My daughter is 6 yrs old. We live in India. Since she was about 3 months old I have always felt that something was “off”. Now as she is growing older I find that there is a growing difference between her and other similar-aged kids. In general, she is an active and a sociable kid and she is good at academics and has no problems at school. The teacher’s only complaints are she is a bit slow in writing and she talks a lot. But between me and my dh we think she appears immature and baby-like compared to almost all kids her age. I have listed the major issues that we are dealing with. Assimilation. Her general knowledge and awareness is much less compared to others. I think she has problems assimilating details from the surroundings and from conversations. Sometimes she is in her own world. She does not have much concept of time either. Memory. Cannot recollect something taught a few minutes ago! Even names she herself coined for dolls a minute ago, she cannot recall. Sometimes she simply has issues retrieving memory. If we give her a couple of choices, she always picks the right one. Out of the blue, she will come up to me and ask if we have had lunch or dinner yet. She says she cannot remember. Expressing. Even scenarios that she perfectly understands and remembers, she has difficulty explaining it in a neat little speech. does it in “baby-like” talk with many pauses and “hmmms” and “haaas” Following conversations. Almost always she asks one to repeat what he/she just said. She cannot understand complex subjects/instructions/questions. Other kids would have understood, answered and run away to play, but she would be standing there asking people to repeat what they just asked. Conversation has to be broken down into simpler language and expressed slowly for her to follow. She also complains when there is loud noise. Social skills. She does not have any “stand-alone” behavioural problems (No hitting/biting, no problems sharing etc). She is dominating at times but can follow others too. But because of the above, her friends get frustrated with her. As a result, she is frustrated with herself and with them. If they call her stupid or tell her “she does not know anything” or that “it is difficult to explain things to her”, she feels really bad but does not say anything back. It affects her self-esteem so badly that she starts behaving funny or like a baby in front of them. Its really heart-breaking to see her do this because she generally is a dignified and a happy-go-lucky girl. She complains that at school no one wants to play with or be friends with her. My hubby and I have been to several paediatricians and child psychiatrists in India. But all of them have said that she just learns only what she “needs” and will eventually grow out of it or simply that I have to change my attitude. I have tried telling them I don’t want her to be the next Einstein. I want to do my best to help her before I throw in the towel and say this is how she is! They just don’t seem to understand. :( Can people here please help me? What are your thoughts? Is it ADD or is it a deeper problem? Thanks and sorry, this is very long.

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