6 Year Old Kindergardner's Behavior Getting Worse

M.,
I have a child with many of these issues. The earlier you get help, as much help as possible, the better life your child son (and the rest of you) will have. Children act out for a reason. Obviously his school situation is not working for him at all. He may have a bad fit with his teacher. He may be struggling with sitting still, paying attention, etc. ADHD is a difference in the way the brain functions and processes information. If your son has that, he cannot control it. The sensitivity could be difficulty processing sensory information. Having your son evaluated by a qualified professional, such as a pediatric neurologist, will give you a start in figuring out what is wrong. An evaluation by an occupational therapist will help with the sensory issues. There are many, many resources if you want to read to find out more information. Raising a child like this is HARD but you can find ways to help your son and everyone cope and for him to thrive and be successful. I would be happy to talk with you more if you want to email me ____@____.com.

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No matter what problem your child might have, consistent discipline is key for him to be successful! Don't get discouraged, some kids are harder to teach/train then others, but none are impossible. :)

I had a friend growing up who exhibited the same behaviors, now she's been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and they say that the childhood behaviors are sometimes linked. However to my knowledge bi-polar cannot be diagnosed at this age, so you're kind of at a loss right now to know "for sure".

Keep doing what you're doing and have some testing done just to be sure. Also keep an eye on his diet. A diet full of processed carbs and sugars will make his behavior worse, and caffeine for sure complicates. Make sure he gets LOTS of exercise and is not sitting in front of a TV or video games. Boys especially have a hard time learning in an environment where they need to sit still, they're build for movement and so is their brain. So be sure to help him get as much of that done at home as possible. I am a firm believer that going to school before 7 is detrimental and will definitely home school my kids at least until that age. They just need to be more active and school doesn't allow enough activity. I don't know if that's an option for you, but you might consider it.

Best wishes!

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Sounds like he may have ADHD and some sensory integration issues that make him very sensitive to textures. Kids like this sometimes are super smart and frustrated. I'd have him evaluated to see what you're dealing with and if they think medication will help. Don't be afraid of it! You don't want to let him continue like this and have a long, miserable school experience. Boys like this tend to get into fights too and that's a road you don't want him on very much. Until you have a different child, you have a lot of opinions and answers. Then you have to open your mind to things you didn't really believe in so you can help him. My most difficult daughter is a successful doctor today but still does things her own way and is very high-energy and strong-willed, but it's all in a wonderful way at this point. Parenting her was a real trip. She ripped off buttons and tags and seams in her socks made her absolutely frantic. She still wants her clothes to be really non-irritating but can afford to buy what she wants. Hang in there! Don't ignore this. Work with the school. You could homeschool but you'd better get an evaluation to see what you're dealing with. Talk to your pedicatrician and local intermediate school district for recommendations. He's gonna drive you crazy if you don't get on top of this. He needs a way to make sense of his feelings too and lots of structure and patience, and that's very tough, but you can do it with some help, Mom. You haven't done anything wrong. He was born this way. No one's fault, but it won't just go away.

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M.,

I feel your pain. My 10 year old daughter was never disruptive once I got her to stay in class. But getting her to stay was really hard. Starting with Head Start I had to force her to stay at school. Often times the teacher would have to hold her while I escaped or I would have been fired from my job by now. She is very shy and didn't want to be left at school alone. She has an issue with expressing herself. Letting people know what her wants and needs are. She never had to stay with anyone but close family since I returned to work from maternity leave. So she always had someone there to protect her. The reason why I'm responding to this is because you mentioned your son’s issues with his clothing. My daughter is the same way. She will not wear turtlenecks or anything that is tight around her neck. Her shoes and socks have to fit a certain way or she won't wear them. In school once she moved to grades where she had to go to lunch in the cafeteria instead of having lunch in her classroom she couldn't deal with all of the noise and activity that goes on in the lunchroom. It would freak her out.

I was lucky that she had the same teacher for 2nd and 3rd grade. So she was aware of my daughter’s issues. My daughter is smart she has a 3.8 grade average the highest in her class the last year she attended school. Last year I enrolled her in a new school (we moved). She couldn't handle it. Now my daughter is currently being home schooled. She has been diagnosed with a severe case of anxiety (school phobia). She would break out in hives and would have a meltdown every morning. I take her to see a therapist twice a month. And she is currently on medication. I hated to put her on meds but I can see the difference in her. She is still very shy but she is more out going now. Before meds she would hesitate before she would agree to go anywhere with anyone other then me or my mother. Her father and I are separated and she won't go and visit with him unless I’m with her. She wouldn't even spend the night with her older sister before meds.

