I'm so sorry your ds is struggling - we've been through similar times when our ds was younger and it's so hard to know our children are sad and feel like there is very little we can do about it. Sending you a huge hug! FWIW, when our ds was 7 he was diagnosed with anxiety and was found to be on the verge of clinical depression due to his struggles at school. He was extremely isolated and having huge panic attacks. We were so worried about him - yet one simple change, moving him to a different classroom, made all the difference in the world - he was like a different child overnight and his depression disappeared. In his case it was a combo of getting away from a teacher that he really *really* didn't have a rapport with plus finding a teacher who had more of his intellectual learning style incorporated in the classroom - not necessarily giving him more challenge - instead it was more like giving him a classroom where he had the opportunity to find his own intellectual challenges, the freedom to think.
I second the recommendation to let your ds' dr know what's up with the sad feelings - it could be related to his meds. And I'll also second looking into ways you could make a different school work. If the Montessori looks like it's truly a good fit, there may be ways to make it work. Each of my 3 children goes to a different charter school - no bus service for any of them! But each school has before and after care and help finding carpools available because most parents are stuck in the same place - needing help with getting their kids to/from school.
I would love for him to find another little boy like him, but we haven't come across anyone quite so obsessed with Legos/Star Wars/Diary of a Wimpy kid!
Your ds will find these kids - really and truly. I can't tell you how many young boys I know that are totally obsessed with Legos/Star Wars and Diary of a Wimpy Kid - it's not something that's limited to gifted kids who aren't into sports! Please know I'm not downplaying your concerns - finding friends was really really tough for our ds for many years - tough enough not having intellectual peers but also tough because he has developmental coordination disorder which makes him clumsy plus he has literally zero interest in sports. He clung onto the same two friends from kindergarten through fifth grade, was sad as he watched their social circles branch out while his remained very tightly closed. We chose to move him to a new school this year (6th grade) for several reasons, and I was really really worried about the friendship piece of things - we were taking him away from the only two friends he'd ever bonded with and throwing him into a new mix of kids who'd been to school together since kindergarten. He was worried about it too - he had no reason based on past history to expect he'd fit in. But guess what? He found a friend right away, and he's gotten along really well. The change of scene was a really really REALLY good thing for him - it gave him a chance to start over socially.
polarbear
