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5 yr old son "bad brain" gets him in trouble at school
I have a very smart and loving 5 yr old but he has some serious problems at school. Since the beginning of the year he has gotten into trouble and when ever I ask him about it he always blames "Cannan". I thought this was a friend at school till I had a meeting with the principal who told me Cannan was not real and that my son says that is the name of his "bad brain". We have talked and tried to reason with him about not allowing Cannan to be in control. We thought it was getting better cause he has been having less trouble. He also told me Cannan was gone, till today. The past two days he has had trouble at school again and when I asked him about it today he blamed Cannan again. He told me today that if he doesn't close the door in his brain that Cannan comes in and makes him get in trouble. He has been diagnosed with ADHD and ocd but we had a death in the family before we could take him back to the psychologist for treatment. Does anyone have any thoughts on what could be going on with him?
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi, I am also the CL on the adhd forum here - http://www.medhelp.org/forums/ADD---ADHD/show/175 - you might want to also post over there if you have additional questions.
Your son is a sharp little guy. Most kids cannot vocalize the idea of closing "the door in his brain". And it is not unusual for kids with ADHD to get tired of trying to explain why they are always getting into trouble and around first or second grade just start lying to avoid the consequences.
His problem is that when you have ADHD, your impulse control center is lacking. You get an impulse and before you have a chance to think about it - you act on it. There are a lot of other things also going on, but at this age - this seems to be one of the bigger issues.
And, it is very difficult to control. What you need to do is to change his normal response. It takes a lot of practice at home (and school).
You didn't say what he was doing at school that was getting him into trouble. There are definitely some things that can be practiced at home to help.
But, you also definitely want to clue in the teacher to his ADHD. There is a lot that she can do to also help. For example, kids of his age can get into trouble for not staying still - yet, for a child with ADHD that is one of the things that they really need to help them focus. Teachers can allow them to move, instead of punishing them for that. It is not unusual for teachers or principals to deny them recess. That is absolutely the worst possible thing to do to change a childs behavior. There are many, many things like that which is different for a child with ADHD compared to a child without ADHD.
What you need to do is to start informing yourself all about ADHD. You are going to become his advocate for a long, long time and you need to understand it.
And once you do meet up with his psychologist do know that all studies have shown that the most effective treatment is both medication and behavioral therapy.
Anyway, just a ton of stuff for you to process and learn about. I am here to help. Please let me know how I can help. Best wishes.
Your son is a sharp little guy. Most kids cannot vocalize the idea of closing "the door in his brain". And it is not unusual for kids with ADHD to get tired of trying to explain why they are always getting into trouble and around first or second grade just start lying to avoid the consequences.
His problem is that when you have ADHD, your impulse control center is lacking. You get an impulse and before you have a chance to think about it - you act on it. There are a lot of other things also going on, but at this age - this seems to be one of the bigger issues.
And, it is very difficult to control. What you need to do is to change his normal response. It takes a lot of practice at home (and school).
You didn't say what he was doing at school that was getting him into trouble. There are definitely some things that can be practiced at home to help.
But, you also definitely want to clue in the teacher to his ADHD. There is a lot that she can do to also help. For example, kids of his age can get into trouble for not staying still - yet, for a child with ADHD that is one of the things that they really need to help them focus. Teachers can allow them to move, instead of punishing them for that. It is not unusual for teachers or principals to deny them recess. That is absolutely the worst possible thing to do to change a childs behavior. There are many, many things like that which is different for a child with ADHD compared to a child without ADHD.
What you need to do is to start informing yourself all about ADHD. You are going to become his advocate for a long, long time and you need to understand it.
And once you do meet up with his psychologist do know that all studies have shown that the most effective treatment is both medication and behavioral therapy.
Anyway, just a ton of stuff for you to process and learn about. I am here to help. Please let me know how I can help. Best wishes.
Have you ever read "Charles", a short story by Shirley Jackson, author of The Lottery?
I don't think it's all that uncommon for Kindergartners to have another name for their naughty self. It seems creative, actually.
Like children who have imaginary friends.
http://www.loa.org/images/pdf/Jackson_Charles.pdf
I don't think it's all that uncommon for Kindergartners to have another name for their naughty self. It seems creative, actually.
Like children who have imaginary friends.
http://www.loa.org/images/pdf/Jackson_Charles.pdf
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