4 1/2 year old the same

[Julrenia]

Hello all I see this post has not been active for awhile but I am in the same boat here. my step son who will be 5 in December is the same way all the meds they have had them on have made him worse. he gets up in the middle of the night and gets into stuff and when you disipline him he does it again like you never told him anything that is with all the bad he does. he lies and thinks it is ok. I feel like I am going to have to put him in a hospital but do not want to do that can someone please help me. I really feel sorry for him because he is always in trouble and does not get that he is in trouble. he is in preeschool and was doing real good and the other day he got real bad so I kept him home from thier trip he wanted to go on but he still thinks that he is going. I do not know what to do anymore.HELP please email me if you have any suggestions thanks Julia  ***@****


This discussion is related to 4 year old does not listen.

[specialmom]

I had one other thing I was going to mention----------  when a nervous system is running high as in adhd or sensory integration disorder, one way to calm it is physical activity.  Get him out and running, jumping, skipping, kicking soccer balls, swinging, swimming, rolling and climbing as much as possible.  It has a direct effect on behavior.  good luck

[specialmom]

Hi.  What are his meds and why is he on them?  Typically something like adhd is not diagnosed officially and treated with medication until the earliest age of 6 and should not be.  Most physicians in my area stick to that rule.  I'd also like to say that sometimes something different can be going on like sensory integration disorder (which my son has) that looks a LOT like adhd but will not respond to medication.  You do occupational therapy to treat it and we've had a tremendous amount of success doing so.  

So . . . my point is------------  you need to think about the root cause of his behavior and address that.  I also think that when more than what is typical for a child is going on that the usual discipline techniques will not work.  I'd attemt to read as much as possible to understand this child and read what strategies can be used.  Think of it this way---------- if he DOES have a disorder and can not help the lack of control, impulsiveness, and inability to listen-------------  is that something you should punish him for?  No.  He may very well be doing the best he can.  There is a book that Sandman who has a lot of experience with adhd recommends and it is "The ADHD Answer Book" by Susan Ashley.  It may have some pointers on how to deal with discipline and behavior.  

It is hard parenting a difficult child but so rewarding as we see them progress.  Stay very patient and calm and parent him with empathy for how his life is harder than the average child's.  He has more to deal with if his nervous system is out of sync.  Also, give yourself some breaks to recharge your own batteries.  good luck

[margypops]

It certainly could be that the med dosages need looking at , maybe a trip to the Doctor for reevaluation of them is in order, what is he on ? Could you also tell us what are the bad things he does ?