Mergath Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 So lately it seems like my just-turned-seven-year-old has a memory like a sieve. I don't know if it's something I need to be concerned about, or if she's just spacey, or if it's normal at this age, or what. We have a lot of conversations that go like this: Me: (thirty seconds after dd leaves bathroom) "Did you brush your teeth?" Her: "I don't know. I think so?" Me: "You were just in there. Did you brush your teeth or not?" Her: "I think I did." And she's not trying to lie or get out of doing it. If I go in and feel her toothbrush it's wet, so I know she did it. She really can't remember. Or another common one goes like this: Maybe two hours after we get back from somewhere, let's say the beach, she'll ask me, "Was it today we were at the beach?" I'm starting to get a little worried. She does have a genetic disorder (16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome) but there aren't memory issues associated with it. She had a brain scan when she was little (can't remember which kind offhand) and structurally, her brain was completely normal. She's not having any other symptoms that I can see. Should I be worried? Is it normal for a kid her age to have so many brain farts in a day? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 My kids do this. I think they're only slightly weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 So many variables . . . to give you a definitive answer. My ds, who has ADD, can't remember what he does from moment to moment. My dd, who is not ADD, can't often remember the really mundane stuff because she's on auto-pilot. But I'm sure there is a range. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 So lately it seems like my just-turned-seven-year-old has a memory like a sieve. I don't know if it's something I need to be concerned about, or if she's just spacey, or if it's normal at this age, or what. We have a lot of conversations that go like this: Me: (thirty seconds after dd leaves bathroom) "Did you brush your teeth?" Her: "I don't know. I think so?" Me: "You were just in there. Did you brush your teeth or not?" Her: "I think I did." And she's not trying to lie or get out of doing it. If I go in and feel her toothbrush it's wet, so I know she did it. She really can't remember. Or another common one goes like this: Maybe two hours after we get back from somewhere, let's say the beach, she'll ask me, "Was it today we were at the beach?" I'm starting to get a little worried. She does have a genetic disorder (16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome) but there aren't memory issues associated with it. She had a brain scan when she was little (can't remember which kind offhand) and structurally, her brain was completely normal. She's not having any other symptoms that I can see. Should I be worried? Is it normal for a kid her age to have so many brain farts in a day? Thanks! I almost never blame anything on age. :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 My DS is terrible with time/date. He's gotten much better after 9. For him I think it's ADHD related and a daydreamer personality on top of that. :) Of course it can't hurt to mention to the doctor at your next checkup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 This was a pretty typical conversation with one of my ds when he was 7 yo: https://farrarwilliams.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/please-tell-me-this-is-just-earwax/ I think it's something about being 7. My kids also often would forget things. And just be zoned out. I would have to answer a bunch of things over and over. They grew out of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropymama Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Seven seemed to be the age when my kids started thinking about big stuff, and the little stuff often got forgotten. Yes, they've gone into the bathroom to brush their teeth and come out having forgotten that's what they went in there to do. We all forget about which day it is sometimes. "Gee, was that just this morning? It seems like yesterday." I wouldn't worry, but I see no reason not to mention it to her pediatrician if it makes you feel better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Absence or complex-partial seizures? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Absence or complex-partial seizures? That was my first thought. I worked with a student my first two years teaching who had seizures for a really long time before they realized it because it appeared she was just spacing out. It left her with some really crappy working memory issues. It could totally be a developmental thing, (seven/eight seem to be some sort of developmental craziness with every child I've known well), but I would trust your intuition if you feel something is off. I might even chart it for a week or two and see if I could find a pattern. If nothing else it would give you some information to share with her doctor if you seek a medical opinion. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 Thanks for your ideas, everyone! Seizures are associated with her genetic disorder, so I'll definitely bring it up with her doctor. I didn't even think of that, and you'd think I would have, given that I have epilepsy. :P I am relieved to see that her behavior might not be completely abnormal, though. With my anxiety issues, I always jump to the worst possible thing that could be wrong. I'll remind her to try to pay more attention to the daily stuff up until we can get into the doctor and see if that makes any difference. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Hm... I've had a couple of students who had those type of seizures. We all had to be trained to watch for them and then help the parents and doctors track them as best they could. I know I witnessed a few of them - kid just totally checked out for a few minutes then convinced she was focused and present. But I think many kids are just spacey at this age. Without further information, I don't feel like I would assume there's anything necessary wrong. Of course, you could check with the doctor. It just seems like normal growing up behavior... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Thanks for your ideas, everyone! Seizures are associated with her genetic disorder, so I'll definitely bring it up with her doctor. I didn't even think of that, and you'd think I would have, given that I have epilepsy. :P I am relieved to see that her behavior might not be completely abnormal, though. With my anxiety issues, I always jump to the worst possible thing that could be wrong. I'll remind her to try to pay more attention to the daily stuff up until we can get into the doctor and see if that makes any difference. Thanks! I didn't even want to say it bc I figured you had that covered and also bc I don't want anyone, especially little kids to have to deal with seizures. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 Hm... I've had a couple of students who had those type of seizures. We all had to be trained to watch for them and then help the parents and doctors track them as best they could. I know I witnessed a few of them - kid just totally checked out for a few minutes then convinced she was focused and present. But I think many kids are just spacey at this age. Without further information, I don't feel like I would assume there's anything necessary wrong. Of course, you could check with the doctor. It just seems like normal growing up behavior... I haven't noticed anything that looked like a seizure to me. I think I would have noticed, given that I do have epilepsy and so know more about them than the average person. She does have a one in four chance of developing epilepsy with her genetic disorder though. Maybe she could be having them in her sleep? Though if that was the case I'd think she'd be groggier in the morning. I know that when I have a seizure in my sleep, I'm out until dinner the next day. Argh. A mom with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety issues and a child with medical problems is not a good combination. