Boy does this sound familiar! I went through something very similar with my oldest daughter during 1st and most of 2nd grade (she's third grade now). I tried the EFA, cutting sugar, you name it but nothing really made much difference, although the school was very patient and tried to work with me while I was trying the alternative treatments. She also had problems concentrating and because of that was very distracting to the other kids around her even though she knew the class materials and is very bright. I dug in my heels on the Ritalin even after she was "officially" diagnosed with ADD (actually, there are some new meds on the market now that are not Ritalin) the whole time, but finally agreed to give it a shot last January. She was on it less than 4 days and I found myself saying, "I wish we had done this months ago!". What a difference! She takes a timed release version of Ritalin called Concerta and the only major problem she has had with it so far is weight loss. She now takes 20 minutes to finish her homework instead of 2 hours with me constantly redirecting her and both of us getting more frustated by the minute. She's still a bit fidgety in class (busy hands) but she's much more able to pay attention and stay focused. I know a lot of people have a problem with giving kids Ritalin or similar medications, but for me and my daughter I can honestly say it has made a world of difference when nothing else really seemed to help.