You should also see why he is getting time out. Maybe they put him in a situation that brings out the worst in him. Maybe if they change some things, he'll get time out less. I know my son's first preschool was a lot of kids in a small room. I think it was too much for him so I switched him to a school with a much bigger room so he could have more personal space.
The program has to fit the child.
Oh cchdaja....I have been where you are. The pre-school I sent my daughter too would come out in front of all the other parents and tell me the laundry list of what she did wrong that day. It was quite embarrassing! I ended up sticking it out for the year, but asked the teachers eventually to jot me a not I could read at my leisure so that I didn't take up any of their valuable time..... however, it does sound like he needs to be in a different school. Continual time outs and excluding him from other children will only make him worse!
Meds are not appropriate until maybe 1st grade is what I have been told, but maybe you could get ideas with sticker charts etc. promising a reward at the end of the day with no time outs. (play a game with mom, an extra book at bedtime, etc.) Make sure his teacher is aware and she will probably think before putting him in a time out anyway! May help the situation just to know that you are working on it at home...that is all the teachers want to hear anyway!
I'm still on the list for the new school, but I had a talk with the director of his current school yesterday. She said she wished I had come to her sooner. She was not happy with the way he had been treated. I told her a little more understanding and patience would help. She told me that he won't be excluded from field trips anymore. His teachers did know about his ADHD but continued to treat him as just another bad child. Which he is not. They do know that I'm Trying things at home too. I've tried the stickers and the charts, no help there. I also told her that I was looking into another school for him. Of course they don't want to hear that. I thnk they will try harder. Don't get me wrong, this is a good school, but I think they need to take into account that not every child is the same and some have special needs. I'm also trying the melatonin. But so far it's not working much. I give him 1.5mg. Thank you allIs he an active child ? Could you buy a rebounder and encourage him to jump on it an hour before bedtime or take him for a 30 minute walk at night, then put him in a nice warm bath right before bedtime ? Maybe that might help lessen the amount of times he wakes up ?
Sounds like you're doing a great job looking out for your son's best interest.
We have him play with the dog outside or go for a walk. But it usually winds him up more. We've tried quiet time one hour before bed and reading. He goes to bed at 8:00p.m. and wakes up at 5:30a.m. and 2 to 4 times in between. (since he was 2 years old).Very loving, very smart child but yes very active. Hope things work out for this new preschool. It's very important for a child this young to feel accepted...it sets the pace for the rest of his/her school career. I'm sure his behaviour has a lot to do with the lack of sleep. Any child who has a bad night (or several bad nights) will most likely be grumpy and not on their best behaviour. That's one of the first things I ask a child when he or she seems to be off kilter at school..."did you sleep well last night?".
hello my son is also 4 and is on melatonin.we give him 4mg at bedtime and 2mg when he wakes up.it was prescribed by his child psychologist ,we started a week 1mg,then 2mg then 3 until we found the right dosage.
we also have passiflora comp which is herbal and a homeopathic lotion to rub on him(lavender)it is more concentrated that the one in the shops.
he is better than he was with his sleep (well he was for about 6 months now the melatonin isn't working that well anymore)
I would definately switch schols. i was diagnosed with adhd at 4 but my docI hope you get him a good evaluation. He could have one of many things. It's a good start to have him assessed by the school, although they probably can't diagnose him...they can certainly give him special services.
I'm new here and I'm so glad I found you all. My son , who is 4 almost 5, diagnosed earlier this year. My problem is in preschool. Always in time outs and never gets to go field trips. Now he is starting a social problem because he is being excluded from certain activities. I cry everytime I see him in time out or when he doesn't get to do things. This preschool treats this more of discipline problem and doesn't accept that it's adhd. I'm thinking of switching his school to one that deals with children with other diabilities. They try not to exclude the child. His doctor does not want to medicate, says he'll out grow it, that he's just a boy. I'm also on the list for him to be evaluated by the schools and our local mrdd to see if he qualifies for any other programs. I'm also going to contact our local Children's Hospital. One thing I read here was about the sleep thing. He has not been sleeping through the night since he was two. Up 2,3,4, times a night. I kept telling his doctor that if he could get some sleep his behavoir would improve. I'm really going to check into this. Thanks to everyone here, I did learn alot and I'll be visiting often.Cchdaja, welcome. I can see why your doctor is hesitant to medicate such a young child and while your checking other things, it might be a good idea to look into a different preschool. Has anyone tried meltonin on a four year old? I still say at least 70 percent of his lack of sleep for 3 years has alot to do with his behavior. I turned the papers for the preschool today and talked to them some more. This place seems great. If he gets in here I know that will help. A little understanding goes a long way. Thanks