I can't say that your son needs to see a therapist or should be on medication. But something is bothering him and it seems to be in school. Unless he acted like this prior to attending school. Working with the school counselor and social worker is a good start.

Always let him know that you are there for him and love him no matter what. I know it's very scary and frustrating. He is so young and may not know what's bothering him or how to express it. He may just need to learn some coping skills. My daughter still can't put her finger on what is actually bothering her most of the time. Just be very patient. Because you may be dealing with this for a while to come.

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I don't know if you'll accept this or not. I was just like him growing up off and on. No one figured it out. My parents were and are Christian Science and knew nothing about medical things. It wasn't until I cleaned up after drug use that we found I may have depression. After 2 years I was fine until a few years later when I crashed thanks to a terrible doctor. I wound up in the hospital finding out that I am bipolar. My husband and I were on the rocks because I was so nasty to him and didn't know why. I didn't know why. Since I've been on meds, now for 8 years, I'm just fine. I'm not saying your son is but a full psychological makeup is in order. I mean a real psychiatrist and therapist. School counselors do not have the training for such things. I wish my parents stepped in much earlier since I wound up doing a lot of things I regretted later.

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I second the ADHD and sensory disorder. Our son has ADHD (was kicked out of preschool for the types of behaviors you described) and I can tell you it's real and not a cop-out diagnosis. If your child has it, the behavior you described is out of his control. ADHD has been studied extensively, for many decades. UC Davis' MIND Institute is just one organization studying ADHD. Unfortunately, it's often misunderstood by those lacking first hand experience or an appropriate medical background. It isn't caused by parenting skills or whether you give your child too much sugar -- it's a brain disorder involving low dopamine levels.

I would highly recommend getting your son in with a psychiatrist or neuropsychologist for an evaluation and diagnosis. You may be dealing with a couple of conditions here. With ADHD, it's extremely common to have another condition with it.

Also, check out the website for ADDitude magazine. Even if you're not dealing with ADHD, you'll find some great resources for dealing with children exhibiting the behaviors you've described.

Good luck!

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I have been there with my daughter who is now 10, i didn't beleive in the ADD and ADHD things either, but i investigated it further and took her to her pediatrician and she gave me a questionaire to be filled out by the teacher and the parent and i did this and and my child had all the signs and sysmptom of being ADHD she started her on Vyvanse she was 8 at the time, she is now doing very well in school and making straight A's. If I had not done this I think i would have lost my mind by now, Don't think that your a bad mom for trying to help your child. This might not help but I just thought it may give you some insight.

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I can so relate. I agree we Kellyan. It really sounds like a Sensory Processing Disorder at the minimum. Definitely read Out of Sync Child. Also, we sent our son at 2 1/2 to a child play therapist (who helps with the behavior and social skills), then got him evaluated by a pediatric neurologist who saw sensory and asperger tendencies in our son. Through him, we then got our son evaluated by both an occupational therapist (OT) and speech therapist (ST). My son qualified for OT and it has helped tremendously. We also got our son evaluated by the OT and ST through the school and he qualified for both so he gets those services through school also. He went from extreme behavior problem to functioning normally once we addressed his sensory issues and anxiety.

I hate labels, but am so glad that we got him evaluated to find out how to help our son be successful. At 3 1/2 he is a different child.

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I agree with all of the posters who are mentioning sensory issues. Through the school you should be able to get some physical and occupational therapy to work on these issues and hopefully improve his classroom behaviors. Good luck and God Bless!

