Planet Orobu?

I have a student who has been very hard to connect with. When I try and talk, he seems to be off in another world. Well, it was confirmed today that he spent most of last year on a planet far, far away...at least that's what it seemed like. When I speak to him, he acts as if I have startled him...or is it, brought him back down to Earth? This student is unable to follow directions because he's not listening to them. Unfortunately, he is capable of the work and is able to prove it when needed (standardized tests). I say unfortunately because this means that any sort of intervention would be a waist of my time because he does have the ability to succeed.

What does this mean for me? I'm going to have to stay about 3 inches from his desk in order to "force" him to work. This is unrealistic for any teacher...especially one who has 5 other kids just like this. These children don't seem to be on their own planet like this particular child does, but they may be in flight. My class is VERY capable of being high achievers, unfortunately, their attention problems are interfering with the production of their high quality work. I guess I will spend this year on perfecting my skills as a teacher that can get kids to work, even on Planet Orobu.

P.S. - The planet name is made up...or is it?