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 I didn't even want to say it bc I figured you had that covered and also bc I don't want anyone, especially little kids to have to deal with seizures. :crying: I'm kind of embarrassed that I didn't think of it, but like I said, I haven't seen anything that looks like a seizure, so it didn't really cross my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 With the tooth brushing, it could be that she's developed the habit so solidly that she no longer has to think about doing it. The cerebrum hands it off to the cerebellum. She might be able to remember if she retraces all her steps. I used to do that with my paper routes. I would zone out and suddenly realize my bag was empty. Then I would panic because I didn't remember delivering most of the papers. But I could mentally retrace my steps (going back to the beginning of my route) and confirm that I did in fact deliver them all. My kids have also asked about whether something we did was today or yesterday. An action-packed day can seem longer than the average day. When I'm traveling, I sometimes have the same feeling. My daughter has unusual memory problems, but they have been ongoing since I took custody of her. I did suspect seizures when she was little. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I guess that might be more cause for concern knowing that she's more likely to develop seizures. It's probably useless to say this, but I would try not to worry much about it until you can bring it up with the doctor at a visit. I mean, if you, yourself, haven't seen evidence of seizures, I'll bet it's not that. It really does sound within the bounds of normal kid to me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 You probably know this, but if it's possibly seizure stuff it can be way, way over the head of a normal ped, especially if it's not typically presenting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 My son's short term memory turned to that of a goldfish when he was anemic. Lots of possible causes... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Argh. A mom with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety issues and a child with medical problems is not a good combination. :sad: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: If it makes you feel any better, I think many of us are quick to panic and imagine the worst when it comes to our kids' health. We love them so much that we can't stand the thought of anything bad happening to them, and we can't necessarily control medical stuff, which is a very helpless feeling. I'm sure your dd is fine, but I think you should get her to a specialist as soon as you can, mainly to ease your own fears and worries. Worrying sucks. Worrying about your kid is agony. :( 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 My son's short term memory turned to that of a goldfish when he was anemic. Lots of possible causes... Huh. I was just telling dh that dd hasn't been eating much lately, so that could be part of it, actually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 You probably know this, but if it's possibly seizure stuff it can be way, way over the head of a normal ped, especially if it's not typically presenting. Our family doctor is awesome, thankfully. He was the one who first pushed for genetic testing when she was a toddler and had delays, so I trust him with this kind of thing more than I would a different doctor. He knows when something is over his head and doesn't hesitate to call in the specialists. Honestly, I wish I could clone him and give one to everyone. :P 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 As far as the, "Was it today?" thing......that makes me think not of memory issues but of issues with sequencing or sense of time. My daughter with learning disabilities has a hard time with time and when things happened. Tooth brushing thing seems like it's on autopilot and just not paying attention. I think you'd be noticing other things if it was seizures. I'm gonna go with typical seven year old spaciness. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 It honestly sounds like pretty normal behavior to me. Worrying is no fun, though! I'd just keep an eye on it and bring it up with your doctor later if necessary. :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 It doesn't sound totally unusual to me. Once I asked one of mine to go put his tights on for dance class. He was young. Maybe 6. So when we left I just said ok so you have your tights on right? Yep.. So I drove him to class and dropped him off. I got a call when I got home from him telling me he forgot to put on this tights. What!? Ugh. So after that I had to make sure he really did because apparently he thinks he put them on, but didn't. My other kid never knows what day it is and what day it will be tomorrow. I swear we did go over stuff like days of the week, but yeah even at 9 he'll ask so what day is it and then ask what day will it be tomorrow. I've started making it a point to tell him first thing what day it is. And showing him on a calendar. Maybe it's because he doesn't go to school. He has no other issues of remembering. Just the days of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Pssttt.... My husband does the same. He asks me, "Did I take my pills already?" or he'll confess he thinks he may have washed his hair twice in the shower that day. Does your dd do a ton of mulling things over in her head? Is she always mentally on? It can be hard to pay attention to auto-pilot stuff when a kid is always mentally thinking things through. Also, for mundane things, everyday things, I can forget stuff because I go, "Am I remembering what I did yesterday or what I did today?" And about mixing up what day something happened....Happens here all the time. All week long, I've been telling myself stuff like "Did we deliver that lamb Sunday night or monday night?" when you have a really busy schedule it can be easy for the days to run together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I have wanted to write this EXACT.SAME.POST. For quite some time. I think you stole my 7yo daughter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 This was about the age we noticed ds starting to carry dirty dishes to his room and not the sink, thinking thoughts as he said, losing total track of time...I wish I had set up better organizational plans for him then. Maybe a huge calendar that's easy to read for a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Does it happen many times throughout the day, or just randomly? I still remember when I was 7, I forgot to take my pajamas off and went to school! I didn't even realize I had them on until I went to the school bathroom. They were on under my school clothes, so I had dressed right over them that morning. How bizarre is that! I was pretty horrified when I found out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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