How do I control an out of control 7 year old?

My boyfriends daughter goes through fits that can last any where from an half hour to several hours.  She will destroy things throughout the house.  We have had to remove everything out of her room, just so that she could not break anything else. She can be absoluting a wonderful child, but the minute that you give her encouragement she will go back into a fit.  These will take place anywhere from 4 times a week to 7 times a week.  At school she will not do her work although she can.  When we drive around she can read the billboards and spell things just fine, but when it comes to doing her class work she just refuses.  She has only been living with us for the past few months and I believe that some of her bahavior has to do with her mother.  Her mother likes to go around with guys a lot and for awhile she was living out of hotels with her 2 daughters.  She would always bring home a new guy.  I do not know what she saw during this time period.  SHe seems to enjoy being in trouble and getting a spanken.  She did not get her daughter into kindergarden at all and that was done when Michael her father finally took them.  He was unable to take care of them due to going into basic training, so they stayed with his mother.  She was put into school then.  She was able to get her grandmother to give the answers for any homework that was given and she was always in trouble at school.  The mother would constandly call saying that she was going to come and get them.  They would live together and be happy.  She would give them everything.  As soon as that happened she would become out of control again.  She has found a disaplined house when she moved in with her father and myself and she is finding out that I will not give her all the answers.  Her screaming has brought the police to my house and I need something to happen.  Both her father and myself realize that she needs help.  We do not having a lot of finacial resourses and I hope that you can give us some insight on what to do to help this child.

Thank you.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Ms. Langsdorf,

There is no easy solution to your family's problem. This little girl is displaying symtoms (symptoms) of serious emotional disturbance. She is in need of professional help, and whatever you can do to obtain such help would benefit her.

If you have health insurance, you are likely covered for mental health care. If not, most states have provisions for mental health services for children.