6 Year Old with Behavioral Issues

My son is on the spectrum, PDD-NOS diagnosed at age 4.

I highly recommend a blog - adiaryofamom.wordpress.com. She has a facebook page as well. It's a wonderful blog, she's a mom of 2 kids and 1 is on the spectrum. I LOVE this blog. It has taught me so much.

I also created a web page called autistikids.com - it's a collection of blogs written by autistic people, as well as professionals and parents. You can learn about autism from the "inside out".

Feel free to PM me if you like :)

He may need to sit away from others so that he isn't distracted. Or, he may need to move to a desk with "walls" so that he can't be distracted. Headphones to cover the sounds of the classroom might be a good help also. I know it isn't usually allowed in elementary school, but chewing gum can be a great for distraction and organization. Maybe try another school appropriate chewy toy. They sell them online at places like especialneeds.com or similar sites. The OT will be able to help with this also. I have also seen kids put up a trifold cardboard screen when they need to focus and not be distracted.

I hope some of these ideas help....my guy is 3 and autistic, but we are no where being in a regular classroom, he goes to a special autistic preschool for at least another year or two. But, I have seen all these other techniques used in middle and high schools for kids with special needs. (I work as a substitute, so I go all over.)

If you do not have an IEP or 504 (I believe those are the two plans) for him, look into what you need to do to get the resources assigned to him that he needs. For example, my friend's son had an aid that helped him through elementary school and now he's in middle school without needing one. The aid was trained in how to guide a child with autism and acted as an assistant to the teacher when it came to managing the child's behavior in class and meeting his needs. I would find out if there are other parents who can offer you their perspective for your district. Parents who have already tread those waters may be your best resources.

An IEP is for kids that usually end up on the Special Ed tract through school. It's to supply them with assistance that is specific to that end. That they'll do as well as possible but will likely have to have assistance through the special ed program. It can still be extremely helpful to use this plan even if your son's disability isn't that bad. It will legally give him more options and the school will have to find the money to pay for things he gets.

A 504 plan is specifically planned for kids who just don't quite fit in, have health problems, need an aid sometime to help them with managing stuff like behaviors or one on one time, and help him with classwork.

Our grandson had a 504 plan at his last school and he, along with a couple of other boys, and she helped them when they had table time to do school work and she managed them in the hallway when they needed time out of the classroom.

The school he goes to now refuses to do a plan with him, he doesn't have any acting out in class. I informed them that he took meds and had an ADHD diagnosis and they were required to have a 504 plan just for that reason alone. They wouldn't have one for him. So he changed schools this year. He has a good 504 plan in place already.

The teachers need to research their resources and find what they can do. They have psychologists and therapist and assistants at their disposal. Please ask the teacher to work on this on her own. She/he has what they need to help your son the best.