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Anxiety! My son did those those same things I had to cut off tags, cut the corners off the insides of the socks, and nothing could go around his neck not even a scraf. My son use to bite his nails too when he was younger, we were having other problems with his behavior too. Amazily he stopped biting from going on anti-anixiety medication, when I asked my doctor he said he was having anxiety (like anxiety attacks in adults just not so drastic). My first reasction was what could he possiably be freaky out about, his life was a breeze, he was a kid. He explained that changes effect kids diffenerly than us, as little as rearranging a room in the house, having a visitor over, or even just the pressures at school can cause it. When I looked back in the previous 6 months he did have a lot of changes going on that we as adults take for granted. My son has snice years later been diagnosed with austism, he also does not like crowds, bright lights, or being social at all, pressures of doing this was causing his aniety and behaviorial issues too. Talk to you doctor about it, maybe medication temporaily is an option, or just a counsler. Sometimes just a little mommy time can be a great motivation. My experience was a rude awaking into the small mind of a child. Good Luck! Better safe than sorry to make sure your son is not suffering.

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M.,

Your son sounds a lot like mine last year. Our son entered first grade last fall (2008) and almost immediately I started receiving notes home from the teacher. I spent four months working with him, the teacher, and the principal with no noticeable change in his behavior. Our son was experiencing some sort of stress that we couldn't pin point. He was diagnosed with seven food intolerances over three years ago and we have eliminated them from his diet, most of the time.

Our son was also very sensitive and later was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder. He hears everything, sees everything, when someone touches him it feels like they are hitting him. He is bumped and falls to the floor. The school environment felt like a battle zone to him and he just couldn't handle all of the color, movement, sound, and chaos around him.

Finally, we removed him from school and started homeschooling him. It was really hard at first, but eventually we found a routine and rhythm that works for us. He still attends public school three days a week for gym, art, music and library classes (his choice). But since we brought him home he has relaxed. All of his stress symptoms have been eliminated and he has become the most outgoing, successful, and confident little boy I have seen in a long time.

I don't know if our experience will help you, or if you are even in a position to be able to homeschool. But, if after keeping a food diary for a few months you haven't noticed an improvement, you might want to think about his learning environment. What can be changed in the classroom to help him learn? How much space around him does he need? Should he go to a sensory class part way through the day to help his body adapt to the bumping, chaos, noise, and distractions he sees in the class room?

You are a good mom because you are trying to figure out what is causing this behavior in your son and trying to fix it! Keep up the good work. If you have any questions about food intolerances, sensory processing disorder, or homeschooling, please let me know. I may be able to help you get in contact with a support group that can help you and your family through this transition time.

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Hello Michel - this must be so stressful for you, I'm sorry. I don't think punishments and days in the principal's office are any answer at all. There is an underlying issue and because you point out that the tags bother him, clothing is uncomfortable, I'm wondering if he has a sensory disorder. My friends little boy is six too and she has had to work very hard with therapists, psychologists etc to help him try to overcome this. He is actually so much better than he used to be - but a couple of years ago he was very much like your son. I think you need to see your pediatrician and get a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist who specialises in sensory disorder. The school sounds like they are clueless. I so hope things get better for you quickly - best of luck - Alison

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I agree with the last poster - you may want to look at his food. Especially since you've had two other boys and used the same discipline techniques - but those aren't working on your 6 year old. I read a book called "Healing the new childhood epidemic: Autism, ADHD, Allergies and Asthma" by Dr. Kenneth Bock. I know you say you don't necessarily believe in ADD/ADHD and what is interesting about this book is that Dr. Bock talks about how some kids can have symptoms of some of these disorders but not "enough" to be considered full-blown ADHD (for lack of a better explanation). Dr. Bock talks about how these disorders are very heavily related to all the environmental toxins we are exposed to these days (in our environment, in our food, in vaccines, etc) which is especially dangerous to little kids whose immune systems are still developing. Some kids respond really well to a change in diet like removing dairy and/or gluten (wheat). And many of them never need medication (it seems like most doctors are quick to prescribe, prescribe, prescribe when it comes to ADHD/ADD - even when symptoms aren't severe). Another good thing to do is to remove all foods with artificial color and flavoring in them (this is good for the whole family). A lot kids seem to respond really well to removing these things (especially the artificial colors - you'd be shocked when you realize how much food coloring is put into food that is marketed towards kids).

My nephew is on the Autism spectrum and my sister in law used the healing program in this book and it has worked AMAZINGLY for him! Some of the symptoms you describe are shared by kids with ADHD (especially the sensory issues like having to cut tags out of his shirts and socks can't be too tight, etc). Once again, I'm no expert and not trying to diagnose your son but it might be worthwhile to read a book like this and try changing up his diet. A food journal might really help like the last poster said - then you can track his behavior missteps with what he ate earlier that day and that might help you see if something in his diet is triggering his behavior...

