HELP with my son?

[beautybelle]

I really need some advice from my fellow dis moms. I only have one little boy age 6. He is in Kindergarden this year and he is VERY active. Ok heres my problem, I go in to pick him up from school the other day and his teacher tells me that she is thinking of retaining him this year because of his attention problem. She told me that he cant sit still and disrupts class and wants to play all the time. He makes wonderful grades though, on Fridays when he brings his work home, he has a bookbag full of smiley faces and happy stickers. I talked to her and she said that having him checked out for (I think its called) ADHD or something like that would be a last resort, that I should change his diet. Like for instance, no red food coloring, no caffiene, no candy, and bread. Well he dont eat candy and very little pop. So now what do I do? Will someone please give me some advice on what I should do next. What kind of bread am I supposed to give him? I dont want him to have to repeat kindergarden over him being too hyper.

 

[Mishetta]

Hi BeautyBelle,

You'd best check with your son's pediatrician is all I can offer in advice. If you think diet alone will help his hyperactivity, then at least the doctor can give you a list of the "no no" foods.

My son is ADHD & he had to be put on meds. The diet didn't work for my son, but he was not able to stay focused at school & his work was really suffering. Even with the medication, he still has impulsivity problems but he is doing so much better in school that we do feel the meds are working. His hyperactivity is also under control on the meds.

This has been a much discussed subject on this board so you can search for this subject to see if any of the advice/stories can be of any help to you.

Lots of luck!

Mishetta

 

[Serena]

I'm no doctor but it sounds like your little boy just has too much energy.
Other parents here can do much better with this subject, but I'd try wearing him out before school to see if that helps.

BTW, welcome.

 

[SonjaB]

She told me that he can't sit still and wants to play all the time.

Sounds like a rambunctious little 6-year-old boy to me.

If you're in doubt, have the pediatrician check him out, but my opinion as a mom is not to rush into medicating on the say-so of one teacher. She may be a wonderful teacher, but she's not a doctor. You will find with a son that "some" teachers don't want to deal with the more lively nature of a little boy. They can look disruptive next to the little girls that are satisfied to sit and color. Boys "typically" like more spirited play.

I'd have him professionally evaluated before I jumped to a conclusion based on one opinion.

 

[Gail T AGAIN]

I kept my son back perrequest of his 1st grade teacher, I didn't listen to the kindergarten teacher, put him in 1st and he just wasn't ready so he repeated 1st grade

 

[jamsmom]

I would talk to your pedicatrician. My son IS ADHD, but I knew that when he was 3 Diet change didn; help and he couldn't take several meds. I thought a valium for me would work!! (joking) He still tends to talk out w/o raising his hands, but there is worse in life.

WHen I taught, I had a Mom who was positive her child needed meds, but there was no sign of ADD.

CHAD is also a good place for questions. I would start at the doctor's though.

 

[janette]

Very active doesn't mean ADHD, if you feel it warrents exploring than get a referral from your Dr and get a full evaluation. It may include more than one Dr and consist of IQ tests and maybe even some for learning disabilities.

If his grades are good that is a sign that he's managing to pay attention enough to learn the material presented. It could be he's just not mature enough to sit still or the material presented isn't interesting for him.

I don't know that I'd consider testing a last resort, it's a good place to start especially if they want him to repeat the grade. If the problems are caused by maturity that would help but if it is ADHD or not being challenged another year in kindergarten won't help.

 

[mom2boys]

I have 2 boys. My youngest is now 7 & in 2nd grade. He is "high energy" which some teachers just can't handle. One thing that works for us is "1-2-3 Magic". Our pediatrican recommended it. It isn't really magic. It's hard. But it is a discipline system that rewards good behavior & imposes consequences on unfavorable behavior. You can PM if you'd like to know more.

Sending lots of Pixie Dust your way.

P.S. I agree 100% with SonyaH's post. You need a professional opinion. Alos, if your school has a guidance counselor, you have her do a classroom observation of your son. He wouldn't know he was the one she was watching.

 

[worm761]

i went through this with my DS last year. he is very active. no attention problems though. he is also very bright so he was bored in class. before you go to the doctor keep track of everything he eats. alot of children are hyper due to a reaction to some kinds of food. red dye is known to do it to alot of kids. my DS's trigger is milk. if he drinks a glass he will fly all day. i dont have the teacher/school problem because i homeschool.
i agree though that you should talk to your doctor. the teacher isn't a medical professional.