ADDHD or Normal 7 year old Boy Behavior

[AKR1]

I'm concerned that my 7-year old son could have borderline ADDHD but at the same time, could this just be normal 7 year old boy behavior? When seeing him play baseball for instance, he loses focus on the field (can't stay in the "ready" position, rolls around in the grass, always looking around himself and not at the game), is constantly "goofing" around in the dugout and doesn't seem to listen to the coaches instructions. I don't see any of his teammates acting in the same manner. At home, he has a hard time listening and following instructions, we have to tell him several times to do or not to do something, he interrupts my husband and my conversation, changes subjects when talking mid-stream, and has a tendancy to be very talkative at times. When playing with friends, he never knows when to "stop" goofing around, often to the frustration of some of his friends. However, having said all of this, he is doing well with his schoolwork (I never struggle with homework issues), has a good focus with his piano lessons and has plenty of friends at school. He never has had serious discipline issues at school and the teachers/coaches/principal say he's a very sweet boy that is well liked. However, in seeing a lot of the other boys in his class, my son appears more immature and rather impulsive. Would you consider the above behavior typical for a 7 year old boy or could he possibly have symptoms of ADDHD?

[camnev]

I am so glad you posted this.  I am having the exact same problem with my 6 yr old son.  None of the others his age act like this.  He is in T-Ball this yr and he goofs around and tends to be in his own little world.  I talked to his dad today and he told me that all of these signs that you mentioned are signs of ADD.  My sons dad had it when he was my sons age.  He still wets the bed which is suppose to be another sign.  I found a website that will list all of these for you.  There are 3 different types in ADD and the one that we are both describing is called Inattention.  That is the one you should read.  It goes a-i.  There is a whole list.  Let me know if this helps.

[Morgan277]

Often times kids with ADHD require structure to help them.  At home and on a baseball field, you dont get the structure that they require therefore these behaviors come out.  Also does he like playing baseball?  Maybe simply, its not his thing.  If you are very concerned, speak with your school psychologist at the school and he/she can provide you with checklists to see if he exhibits characteristics of ADHD.

-A school psychologist

[anxiousmomtobe?]

I agree with Morgan, does he really want to play baseball?  Maybe there are other activities that will interest him more.

If he is coping well academically and is able to maintain meaningful relationships I would let him be.

And let him pick his own activities.

[AKR1]

Thanks everyone for your input! I think you're right about the baseball comments. He seems to be more focused with basketball so this could be his last baseball season! :-)
Thanks again!

[morning941]

Well my story is a little bit different from the first writer because my son is  an 8 years old  boy .He is very active and friendly.But he mostly gets into trouble when he goes to school and we do not see the behaviours at home that the teacher says he exibits at school.For example his teacher said my son says inapproprite words and  tends to distract the others but one thing that i have noticed of him is that whenever he is in a group and something goes wrong he tends to take the blame and because of that he gets into trouble because he will speak the truth but the others will deny and also he is easily distracted.But he does very well with his  school work . i dont  know what to do and i cant understand what's going on can somebody please help me?

[T465]

My daughter is a good hearted friendly child. She is also having trouble at school. My husband and I have noticed that her hyper activity is getting really bad. And we are going to be seeking guidence from our family Dr.. But at school I realized when she gets in trouble for talking, that she is not generally the only one talking but, she is a very loud speaker as am I so she is the one who gets caught because she's the one the teacher hears most. Also I've noticed that unfortunitly my daughter tends to get wrapped up with the kids that do cause trouble but of course she is the one who is caught. And as you said the other children will not fess up to their part. It is very possible that you son does do these bad things but, is he being influenced by another.            

[teenia]

Some behaviors can be caused by food allergies.  Also bed wetting can be another sign of food allergies.  Maybe consider a Naturopath.  I think some boys mature slower than others.

[Mawmaw708]

I have a 3 yr old grandson. We really need some help. I dont know if he is addhd. And from what i understand that he is to young to be tested. He is vary hipper ALWAYS into something. Hits other kids is mean to them. Will hit any one , bite them slap them. My son is getting married next mo. And his new wife will put him on insurance and going to try to get him into see a DR. But right now we are about to our wits end.He does not talk vary well still does not make sentances.You ask why he did something he says i dont know. Is there anything we can buy untill we get him to a Dr, that will help him calm down. I tried calm child it did nothing. And help or suggestions would be appricated.