Just a thought...

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I used to believe that ADD and ADHD was over-diagnosed and kids mislabelled until I had one. However, if the only problem is the tantrums, rage, etc, it likely is not ADHD. There are other issues here. Know that all negative behavior stems from stress or fear. Is he stressed about something lately? Or having a fear about something? Look deep into your child and try to find out what he is feeling. The behavior will disappear when you can be empathetic and relate to him on his level, without you becoming dysregulated yourself. He may have some sort of sensory disorder if clothing labels, etc bother him. Also, know that no two kids are alike, and you will have to discipline different than the other two. However, it sounds like discipline (the traditional kind) is not what this child needs right now. Best of luck to you.

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There are things you can try first without having your son tested for anything. See if the schools OT or PT can evaluate him and give some suggestions like sitting on a chair cushion while he works, giving him large motor activities like jumping or carrying a book across the room to get some energy out, changing his diet, changing how he is responded to for behavior - positive praise instead of negative praise, having the day written out before he begins helps kids know what to expect (especially since K is his first class). Sticker charts for good behavior, etc work wonders instead of negative attention. How is his class environment? If there is too much stimulation going on he might be sensitive to that and need some place to "regroup" or a less stimulating environment!
I'd talk to your pedi and also keep talking with the school to put a plan in place that will help him succeed - if you need to go the testing route, do so sooner than later so he can get the help he needs! Not meds, etc if your not comfortable, but even just sensory help and breaks throughout the day will do wonders!

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Hi there - I can understand your frustration. Our daughter exhibited behaviors that were very different from our son and we didn't understand it at first either. She was in Early On for speech issues and they were able to test her when she was three years old and we found out she had Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Is that something you have heard of? The behaviors that you describe abour your son and his specifics regarding clothing are classic symptoms of Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Our daughter did not have to be put on medication at all. The specialist who was working with her on her speech was able to do some occupational and physical therapy with her and give us exercises to do at home with her in order to help her brain function differently and see things more "normally." It is an actual brain issue where the brain needs to be retrained. I'm not an expert and cannot explain it well, but by putting certain exercises into practice for her and explaining to her that it's a brain problem, not a "her" problem, she was able to recognize and help "catch herself" before she would have meltdowns, etc. I'm wondering if his behavioral issues are related to the sensory issues that he is having? If he feels differently inside and can't express it, maybe he is getting frustrated and takes it out behaviorally? It's a thought. If your school doesn't have someone who could do the testing for you (for us it was a questionnaire that we filled out about her behaviors, patterns, etc. and then observing our daughter "play" with the therapist as well so very painless and fun for the child), you could always start by asking your pediatrician what the first step would be for you to get him tested. If it is determined that he has a sensory problem, medication is not necessarily used. I can't say for sure it's never used, but we never put our daughter on medication. We worked with her for a good year before she started school and she has not had major problems in school. She will always have some issues - she has problems with personal space and some social situations but overall she is not labeled a problem. I hope I was able to give you some hope and encouragement. It could be something as simple as helping to retrain his brain and then the behavioral problems will disappear too as he will be less frustrated. For our daughter, as she has grown older, with therapy and certain techniques in place, the symptoms become less severe and she has really changed drastically for the better.

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Try out different psychotherapist. You would have to give them a couple of weeks or longer if you only go a few times. It is time consuming. My daughter had issues also and I wanted to try and get help before she got into school. Right now doc says a little ocd, developmental delays. After going to therapy extensively her behavior has changed and she is more willing to cooperate. They also work on building her self confidence. I think when they lack this they act out. I thought she would be diagnosed with other things.I am not a specialist though. Maybe your kids isn't clicking with the counselors he is working with. Kids are not all the same. My daughter made me feel the same way you do.

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His symptoms sound like ADHD and a sensory disorder.
I have brilliant ADHD girl. She is 8 and we fought the diagnosis tooth and nail. We've finally had to accept it but she is better for it.
I come from a family of mental disorders and ADHD really is mild compaired to the problems some of my relitives have. Before resulting to medicine we did suger , dyes, preservatives , elimination and she had her own theropist. She's been on Vyvance since the start of the school year and this year is totally opposite of the last two years. We had problem after problem.

