My 6 year old son

[klinefam]

My 6 six year old son has some of the same problems everyone is mentioning here.  He is "dreamy" often gets "inside his own head" remembers everything. He can hear a song once and memorize it. He can tell you lines from a movie when he's seen it one time. He remembers things we did years ago and knows specifics. He is extremely creative has a great personality and totally encourages his friends.

A couple of things concern me though.  When I talk to him about things he will not look me in the eye and sometimes loses his concentration on what I am saying.  He has a hard time listening in class, keeping his hands to himself.  He listens well if you ask him to complete a task and do something.  But if you make him sit and listen to you or write or draw he is intensely bored.  

His teachers and principals think it is something developmental and sometimes boys just take longer to "get it" in school.  They said by 2nd grade some boys just adjust well.  My only concern is that my son is also very very sensitive.  He will cry easily.  When he is watching a cartoon on TV and there is a "sad part," he gets very emotional and cries. The other day he was crying and I asked him why he was crying and he told me it was because he missed his Grandpa, (my husband's Dad) who died before he was born.  We never talk about Bill's Dad but he had this sudden burst of wanting to know him.  My family (Mom and Dad ) have a serious history of anxiety and depression. He also never wants  me to leave him at school.  He takes a pillow pet with him and tells me that he's always afraid he is going to make a bad choice.  His teacher had me on a learning plan with him where he recieved awards at the end of the week for good behavior.  But he is so obsessed with his behavior, when I ask him about what he did at school today... the first thing he talks to me about is how he either behaved or disobeyed.  I feel bad for him because it seems like that's all we talk about with him.   I have a call into a psychologist just to talk over this but I want to support my son. I want his school experience to be positive and I want to address if he has anxiety in any way I can to help support him.  I really don't want to medicate him. Because I think maybe with a diet change and exercise and some behavioral tools he can "get it" but any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[solex2]

i am a fifteen year old kid that takes concerta for adhd and your son reminds me exactly of myself like 8 years ago. the medication helped me pay attention in school and i no longer fidget with my hands and i, like him still have above average memorization skills still. . the only side effect i experienced when i was younger was loss of apatite, of which left me after a short period. so if change of diet doesn't work, you may want to consider medication.

[blabhamilton]

don't laugh I know it is weird. you simplely sit down take a deep breath, then pray for patience. and then call a doctor get the tests ran, then sit down with the computer. make sure you have tons of paper and ink.  I have one child that is ADD and ADHD. and the other one is just weird. I pray every morning for patience because with those two I never know what is going to happen,  Do your research about what tests they use to confim Asperger's syndrome that way you know what he will be put through. and that way you know that you are getting the right answer. I wish you the best of luck.

[jipzy8]

Your son sounds just like mine!  We haven't been able to get a real diagnosis on him and I am absolutely floundering out here!  Please email me so we can talk and compare notes.  We have only just started trying to medicate him, something I swore I would never do, and we are all suffering tremendously through it.  Your family is in my prayers.  ***@****

[Sandman2]

When is his birthday?  If its sept, oct, Nov, or Dec. that could be part of the problem.

[Gina04]

He sounds a lot like my four (almost five) year old.  I would ask the psychologist about testing him for Asperger's syndrome.  My husband and son both have it.  You might find that having him on a GFCF diet helps some.  It is helpful for some people and doesn't really do much for others.  My husband didn't find out he had this until he was in his thirties.  He really wishes he had known sooner because he would have made different choices that would have been better for him and not had to deal with so many failures in life.  If he doesn't have Asperger's or another developmental issue, good.  But, I think it would be best to have him checked so that if he does have it you can help him make smarter choices for him.