[mona1018]

I have a 7 year old son.  He is very responsible.  He helps out around the house, cleans his room, just a good kid most of the time.  He is loud when he talks and he likes to play alot.  At school, he makes good grades, but will play with his pencils while the teacher is talking.  She has said he is very hyper and thinks he has adhd.  Futher investigating on the internet, I found that only 3 - 6% of children worldwide has adhd and there is already 33% of the children in his class that is on medicine. (5 out of 15 children).  The other thing that I have discovered is that school starts at 8:30 am and most of the children arrive at 8 am.  They have to set in the gym and there is no talking allowed.  Then they go to class.  At lunch there is no talking allowed.  These kids are in primary school which is grades pre-k through 2nd.  My child is a morning person.  He plays hard  during the day and goes to bed at 8 pm.  Is it reasonable to assume that if the children are not allowed to talk that they will talk somewhere?  Anyone else have this problem.  How much activity does a 7 year old boy require during the day? and how much interaction do they need with other children?  I would appreciate any information.

[LRM1021]

Any school that requires 7 year olds to sit in a gym before school and not talk, and to not talk at lunch, is asking for the impossible. It sounds like this school has some very harsh rules.

My son is loud-- like his mom:)- and talks CONSTANTLY - like his dad:) He gets in trouble at school for talking too much and goofing off just about every day. But he gets very good grades, has friends,and is well liked. While he can be a bit of a smart aleck, he is also a very good kid most of the time at home, and at school, he is never disrespectful or intentionally disobedient.  

He has been diagnosed with mild ADHD. But since he has no social issues, and no academic issues, and frankly, at home, no discipline issues ( he does talk too much--- but I can ignore him when I need to:) -- his drs have advised against medicating him. Additionally, he has some other medical issues that really prohibit us from using stimulant medication on him anyway.

If your sons grades are good, he could be just bored-- he might be very smart and simply does not have to pay as much attention as other kids to "get it" -- that's one thing about my son that his teachers have said. He's not paying attention as much as the others -- in part because he does not NEED to.

It sounds like you have a great kid-- congratulations!!! Sorry his school has such silly rules -- no talking during lunch---- my goodness that borders on insanity, I think.

[professionalmomoftwo]

I have a five year old who seems to be having a similar issue.  He is very active and very helpful at home.  He does have normal childhood behaviors and is easily redirectable at home- which does not seem in keeping with any diagnosis of ADHD.    

He is having some problems only at school.  His teacher is always commenting on things which seem really "picky" in nature.  Mostly I feel that she needs to adapt some of her teaching skills to fit the kids in her class.  She often complains that he will disrupt class- but when I ask for examples of what he may be doing... none of the behaviors seem to warrant her fixation with the issues.  She often sends him to the office and he is on the verge of being dismissed from preK- which I find absolutely absurd.  

There have been two episodes of behaviors which I did not endorse and these have been corrected.  However after those episodes it seems his teacher is fixated with finding other things wrong with his behavior- often complaining about childhood behaviors that teachers would usually just handle on their own- without having to involve parents/principals...

I don't want to quell his enthusiasm and spirit however I wish there were some compromise that could also satisfy his teacher.  I think my child feels as though he can't do anything right at school- she never endorses good behavior.  

Any suggestions?

frustrated with preK

[cardiakid]

I need some help here.  My 7 yr old boy attended a birthday party this past weekend.  There were about 13 children invited according to the parent of the birthday boy.  During the party my son was hurt in the back yard by a swing and ran from the yard, across an ajoining soccer field and into a creek.  All the kids in the party followed him, along with the mom hosting the party.  She found him waist deep in the creek and he told her, " I want to cut myself, I want to make myself bleed."  She apparently retrieved him from the creek and walked him back to the party.  When my husband picked him up from the party, my son did not say anything and neither did the parent hosts.

Later in the evening we received a phone call from the mom.  She said she did not know exactly what happened to cause his flight from the yard as she was inside the house, but told me of the above events.  When I questioned my 7 year old, he said a boy he did not know, laughed @ him when he fell of a small trampoline and hurt himself.  Same boy also told him the birthday boy didn't really like my son and that my son was the last boy to be put on the birthday list for invitation.  Then when my son hit himself in the face with a swing the boy said "Thats hilarious"

I can only imagine he felt rejected/sad/bullied by this kid and he ran to escape the scope of this boy, after being hurt emotionally and physically.  What really disturbed me was the comment my son made to the mom about harming himself.

The next day I asked my son if he really wanted to make himself bleed at the time and he said yes.  I asked if he still felt that way and he replied no.

I would appreciate any feedback.  I'm scared about what he said. Do I need to seek help for him?   Is this normal?   Also should I call and chat with the hosting parents about what really happened?

