10 YEAR OLD BOY WITH ANGER ISSUES

[JUDIANN312]

My son is 10, I was 42 when he was born, he has a 14 year old brother who is a great brother, caring and sensitive. My 10 year old is really comical, adorable, smart, but has awful anger issues.  He is not from a split home, his father and I are married and live together.  He also has Klinefelter's Syndrome.  This was diagnosed through a pre-natal amnio test (due to my age).  The Klinefelter's isn't obvious by any means, though he's pre-puberty.  I don't know if his anger/behavioral issues has to do with that, and even if it does, I still need advice.  If he's mad, he gets violent, hits things (has broken 2 windows), beat his bicycle with a hammer because he was "mad at Grandma", screams at the top of his lungs, and I'm at a loss. He gets in trouble at school, and I can't say many of the kids his age want to play with him for any length of time. I've tried many avenues, trying to talk him out of being mad, sometimes I say, "Change your face from that mean look to a nice look and we'll talk" and he usually smiles and changes his mood. But no matter what we try, he gets angry and lashes out before anyone can stop it.  It's embarrasing, I don't feel like I can get anyone to "watch" him, because no one wants to deal with his behavior. Like I said, he's adorable, he's funny and he's smart, I'm looking for any advice to know how to change his behavior.

[bipolar family]

I am no doctor but i do have a 9 year old boy who exhibits the same behavior you've described.My advise would be to have a qualified doctor to see him.He may be showing signs of bipolar disorder.My son has already been diagnosed with the disorder.Hang in there and never blame yourself or your parenting skills.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

It is possible that low testosterone level, typical of Kleinfelter's Syndrome, could contribute to your son's mood and behavior. Some think that lower testosterone levels would likely imply fewer problems with anger, but this isn't necessarily so. With men, some investigations have found lower testosterone levels to be asociated with depression and problems with anger. It also may well be that your son displays a mood disorder alongside the Kleinfelter's. Whatever the case, behavior management alone will not be sufficient to address your son's problem. It would be a good idea to arrange an evaluation with a child psychiatrist. There are several options for medication that can help your son achieve better control of his anger, partly by diminishing the intensity of his angry emotional reactions.