Frustrated with Behavior

It sounds like he's normal, but maybe bored. Have you considered putting him in a MDO program? At his age he can go 1 or 2 days a week from 9-2 (most programs). This would give him some of the stimulus he needs, not to mention socialization and will give you a much needed break!!

If he continues to be sensitive to noises, etc, you may want to get him evaluated for sensory integration problems. My oldest son has a hard time in busy or loud situations, but through therapy and the help of his wonderful teacher he is doing much better!!

I know it has been a life saver for me and does wonders for my attitude when my boys are home.

My friend's son was like that. Turned out he was very intelligent but also has Asperger's Syndrome...just an idea to check into.

Sounds a lot like my son too. He is now five and still impatient as ever. That is why I waited four years before baby number two! He drains me. He also hated loud noises. He still holds his hands to his ears in public restrooms when the toilets flush and I sometimes buy him earplugs if I know a place will be super loud. Just curious, was he colic and does he have a lot of ear infections? I never thought something was horribly wrong with my son (maybe some attention issues), but I think a lot of it has to do with personality. He showed it from day one. Just know you are not alone!

I had the same problem with my son when he was that age. He is gifted so he was frustrated and needed someone to pay attention to him. I know it maybe hard to live with it for the whole summer but if you wait it out you could try finding a MDO group that specializes in gifted children for the fall. I would also recommend Montessori school. They start at about that age and are awesome. We went the MDO route when our son was that young because of the money but if you can afford Montessori school I would do it. We found that putting our son an educational program made him less clingy and helped him learn to play by himself.

i ditto the ECI recommendation. Early intervention is key in these years...and they are the experts in infant/baby/pre-K years. They know all the developmental behaviors and where one should be on target compared to peers. And they offer GREAT advice and tips. Plus...the evaluation is free. And if your son qualifies for therapy, the sessions are super affordable (fees are based on a sliding scale according to family income/# of people in family).
It doesn't hurt to get a professional opinion.
In my opinion, these behaviors in a child so young [not an infant] would raise some questions in my mind...and I would seek a professional evaluation.

C.,
It sounds like he may have Sensory issues. My son has it too and he is 7. We went the ECI route and I strongly suggest if you can afford it to go the private route. And trust me when I say I have BEEN THERE! Lots of insurances will pay for private. Integrative Pediatric Therapy is in Dallas & Plano and the owner Sally Fryer is excellent and trained and certified in Sensory issues. PLEASE DO NOT wait another day to help your kiddo. Early intervention is KEY! There are many things to do to help calm him. Sally also does Craniosacral therapy. Get on their website and it will explain that. Its fantastic and helps my son so much. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT> I cannot express that enough.
You can always email me if you have wuestions. ____@____.com
L.
C., Also do you see a difference when he gets his shots?? Please be careful with vaccines. They can really play a number on the nervous system and cause havoc! You can email me offline if you want more info on that!

Have you tried baby sign language classes for him? Then he could tell you what he wants/needs and may reduce his frstration?

What about classes offered by your local recreation center? Swimming lessons, Gymboree, Little Gym. Try bead rollercoasters and other toys that he can entertain himself with. Do it one at a time and rotate them every couple of weeks. Peek-a-boo books with flaps and the Melissa&Doug type of wooden puzzles are fun too. Play him classical music.

Make sure you get time for yourself, too. Setup a safe area for him with some toys where he can be but still see you. Let him learn to play by himself. That is an important skill, too. Talk to him while you do your work, etc. I don't know if you work outside of the home, too, but make sure you have some YOU time.

Hang in there. It gets better.

Hey, C.! It sounds like your son is a first or only child. My oldest son behaved in a similar manner to what you are describing...needing a lot of attention, LOVING books, easily frustrated (usually with himself or something he was doing. I later realized he is a perfectionist, which is why he behaved(s) this way). I'm sure my son would have cried himself to sleep, too, had I let him. I just was so thankful to have him that I would rock him sometimes for an hour or more until he finally fell asleep in my arms. Anyway, your son is probably highly intelligent...does he have advanced verbal skills, too? I would just suggest lots of outings, library visits, walks, anything to keep his attention and keep you sane. The only thing I might check into are some of his sensitivities. I never had a preemie, so you probably know more than I do about this, but as a former teacher, and someone who specialized in early childhood development, I know extreme sensitivity to sound can be an indicator of attachment disorders, among a few other things, either way, something that with time your son will grow out of. Again, you probably know more about that than I do. Other than this, I would just say, hang in there, even though that doesn't really help much. It sounds like you are blessed with a wonderful child. But I know it takes a ton of patience that is often more than a little hard to conjure up. Don't know if this makes you feel better at all, but your son will be fine, just take care of yourself too, and good luck!

Michelle read my mind. My 7 year old has Asperger's. I would suggest contacting MHMR. The tarrant county MHMR has been wonderful to our family.

Dear C.,

If you are open to it you might have an assessment through your local ECI program and see if there are some things they can help with. Sometimes an outsider can tweak what you are already doing and have great results. You can call 800-682-5115 to find your local program. The assessment is free so you might consider it to see if they can help with the frustration. Let us know what happens. J.

Yep, I'd call ECI too. Not because it sounds like there's anything developmentally to be concerned about.. but A LOT of preemie babies simply have sensory issues and an occupational therapy assessment and treatment sound like they could definitely help. If you don't want to go the ECI route, you could contact www.dynamictherapy.net The owner (rebecca) is an occupational therapist and certified in sensory integration and can help you with techniques (some of which you may already be familiar with as a special ed. teacher) to help with calming and transitions and frustrations with toys. A lot of gifted kids also have sensory issues. (We all have sensory isues, just some of us have some that interfere with our everyday life so it's nothing to freak out about but something you can seek treatment for).

C. - Hang in there sister! It gets better! You may be on to something with the gifted part, or even the teething - but knowing that certainly doesn't help the frustration level, does it? Sunny had a great idea with sign language - my son learned it really early and it was a life saver.

My son seemed to go through an impossible stage and here's the way I got through it. No matter what the situation, I asked myself, "what's the end goal?" Is it getting him to sleep? Is it stopping him screaming? What? And then I just threw all advice from books and others out the window and did what I needed to in order to get to the end goal. So - for the sleep issue - I decided not to play the "he must learn" game, and instead, focused on the goal: sleep. So I would stay with him and read or sing or something until he fell asleep. Or bring him in the front room and rock with all lights off...whatever worked.

This approach really saved my sanity. And I know, the experts, the books, etc. all screamed that I was really screwing up and "giving in", but you know - my sanity was a LOT more important at that stage than my son falling asleep on his own. So maybe if you're at the end of your rope, you might try it. Just think about what will make everyone happy (sleep, silence, etc.) and then just do what you know will work and forget about all the correct parenting protocols. You'll have plenty of time in the future to engage in parenting battles! Get back to enjoying your son. Good luck!