Worried there is something wrong with my 7 year old son

[barking]

I have a 7 year old ds and since the day he was born he has been very loud, sensitive, hot, highly strung, and incredibly active. He is never still - apart from when he is reading or drawing. My dh is very reluctant to take him to a doctor as he rather passive about the whole issue saying he is spirited, that I'm being an 'over anxious mother' but is also scared I will be marking him for life and he will 'become the label' if we go down that road.
We have tried cranial osteopathy, homeopathy, horrendous amounts of excercise, have bought a trampoline, he goes swimming every week, but he just can't switch off - I thought he would have grown out of this by now. I think it is becoming more of a problem as he has 2 younger siblings and I think as much as we all adore him, they are as exhausted and stressed as we are, and I'm worried how it is affecting them. His 3 year old brother has even started saying to him to stop being so silly. A lot of the time he is a wonderful brother, can be very considerate and caring.
He is very bright, doing well at school is quite popular with his peers but few close friends. He has most of the time, a very happy temperament. He doesn't watch tv, (once a week will watch a video) as I think this will excerbate the behaviour. He has a veggie diet with fish plus fish oils and maybe once every couple of weeks has chocolate or bag of crisps.
As soon as he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep he races round at a hundred miles an hour - I feel like I am running a marathon every day with him. Sometimes he can talk like a professor and other times he will babble, screech, roar or talk in a strange voice at the most incredible volume that I feel the neigbours must hate us. Today he started shouting and screaming at the top of his voice for 10 minutes because his sister had put grass on top of his head when they were playing. He can't seem to compose himself or his emotions. I have tried meditation and 'how to talk so kids will listen' but the storms he has are so all consuming I can't reach him. When I try to talk to him afterwards he will turn away from me and refuses to engage with the conversation and wants to move on.
We try to have quiet days as I have thought of him being overstimulated but the only way I can describe his reaction to this is that he becomes 'itchy' all over. He will start to bounce all over the furniture, push his siblings over (to create a drama), being almost hysterically happy and manic - one day my midwife was at the house and having not met him before said: 'has he been sniffing glue!' it was meant as a joke but I'm worried his behaviour is becoming more eccentric as time goes on. Another mum admitted to me recently she has to gear her self up for a playdate with him and her son because he is so full on.
Have thought about adhd and aspergers but he can control his behaviour at school. My dm suffers from bipolar disorder and is an alcoholic so am rather terrified that having jumped a generation I am potentially watching history repeat itself.
Does this ring any bells with anyone?
So grateful for any advice.

[barking]

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[KateF]

Hi barking-not sure what is going on with your ds but I can see why you are concerned. There is a very useful thread in Special Needs at the moment about Aspergers and several of us with possible AS children have had some great advice -maybe you would find it useful too.

[barking]

Thanks KateF
Off to search for the thread

[barking]

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[SweetyDarling]

Sounds just like my little sister!
I used to think she was a total nutter and she used to drive me (and everyone else) up the wall. She was an elite gymnast and was training 30 hours a week when she was your son's age, and still she would be bouncing off the walls. She would talk (or shout more like it) incesently(spl?)about absolutely nothing, could never sit down and found itvery hard to control her emotions.
Anyway, she did grow out of it (by about 16!?) She's a very successful media type these days.
BTW, she had quite severe food allergies and we always wondered whether this had an impact on her whacky behaviour.

[elasticbandstand]

i would ahve thought the schoolwould have said something? perhaps i am wrong..

[barking]

16.....
SweetyDarling - thanks for your reply, yes I keep thinking sport is the way forward as it might help him focus all that energy, just trying different sports with him at the moment.
Yes I keep trying to keep in mind if he finds his focus what a dynamic person he will be growing into. Wish I could match his energy!
He also becomes obsessive sometimes with repeating behaviours, noises constantly or will make things over and over again - at the moment it is pretend sweets and money. this goes on for months.

Elasticbandstand - I have asked the teacher many times, she said he was very full on to begin with but has calmed down and not a problem anymore. So not sure how to proceed.