I found play therapy to help with my son. He is on a diet of high protein and low carbs although we are not keeping him totally from sweets . He also is on a low dosage of foaclin xr (5mg). We are hearing from his teachers that he is doing great. He has the normal wiggles etc... for most kids. Yeah! He loves school. He too is in private kinder yet my son won't be 5 until next month. He missed public school cut off. Fine with me as he needs that extra year of social skills before starting public school.
Hello -
I am new here, mom to 3 kids (boy 7, boy 5.5 and girl 11 mos). I would be interested in some of your opinions regarding my middle child. He is 5.5, started Kindergarten in September (all day private school) - and while he is doing great academically (one of the most advanced in math & reading in his class) - he is struggling behaviorally (disruptive talking, horsing around, etc.). About 2 weeks ago, his teacher suggested that I have some evaluations done. I love his teacher, as my older son also was in her class last year, so she is familiar with our family and I feel that she is probably being objective.
As for my little Jacob - he has always been really bright - but he is a bit fidigty and more high strung than my oder son. Here are some of his problems in class...during carpet time - he is not able to just sit still through all the instructions (sometimes pulling his shirt over his head), when sitting with kids at tables he does not stay focused on the task at hand and chats too much. I did have to pick him up from school one day because when he was in the bathroom, he mooned another classmate. While I do not condone that behavior, he is a class clown type of kid (loves making people laugh).
Since he is in a private school, I had to put a request into our local school district for an evaluation (which I am still waiting for a response). There is a part of me that wonders if the issues are related to him just being a slightly hyperactive 5.5 year old - and I am just expecting too much of him to sit in a structured environment from 8:30-3:00...or if this could all be related to ADHD.
I did do some research and have recently changed his diet a bit to reduce his sugar intake (like eliminating fruit juice at lunch and giving him soy milk), eliminating dairy and sticking to protein, vegetables & fruits. There is definitely some improvement in his self-control - but he has still also clowned around at times he is not supposed to. He has not had any type of violent or hurtful behaviors.
I'd be very interested to hear some of your thoughts!
Michelle
There are many things that can mimic ADHD so a good evaluation is important (you may find that he is gifted and bored in the current setting). For now you might look into a positive reinforcement behavior plan like the one described in ogram's marble thread (top thread of this parents forum).