Get some literature on ADHD and educate yourself. Many people that haven't experianced ADD/ADHD do think that it's a crock. But it is a very real mental disorder. I have ADD and still struggle with it.
Talk to the school councilers, Get them to schedule him some secessions like once a week. therpy is a good start. ( I can't spell I'm sorry for all the errors).

Also look into the book " Raising your spirited child."

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M.---You've gotten lots of great advice from moms who've been there. I'd like to suggest a different take on the whole thing, one that may dictate the direction your son's healing will take.

Have you looked at his diet as possibly contributing to negative behavior? I am taking a series of wellness classes, taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition. Our diet impacts every aspect of our life, what we put in dictates what comes out...colds, allergies, mental and behavioral disorders. I am not suggesting that your son's diet is bad...it just may not be good enough with the challenges his body gets from environmental toxins he is exposed to.

To do this right, you should start keeping a food journal. You may find a trend in foods that may trigger 'episodes'. Then, be sure to eliminate all processed foods, those with lots of chemical ingredients; preservatives, artificial colors/flavors, etc. If you can't pronounce it, you probably shouldn't eat it. I know that the FDA tells us these additives are 'generally recognized as safe', but what they don't know, or won't tell us, is that the combination of all of them together in the body could be the tipping point for a vulnerable body.

Be sure his diet, and the whole family's, consists primarily of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds. Minimize animal protein, and when eaten, should be organic, again, to minimize exposure to added chemicals. Since we should be eating less animal protein (see www.pcrm.org and The China Study by T Colin Campbell), we can afford to purchase a higher quality product.

I would also eliminate dairy. Dairy proteins are highly allergenic and cause problems that are so obscure, few look at it as being a possible source of many health problems (www.strongbones.org). Gluten, found in many grains, can also be a problem, damaging the gut and allowing toxins to be reabsorbed into the blood stream.

I have a bunch of great info I can share. Please feel free to contact me and we can talk about it. Lots of articles and dietary suggestions for you to consider. Good luck. Be sure you get the answers that you want. If you don't like what one Dr. tells you, find another to make sure you are satisfied. I'm not bashing the medical field, but not all have the same level of abilities. They don't know what they don't know. And most physicians don't know nutrition and how it affects our health. If you have trouble getting your son to eat lots of fruits and veggies, I can help with that too.

D. ###-###-####

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M. -

I want to mention first that since all kids are different so some kids need different discipline. Just b/c your first 2 kids responded one way to discipline, doesn't mean that it will work for your 3rd one.

Next, you really need to be open to the possibility of ADHD. Some of the symptoms you are describing sound a lot like ADHD - the shirt tags, the socks, the coat, the tantrums - all sound sooooo familiar having gone through it with a younger sibling. They were finally diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety (which often go together). My mom was a lot like you and didn't get him tested until high school - and wished she had done so a lot earlier.

There are a lot of good ADHD support groups around MI that do a lot to inform/educate parents and kids about ADHD. I'd encourage you to see if there is one in your area and try and hook up with them. They will likely be able to give you suggestions of things you can do to help, including ideas for not using medication.

HTH-
J.

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Sensory Integration jumps to the fore front when you talk about cutting tags etc. I however don't think the school district will actually treat the disorder, they may have a OT to diagnose but you may have to have seek outside treatment,at least that's the district I'm in. Do ask for input from the child study team they should be able to help sort it out.

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My heart goes out to you Michelle, for both of you.

Did you see this behavior before Kindergarten? Are there other big changes in his life? Food? new home?

Our own story is that when I put my son in school they immediately labeled him ADD but we found that it was some health issues we were able to work out. Would you like to talk to see if my resources could help?

warmly, M.

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It sounds like Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Find the book.... The Out of Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz at your library or bookstore right now! I hjave a son with SPD and we are almost a year into OT and he is doing amazing! So proud of him......everything becomes so much easier when you know ehat is going on and can address it at an early age. Sensory is not something that everyone knows about or even understands.....even the schools. Do your research and be an advocate for your child. With help NOW at an early age your child can learn to cope with every day life! Bless his heart and be sure to give him an extra hug today!

