He described it as once he's had sugar, it's like having lots of bricks weighing down the side of him that is behaving annoyingly and the more he behaves like that, the harder it is to bring himself back from it. He says it makes him behave impulsively and do annoying things. In his words, he knows when he is doing things that are annoying to his friends, but he can't stop.
I'm not sure if he's saying this to appease me when I talk to him about his behaviour, or if he really is experiencing situations where he's unable to control his impulses. He does have trouble focussing / concentrating on school work, Lego instructions etc for lower periods of time.
I think he may have (mild) attention deficit disorder. School don't think so - they think he is sometimes immature / silly in class to impress his peer group. I'm not so sure. He frequently annoys his two siblings (one older and one younger brother).
Some days I do think sugar can has a detrimental effect on him - but not in small amounts. I see it when he has large quantities (at parties, Christmas, etc). I also notice he seems pale and washed out the day after, almost like a come down/withdrawal.
He has mild dyslexia and was late to talk, read. Has always seemed quite young for his age. He has 'big' emotions. - quick to feel frustration and anger. He also is enormously loyal and loving.
I'm not sure whether to have an assessment. Other than medication, what would it tell us/how could we help?
I am keen to learn more, hopefully find ways we can mitigate his annoying behaviour towards his friends (it's losing him friendships and affecting his self esteem).
We've just bought a trampoline which he loves and I've upped his exercise. We are going to embark on a week long sugar free diet and see if that makes a difference. Just bought some VegEPA to try him on. Really interested to hear other's experiences and advice on what could help. And does this sound like ADD/ADHD