Question
My son is 7 years old and in 1st grade. He's had some problems with negative self-talk and is disruptive in class. (I think he’s a perfectionist who’s big on justice and is bored). His grades are stellar and he's developmentally good now, despite his prior expressive (60%) and receptive (33%) delays, diagnosed when he was 2. Now, he expresses EVERYTHING. He says everything he’s thinking, and it gets him in trouble sometimes. Teachers have expressed concern about his behavior (A LOT). Three school employees have asked me if he’s been tested for ADD/ADHD and he’s been seeing the school counselor for “impulse problems, outbursts, and anger.” They’re using positive reinforcement and behavior “helps” in class. I feel like it puts him on the spot and gives too much attention to bad behavior. I’ve asked them to treat him like the other kids, but they say he’s not like other kids and needs more help. For example, I got a call once from his current teacher who said he was walking around the blacktop looking mad and she could just tell his thoughts were all bad and it broke her heart. Wow. When I asked him about it, he said he was investigating tire tracks on the blacktop at school and he was trying to figure out where they came from. I’m frustrated and wish they’d just leave him alone. It seems like they’re constantly nitpicking now, and he can’t catch a break. He hates school. What can I do?