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I can relate to your situation because my third son who is now 8 1/2 years old has had similar issues since preschool. We started taking him to a psychologist (who doesn't prescribe medication) in 1st grade. After about a year of seeing the psychologist (with our pediatrician's assistance too) we finally agreed to have him evaluated by a psychiatrist (who does prescribe medication). The psychiatrist, with support from the psychologist and our pediatrician, recommended he begin taking the lowest dose of medication available. After a few weeks on that medication we did see small improvements so we agreed to increase his dose a bit and today I am happy to say he has had significant improvements and all reports from his teachers and principal and great. Part of me wishes I hadn't fought the medication route for so long, but at the same time by doing so I know we explored the best possible options for our son.

It's a learning process knowing what is best for your child so I would encourage you to talk to your pediatrician, as well as finding a psychologist who you can trust and go from there.

Good luck!

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My child previously had some issues with sensory processing - do a little research on that topic. For children with sensory issues school can be absolute torture.

For my child things got progressively worse each school year. We began homeschooling in third grade and he really started to thrive. We also worked very hard on his diet (he is extremely sensitive to gluten and dairy) - once we removed the intolerances the sensory issues disappeared. I also think removing the stress of school for awhile helped his body to heal (boys are especially sensitive imho).

As a sixth grader he now functions very well in a class room (does a homeschooling program where he attends school all day two days a week). He can go anywhere, behaves very well, and has several good friends.

I loved a book by Kenneth Bock called "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders."

Of course you will want to do your own research and check with trusted health care providers (I found there were varying opinions and the best thing for us was just to observe our child and see what worked).

I had the same feelings you expressed, i.e., wondering why what worked with my older child didn't seem to work with my little one. You'll figure it out! You're a caring mom just to ask. Good luck to you and your little guy!

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I don't have first hand experience, but one of my friends has been facing this battle for the past couple of years. She has done tons of research on diet and has found that if she feeds her son certain foods then he behaves so much better. She also supplements his food with various vitamins that have helped him maintain a positive behavior throughout the day. I think some kids are just affected differently by certain daily stresses and instead of labeling them as ADD or ADHD, more parents should look at outside influences that can be altered to help them perform better. I know there is tons of information out there on healthy behavior diets. My girlfriend says that if they eat pizza or takeout for more than a meal or two he turns into a different kid. If she feeds him vegetables and rice with a healthy protein consistently, then he is an angel. Just a thought. Like I said, not first hand experience, but sometimes it's worth a try when facing medication and such.

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Hello M. -
I have an 18 yr. old son who was starting to exhibit the same behaviors back when he was around 10 years old. He was diagnosed ADHD. I obviously felt the same way about the diagnosis and was adamant that I would not put him on medication. However, we did all the testing, psychologist, etc. and I ended up putting him on the smallest dose of medication I could to help control it. As one doctor told me; there are pros and cons vs. medicating and not. But for my son's sake, with the medication, he was able to function MUCH MORE normally in school. It didn't solve all the issues obviously, but defintely did help. It takes everyone your son answers to, to be on the "same page". My son was a "visual learner". To have to listen to the teacher talk and just sit there definitely did not work. He had to be able to see things "visually" if possible to keep his attention. Make sure his teachers are aware of his issues so you all can work together to find the best way to work with him.
My son also had issues like those you described with the shirt tags, socks, coat. I was told by the psychologist it is a sensory disorder. Many people can have it to different degrees. It was wonderful to finally find someone who could explain these strange little mannerisms.
My son was the youngest of 3 boys. It was a shock to find that dealing with him was completely different than the other 2. It took patience, patience, patience! Discipline had to be completely different from how we handled the other 2. It caused issues there because they didn't understand how come we seemed to "let things go" with our youngest. We didn't "let it go", but had to handle it differently. Basically picking and choosing the battles that really mattered.
As my son grew older, thankfully it began to get better. Maturity seemed to help. It does require MAJOR PATIENCE. My son had Grandpa, as well as myself, who truly understood him and could work with him. He still is sometimes "volatile"; has his little "quirks" at times, but I have found he responds much better to patience and love versus frustration/anger (which is so easy to do because it seems to be a never-ending battle at times!!).
Each child is different; the chemical make up is different. What may work for one doesn't always work for another. We went through many trial and error processes, and sometimes had to change, but we made it through - lots of prayers!!