picking out the block of writing on a blackboard that the teacher is referring to can also be a challenge. While the teacher may assume a child has lost his place due to inattentiveness, he may really be struggling to find the right place out of so very many possible places.

Additional Difficulties

When your child with proprioceptive and vestibular problems just has to move in order to pay attention, the situation is especially tricky. If the teacher insists that your child stop moving, she might as well insist that he stop paying attention this instant. Your child may ignore the directive and get in trouble, or he may zone out into a sleepy state that's movement-free but learning-free, too. Either way, he's not getting what he needs from the classroom, the teacher, or the lesson.

Tactile sensitivities can make your child seem inattentive, too. A hard chair, a cramped desk, a seatmate who bumps into him, a teacher or aide who gives pats on the head or back — any of these can be so distracting to your child that she literally cannot concentrate on anything else. A school uniform that denies your child the right to wear what's comfortable and calming to her may also take its toll. The teacher will likely not spot any of these things as a potential distraction and will assume that your child is purposely goofing around.