Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment My Kindergartener

My DS 6yrs old is having some behavior problems in class. He is consistently making inappropriate noises and saying inappropriate things. First a little history: His sister which is 7yrs old shows a lot of the giftedness traits but they won�t test her until 3rd grade. She is in a high class at school though. She is very advance in English/spelling and has been reading since she was 3, which she taught herself. My DH was in gifted class until he went to private school. I on the other hand am not gifted and always struggled with grammar. Back to my DS, he seems smart. The teacher says he is doing very well academically. He loves numbers. He draws numbers on everything. He can do some addition and subtraction in his head. He can read a little but show no interest in it like his sister. I don't know what to do about his behavior. They were going to do a case study on him because they thing he may be ADHD but I told them that he doesn't behavior like this at home and most of the time he can play for long periods of time by himself. He loves Legos and will play with them for hours. Plus when they were going to the testing he all of sudden started behaving well. Now I get notes again saying he is acting up. Should I tell them to go ahead and do a case study on him? Do you think this will help him?

Thanks

Doesn't sound like ADHD to me, so no, I personally wouldn't encourage any testing in that area - ADHD is meant to be a diagnosis of last resort, but is all too often diagnosed without looking into any other possibilities. I would say go for private testing with a psychologist who can also do a test like the Woodcock Johnson or the WISC.

What are the consequences he faces when he behaves that way at school? Regardless of his IQ score or ADHD, he needs to have consistent consequences for inappropriate behavior.

You have nothing to lose by having them evaluate. School personnel are NOT allowed to diagnose any disorders outright (like ADHD or autism) but they are allowed to notice whether his behaviors are negatively impacting his or others' ability to learn. Having them take a closer look will let them gather data on when he's making the noises or behaving inappropriately, which will let them tailor a program for dealing with it, including prompts to help him behave correctly.

If they evaluate, this will likely also include IQ and achievement testing, which may help them decide if he is learning at his correct level, or needs something different academically.

If they did find that his behavior was suggestive of ADHD or another disorder, you could then go to an outside professional to seek help.

If they are telling you that something unusual is going on, I'd tend to trust their judgment that assessment is needed. Deciding not to assess and ignoring the problem only wastes valuable time that could be used solving the problem. And if they test him and don't find anything, you haven't lost anything.

DeeDee

Gifted boys who are not being appropriately challenged typically act out and present as ADHD, so if you suspect giftedness based on family history and his behavior outside school, then that potential needs to be explored first. It is all too easy for a psychologist not familiar with giftedness to misdiagnose that as ADHD.

Often times when a boy like this is offered an appropriate level of education, the behavioral issues disappear.

Thanks for your reply. The teacher uses a sticker chart and if he receives 4 out 5 stickers he gets a happy note. If he comes home without a happy note he is grounded from going outside. I told he today he needed to all 5 stickers since yesterday he had 4 sad faces. He has brought home 5 sticker before. He also had dance class yesterday and since this his 3rd time going I still let him go. So, yesterday he wasn't really punished. I know I need to be tougher on him but it's really hard because he is so sensitive. One time I cut his hair too short and he was upset about it for days. He said his friends didn't like it and that he wanted kill himself. I thought that was too much, needless to say I never cut his hair that short again. I would gladly appreciate any discipline techniques that help you guys.

Thanks

We reward our son for good behavior, but we don't punish him for bad behavior at school. Praise is usually more effective than punishment, and it definitely gives us a better relationship than if we were punitive.

I don't think this system is likely to be effective. A kindergartner needs immediate reward, not delayed reward, and certainly a delayed punishment at home will not feel connected at all to the behaviors that are happening at school.


Taking away an after-school motor activity won't likely make a difference to behavior at school either. He will probably be frustrated and confused by this.

An evaluation-- one in which they take data on troubling behaviors-- will help you and the school develop a plan to address those behaviors in a way that is more likely to get results.


Any suicide threat, even by a small child, needs to be taken seriously. I would suggest talking to a psychologist outside of school, as well as letting the school pursue their evaluation.

My sense is that you'll be more able to do something for him when you know more about what's going on.

DeeDee

In my opinion, if whoever were to do a behavioral evaluation knew that ADHD was suspected they are more likely to find it. Do you know what I mean?

I agree with Dude that if you suspect giftedness have him tested with a psychologist on your own. He may just be bored and doesn't have an appropriate outlet for unused energy at school.

In my opinion, if whoever were to do a behavioral evaluation knew that ADHD was suspected they are more likely to find it. Do you know what I mean?

I agree with Dude that if you suspect giftedness have him tested with a psychologist on your own. He may just be bored and doesn't have an appropriate outlet for unused energy at school.

In my opinion, if whoever were to do a behavioral evaluation knew that ADHD was suspected they are more likely to find it. Do you know what I mean?

I agree with Dude that if you suspect giftedness have him tested with a psychologist on your own. He may just be bored and doesn't have an appropriate outlet for unused energy at school.