[jctlw]

I am reading the comments and I have the same issues. I have a 7year old boy who is always getting into trouble at school.  The teacher has called me in to talk about his behaviour( only been back to school for 3 weeks).  I have taken his special things away but nothing changes.  He is really lacking a male role model as his father is not really involved.  Some have suggested adhd but I am at my wits end.

Any feedback would be great.

[margypops]

Get him on Supplements ,one study recently has suggested that Food supplement treatment of ADHD may be of equal efficacy to Ritalin treatment, All children especially those with learning difficulties ,benefit from a multiple-mineral supplement with antioxidants, B Complex and Vitamin C and fish oil.and Experts advise parents to always focus on the positive side of any child's behavior, channel his energy in constructive ways.

[morningflower]

My 7 year old son has been dignosed with ADHD and we recently put him on meds for it. I have fought with myself over this for the last year. We have modified his diet 2 years ago with kale and fruit smoothies; no sugar drinks no junk foods, no juices we read labels and limit sugar in his diet he gets whole foods and unprocessed foods especally no artificial sweetners. We have seen a big difference in that alone. If he has a treat I make it.    I have always noticed a difference with Him. He has trouble making friends and keeping them, and he is a little socially backwards, behind.  He has big impulse control issues. He just had no ability to refrain from doing something he knew to be wrong.  We paid for the testing to be done and it was the best thing I could ever have done. We are getting him treatment for ADHD and some learning issues. Within one hour of taking meds we noticed a difference in him. In one month he has learned what we have been trying to teach him in 6 months. It is such a blessing. Healthy diet, supplements, and a healthy, structured enviroment  is the best thing for them.

[Encephalomalcia]

ADHD is diagnosed a lot in the USA.  Lots of other countries do not even believe in ADHD.  Children are children.  They are active, they do not always pay attention and really how can they when they think so much more than we do.  Children and teenagers are much more creative than adults because they have more brain chemical activity.  I do not believe that any child should be put on Ritalin unless there is proof of a chemical imbalance done by tests to measure this not by observation alone.  When you look at all the side effects of Ritalin and the organ damage that can result, I think every parent would question it.  Let children be children.  Active, happy and silly.  A silly child is a happy child and we all want our children to be happy.  Take care.

[DrainClan6]

I've read most of everyone's comments above.  I have taught for 11 years in elementary and middle school.  I have four children of my own, three boys and one girl, ages 8 months to 11 years old.  I had to speak out because I have seen first hand, the BIG difference between a boy and a girl.  My daughter who is almost 3, can sit still and write and draw for hours where as my 4 year old boy can't!  It's not ADD, ADHD, etc., it's the way boys are wired.  He needs to have physical activities outside on a daily basis.  SADLY, this is a practice that most school systems do not give importance to: such as DAILY P.E. or DAILY RECESS, or a combination of both.  This is important for children to go out and run and interact with others outside of the the walls of a classroom.

It is such a sad thing to see how many children are being medicated, too early, too much, and these kids with amazing personalities turn into ZOMBIES.  I've seen this in my classroom so much.  I ask that you goggle alternatives to medication for hyper or active children (particularly boys) before you medicate your kid (and hopefully your Dr. will ask you to do the same).  All children need structure, make sure you have a schedule for them when they are at home.  Also, some of the expectations of schools are ridiculous!  When I taught kindergarten at a public school I had 35 kids by myself and I was reprimanded because there were too many scuff marks on the floor and the janitor had to work harder in my room!  I couldn't believe what I was hearing!  I had my room set up in centers and my kids moved around all the time.  We had quiet time and reading time, some kids had a harder time sitting for those times but please, they were 5 and 6 years old!!!

PLEASE, think and search alternatives before you run off medicating your children.  Look into foods, drinks, etc. you may be giving them that is causing the hyperactivity or lack of concentration.  Are they sleeping enough hours each night?  Do they have a set time to go to sleep?  Do they go outside and play when at home?  You need to help you child "get the wiggles out" first before expecting them to sit still for a long period of time.

Just my humble opinion as a mommy of four and a teacher...

[jdtm]

I don't see any of his teammates acting in the same manner.


I copied the above sentence from the original posting.  This, I believe, is the "key" sentence.  Just another point of view ....

[MO376]

My son is 7 years old and suddenly he seems too much attracted towards girls. He feels like kissing girls and also feeling bad about it. Always he talks about girls and also sometimes compare with his mother. From his behaviour it seems like due to watching of excess TV.

Can anyone help to improve his behaviour?

MO

[MO376]

My son is 7 years old and suddenly he seems too much attracted towards girls. He feels like kissing girls and also feeling bad about it. Always he talks about girls and also sometimes compare with his mother. From his behaviour it seems like due to watching of excess TV.

Can anyone help to improve his behaviour?