To the doctor

[Choq]

Good morning,

I guess you could say I have queions about my 6 year old son. He started first grade this year and is having behavior problems in school. But the thing is that his academics are very high it's just his behavior is getting in the way of him not learning. He is very disruptive in class, he is very impulsive, he whines, he rushes through his work to do other things and most of his papers are wrong and my husband and I are frustrated and don't know what to do about it. The thing is I have a son from a previous relaitonship he has add/adhd he has it for or was diagnosed 3 1/2 years ago and now is doing well in school. I guess my question is do you think that my 6 year old son is add? I know you can't probably answer that but in your opinion or do you think that we should have him tested at school and see his physician after that. Or do we go see someone about his behavior problems. I am so frustrated about what's going on with him. I am in a tuff spot with him. We thin that he might be immature for his age also. Could that be it also? We'll my concerns are out on that table with alot of worry about my son. I hope that you can help me. Thanks so much.

A concerned parent

[011207]

When I was growing up ADHD and ADD were very rare.  I'm not saying that they didn't exist as much as they do now but it was rare for a child to be diagnosed with it and even rarer for a child to be medicated for it.
I was veru bright as a child but I got average to below average grades and I was always geting in trouble in class because I was disruptive or I was talking or I was passing notes or I was just generally being a giant pain in the arse.
It wasn't until the school moved me into a special class for advanced students that I calmed down and my grades began to improve.  I am forever grateful for that one teacher who saw that I was just bored and that my grades were not a reflection as to what my inteligence level was.  They couldh ave easily let me stay in the "regular" classes and had me continue to be a "problem" for myself, the other children and the teachers but they didn't..... they took a chance on a child and tried to see if the issue could be resolved by keeping me more occupied yt giving me more work to do both at home and at school.
I'm not saying this is the case with your child.  All I'm saying is that in this day and age doctors and parents and school officials are a lot quicker to label a child as ADHD or ADD and medicate them thenthe were say, 30 years ago when I was starting school.
Maybe your child is bored.  Maybe he needs more stimulation.,  Perhaps you can talk to his teacher about giving him extra work inside and out of the classroom to see if that helps the problem because it doesn't seem to me from your description of him that he is having his needs met in the classroom.  Maybe he rushes through things because he finds it too easy and even though he gets it wrong it might be because he can't be bothered.  
It's just a thought but of course its ultimately your decision.