I have a 5 yr old ds who has been having behavior issues for...well, years. He started kindergarten this fall and they got worse, to the point that he was suspended for a day for hurting a girl (punched her and kicked her) and then being belligerant to the principal and "not showing any remorse" for his actions. On the day he was suspended I made him WORK all day. Cleaning the grout in the kitchen tile, pulling weeds, cleaning toilets, tubs, etc. (He really hates to clean.) I figured this would be a good punishment for bad behavior since it really seemed to affect him (nothing else does). The behavior continued and I kept making him clean. Eventually, we saw the ped. and then a psychiatrist and he has now been diagnosed with ADHD. He is hyperactive-impulsive. We started Focalin XR 10mg on Sunday. So far things are going well with school. He has had two great days in a row and I am ecstatic!
Today, we walked in and he took off his shoes and threw them on the floor. I asked him to pick them up. He yells at me "Do I have to clean!?" Then starts on this tirade about how he got happy faces at school and I am punishing him by making him clean. In a way I can see his point. I don't know how to undo what I've done. How do I make him not see everything I ask him to do as punishment? I also suspect that he may be "coming down" off his medicine (does that happen?) and maybe that helped to trigger the outburst. Any advice is welcome. I am totally new to this so unsure of how to act/react.
The time that meds is wearing off can take some getting used to; and can even be worse than pre-medicated if they are having rebound. If it does not seem to get better, a small dose of short acting med can help. Keep notes so you can talk to the doctor about the good and bad parts of the meds. This way the doctor can better taylor the meds to your son's needs. You might want to start a positive reinforcement behavior plan like ogram's marble system. We use it for allowance and it has made a huge difference in our house.