6 yr old discipline???

[Gametight]

I am the father of a 6 yr old boy and he has been having problems in school behaving.  Teacher says he talks all the time, gets out of his seat, yells out instead of raising his hand and plays.  This is a constant behavior issue.  He is  not disrespectful, meaning no yelling, cursing or fighting.  He just loves talking and playing with his classmates and trying to make friends.  He has no problems doing the work when he understands what it is he is supposed to do, but too often he is not paying attention to the teacher so he doesn't do the right thing.  His class consists of 25 students and he has a good teacher.  What should I do?  He is on a daily behavior sheet 1-4, with 1 being the best.  He gets punished (no tv, no toys, dinner and straight to bed, even spankings).  We talk constantly about what is going on, he gets breakfast every morning. However he stays in the 3 to 4 range on his behavior log.  I don't know what else to do.  Do you have any suggestions?

[allmymarbles]

Is he only difficult at school, or at home too? He doesn't sound mean or destructive - just very active. Some children take a while to settle down, especially boys. Often it is only one aspect of the child's life that causes parents to take action. And that is the school. Unfortunately a child tends to be judged primarily on his academic work. You might change things a little at home. I would not be so ready to punish. It is hard always being in the doghouse.

My second daughter was very active and rambunctious. It was hard on the teachers, but I didn't feel I had to drug her to please them (although they wanted me to). She took a long time to settle, but settle she did. She was always a great kid, by the way, and a joy to the family. Now she is grown up and all her little nieces and nephews love their vibrant auntie.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

It would be wise to arrange an evaluation for a disorder of attention. Do this through a pediatric mental health clinician. The symptoms you describe are typical of children who display Combined-type Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.