Does your ADHD Child do this?

[Namechanged2023]

DS8 has an ADHD diagnosis, currently not medicated but that will be the next step.

His behaviour in school is disruptive, particularly at the start of the year. He does the following:
repeats back what the teacher is saying
shouts out
makes random noises
gets up from his seat a lot

The repeating back in particular really upsets me because it seems so naughty, so disrespectful. DS can be naughty and is a huge boundary pusher and wind up merchant, and I have no idea if it’s because of his ADHD or not. I’ve talked to him about it and he says he doesn’t know why he does it, and he does care about being told off, he gets quite sad and says he doesn’t want us to be cross with him, so I’m of course assuming it’s impulse control that he can’t help.

This behaviour tends to settle down as the school year goes on, although he gets very frustrated again at the end of the summer term as I think he needs the mental break.

The repeating back what the teacher said. Could it be echolalia?

Symptoms

The main symptom of echolalia is the repetition of phrases and noises that have been heard. It can be immediate, with the speaker repeating something right away after hearing it. It can also be delayed, with the speaker repeating something hours or days after hearing it.
Other signs of echolalia may include frustration during conversations, depression, and muteness. A person with echolalia may be unusually irritable, especially when asked questions.

Some people experience this issue only when they are distressed or anxious. Others experience it all the time, which may eventually cause them to be mute because they can’t express themselves.

What is he repeating? If it is the learning then he could be repeating to set it in his memory. If just the telling off then more likely to be a stress response. If he gets told off a lot then he has probably built up quite a bit of resentment.

I'd try to come at this from a more supportive place towards your DS, he has a diagnosis what are the school putting in place to help him?

Does he repeat words at other times? Echolalia/saying random things is common in anything ADHD/ Asd/executive function related.

It's likely to get worse during periods of stress (egnew term) or tiredness (eg end of year)

Cover the basics:
remove any access to tictoc (seems to make any Executive functioning stuff worse)
Make sure other kids aren't deliberately setting him off to get him in trouble. For some kids one whispered word can do it. The teacher and the kids around him need to entirely ignore it. As a teacher, I can say it's completely counterintuitive to entirely ignore the kid singing jingles bells in the corner but if it is entirely ignored and noone is setting it off it tends to ease back a little.
Two kids with any kind of executive function issues are likely to set each other off. They cannot be sat next to each other, in front of each other or anywhere near each other.
No real time computer games. Any computer games must be able to be paused.

From my understanding of echolalia it’s a symptom, not a condition in itself?

I haven’t hugely noticed him repeating things, ever actually. He does a lot of clubs and have never noticed him doing it there. This was something he did at pre school which they flagged at the time, however that was 4 years ago!

@TheIsleOfTheLost don’t know what he’s repeating, I can ask next week at parents’ evening. Haven’t got a straight answer out of DS.

@Whyamisotiredtoday his impulse control is much lower when stressed, uncomfortable etc. He gets very hyper in large social situations where he probably feels uncomfortable.

@Icedlatteplease he has never seen Tik Tok. I can’t comment on the other kids around him unfortunately. I know he and his friends set each other off but I know he’s not sat with them - although apparently his last year’s teacher (he had a really good year with her from January onwards) actually found sometimes sitting them together was best as they would distract from one side of the room to another otherwise.

He gets on with his actual work well, always has. I’ve never taught so don’t know when the behaviour occurs, but it’s sort of filler time I guess, when he doesn’t have anything immediately to occupy him. His teacher last year was clear about this - he needs to be occupied constantly, even in periods of good behaviour.

School are helping by not telling him off in the same way as they would other DC - using language such as “DS it would help me if you would sit down…” etc. He gets sent on errands a lot to have a movement break. He’s allowed to fiddle with things on his desk.

also on the moving about

Is your DS primary? Is he still of an age to try sitting on a fidget/wonble cushion?
Do you have to time to walk (ideally a long walk) to school?
Do you have access to a trampoline at home before school?
At DDs primary half way through the lesson DD (was also dobe for other kids with excutive function) would be sent to reception with a "note" (closed bit of paper) the receptionist would say that you very much and send them back to class. At secondary I believe there were a couple of teacher who suddenly had errands DD would run.
Does the school run proper sensory circuits? ideally you want this multiple times a week. Ds had it withing his EHCP, DCs primary ended up running them for lots of kids when they realised how good they were.
Would your school allow DS to listen to mp3 player through headphones. It helps. One headphone most of the time, only two during silent work. It also might take a while to work out the right sounds to put through the headphones and it might well change, DD has worked through everything at various times through, study specific to rap, to music with words in a foreign language. This seems to be tge most controversial one for schools to implement.

Also teachers should put up subtitles when putting on videos.

Xpost.

Try the headphones. Tbh I actually think it's the only intervention, along with excessive exercise, that actually works.

Check the cartoons/TV programmes too. Some have similar problems.

Has the school done the classic pop all the kids with SEN in the same class to focus the support? School sometimes miss how counterproductive this can be if they all have Executive function issues 🙄Also there is a danger that the teacher has stuck them all in that corner so they can teach the rest of the class.... seems a more common phenomenon whilst SN intervention is so poorly funded currently, whatever she told you at the time.

Yes excessive exercise definitely helps DS @Icedlatteplease. We always cycle/scoot to school unless it’s torrential.

No they definitely haven’t set the classes out that way, DS’ two best friends are almost certainly ND too and they’re all very intense! But it’s a large 3 form entry school and I’m sure across the board there’s children with different challenges in each class. The majority of DS’ class seem well behaved.

They haven’t bothered with a wobble cushion up until this point as he had such a good Y2 from January onwards it didn’t feel needed, but I will suggest that at parents’ evening, thank you. He definitely has been sent on a couple of errands as he’s told me but I’ll suggest stepping that up a gear too, his Y2 teacher also used to have movement breaks for everyone which I think worked well but I don’t suppose that’s happening in Y3 now that it’s all serious…! Will remind them he needs it. He has DCD too so definitely needs regular (pretty constant) movement.

I can’t imagine they would be on board with headphones! But I think because he does do his work well, it’s more the filler time he needs to be occupied for. I think when the teacher is presenting to the whole class and they’re expected to sit quietly and listen, I think that’s his worst time.