my son's behavior problems

[margarit22]

my son is 5 yrs old and has been in a preschool since sept. I have been recieving phone calls from the teacher for about every other wk because of his behavior problems he is not really iniciating he want to be part of the group. he can't sit still for story time, he bites his nail and always has to be doing somthing and basically is always in his own world. He bosses the children around as if he was an adult which is not good for the kids there. since a baby he has never been good in the supermarkets crying all the time and he is awful in large crowds (he overreacts or doesnt know how to act). I is a very smart boy one on one basis when he was 3yrs I took him to be evaluated and of course he did good because it was one on one but put him in a large crowd. There was a behavior specialist that said he might have pdd. my husband of course is in denyal but I know he has somthing I just don't know what. he's good with routine just not change in routine. when reprimanding I do go down to his level and make sure I have eye to eye contact with him.I will be seeing a counciler this week but because I looking for some type of answer can some one help me with this one?  

[portuguese mom]

Have you considered ADHD? If he has normal speech, good eye contact and is able to play with other children in a small group, the answer is not PDD.  Talk to a professional about ADHD. You should consult a child development doctor and not just a consuler. God luck.

[MaryannesMom]

I think there is a fine line between ADHD & Asperger's Syndrome (or PDD).  The fact that he doesn't like crowds, doesn't want to be a part of a group, and bosses people around sounds like it is more than ADHD.  My daughter is 10 and has Asperger's.  Every day when I picked her up from preschool the teacher would pull me aside & say how my daughter would not do what everyone else was doing, would not sit in the time out chair, etc.  This is not normal for preschool!  Tell your husband this problem is not going to just go away, and the sooner you figure out the problem, the better off everyone will be, especially your son!  Good luck to you.

[Myrna Libby, Ph.D., BCBA]

I am sorry for the delay in responding; we have been having internet and e-mail issues.  Given your description and your concerns I would definitely set up an extensive evaluation by a developmental pediatrician or pediatric neurologist to see if there is any evidence of diagnosable syndromes.  In addition I would approach the school counseling services to see if they can provide you with some therapy directed at improved behavior.

[lzbthdillard]

I have a daugther like at she would sit down for a few min,but now she is a let better .Finish i talk to my child to see if  she don't like the place where she at and go to the preschool to see how she act at the school.And if the school is good for her. Then when i seen what the teacher was said i ask doctor what they can do to help me .They gave my a diet to help her it was not a lots of sugar and cut out of kool-aid and juice with sugar .When you at home take time to sit down with the child and see what the child did at school and see if at help at school.

[Angela77]

If he is having difficulty in the context of a group, you might want to consider having the Behavior Analyst observe your son in the context of a group.  Others are asking you to consider ADHD.  Look at the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and see if what you are seeing matches up with the symptoms or criteria for ADHD.  Also, a Developmental Peditrician will be able to guide you through this process and/or help you find resources for your child.  Although it may take a while to get an appt. it should be worth the wait.

[jkm501]

I am searching for help with my 9 year old son. His diagnosis has never been clear, and I don't believe he is getting the help he needs. Could you please contact me? I have so many questions. Thank you and take care.