My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

Not sure what I am asking... Really long and rambling, sorry!

36 replies

SpottyBagOfTumble · 04/01/2013 21:58

But just wanted to get some thoughts down about my son to see what others think.

Ds is a great kid. He is affectionate, can show caring, is funny and very imaginative. He makes me laugh and gives great cuddles!

But I have worried about him for a while. There are just a few things that are not quite right.

Whilst being affectionate, he can be overly so and seems to not be able to read the normal cues to stop, if that makes sense? He like touching our noses but doesn't get it when people dont like it ( he only does this to family as far as I know!) but dd will tell him no and he wil keep doing it. Not to be annoying or mean, but he just doesn't understand she doesn't like it because he does. She tells him to stop and he doesn't, several times, and it usually takes me stepping in to stop it. Same with patting her head. (Also does this to our other ds).

At school last year he used to always call out the answers, but he had a fab teacher who worked through it with him and got it to the point where she could 'sense' when he was going to do it and could quiet him with a look! (Really rate her, she is totally fab!) this year has been quite an upheaval teacher wise as he has had supply teachers a lot. He now has a new permanent teacher who says he is noticeable in that he is more boisterous then a normal seven year old.

He is quite academic, fantastic at reading, on topaz books, but rejects any that does not explain the context/setting at the start as he says doesn't understand it. I have made him persevere through a few and he has realised that things get explained later on but is still quick to reject them. He is good at maths for his age but not as advanced.

Given his lovely inquisitive nature he is very good at science as well, and we got him some science sets for Christmas. He loves them but common sense rather seems to have not caught up to his reading. As an example, he had some star dust that you put in water and can shape and when it comes out it dries instantly back to sand. The instructions were simple and literally three lines wrong. But because he didn't know if the sand dried in the shape he had made when it came out or returned to sand he said he didn't understand it. Does that make sense? He doesn't think to try things out. If it isn't explained explicitly, he says he doesn't know and won't try.

He is very forgetful. He will get half dressed then wander downstairs then have to go back to get socks etc even though I have mentioned them to him while he was upstairs. He will walk out of the house without his lunch or school bag, despite seeing his brother with them in his hand. He forgets to flush the toilet.

He had to constantly be doing something. For a while it was clicking. He would click his fingers after every thought or sentence for example. Now it is a combination of banging things, clapping and clicking.

Socially he is a bit awkward. He has no best friend as such. He takes things people say the wrong way. For example, a child in his class is competitive about sport and was comparing our native country to his native country. Ds took it that the child was saying their country overall was better, not just in the context of sport. I said, knowing the child, that he was talking about the sport only, but ds didn't understand that for ages. Later on, the class was doing a project on our native country and the children kept on pointing it out to ds. Ds thought they were giving him grief about the country, where as they were just excited, iykwim, about having someone from that country in the class. I have observed when in the classroom that he manipulates the board games he is playing to be the winner, children get fed up and drift away as they get frustrated, but ds doesn't notice their frustration.

He gets overly silly and doesn't know when to stop. Another child has even told me that he doesn't want to play with him as he gets too silly and doesn't stop! If he is having fun he just doesn't notice that he game has moved on and he is now annoying people. :( we thought at first the silliness thing was trying to fit in, as he was always a bit older than his friends, but it seems to be going on too long now for him not to notice the social cues of others.

He thinks, basically, that he is an adult and therefore has equal say in situations, when he doesn't. He then needs it justified why he doesn't get equal say. He does this with a close friend of mine as well.

He seems to not be able to empathise or get others points of view. He constantly tell his brother that he is x y z, even though I explain every single time that it hurts his feelings, it is not other ds's fault he is like that (hormonal issue) he can't stop it etc. he just comes out with it again and agin.

One to one, he Is utterlybbrilliant to be around, and I just wish more people could see this wonderful side of him, but ATM I am a bit lost as to want to do!

Anyway, will stop the as I realise this is long. Sorry! And Thanks to anyone who manages to make it through!

OP posts:
Report
SpottyBagOfTumble · 04/01/2013 23:02

Thanks. Do you take ds with you to the gp? I imagine it would be easier to talk about it without them there initially? ESP. At this age where they know exactly what you are talking about.

OP posts:
Report
ThreeBeeOneGee · 04/01/2013 23:07

You could ask for a double appt then he sits out in the waiting room with a relative or one of you for the first half then comes in to join you. Or you could just go on your own, but be armed with a diary or journal or list of concerns and how long they've been going on for.

We did take him to the appt with the paediatrician, but the consultant already had a copy of our list of concerns so we didn't have to go through them within DS2's hearing.

Report
SpottyBagOfTumble · 04/01/2013 23:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SpottyBagOfTumble · 04/01/2013 23:09

Thank you all for being so helpful. Thanks

So, do you all think I should book an appointment with gp?

OP posts:
Report
MrsSham · 04/01/2013 23:10

I would talk with school first, but not sure what threeb would suggest she has direct experience.

Report
ThreeBeeOneGee · 04/01/2013 23:17

Yes, and I'd explain the issue and ask whether or not you need a double appointment. I would go with a list summarising each of the concerns you've shared with us on this thread. Also a timeline of difficulties he has had at school. Keep a copy at home as they may keep your list for his notes.

If you don't already do so, start keeping copies of any letters you receive in the course of this process and keep a record of any difficulties he has at school from now on, with dates. The process can involve more than one organisation and communication occasionally falls between the cracks, so it's good to have evidence of appointments and meetings so you know you didn't imagine them. Smile

Report
ThreeBeeOneGee · 04/01/2013 23:19

We had the experience that school were extremely helpful. It was the SENCO that suggested we make the appt with the GP. But I also have friends with a son at a different school who went straight to the GP and that went fine too.

Report
SpottyBagOfTumble · 04/01/2013 23:22

Thanks both.

When you say keep a record, do you mean conversations with teachers as well? Their reactions? Detentions and their reasons? Or just the big stuff? Or just the formal stuff such as the date he had appointment with doc re anxiety? (And do. I include schools dismissal of this issue?)

OP posts:
Report
ThreeBeeOneGee · 04/01/2013 23:30

I meant more the formal stuff, unless the relationship with school were to deteriorate.

For example, DS2 had a follow-up appt with consultant paediatrician last Spring which we asked to rearrange as he was on an overnight school trip. We received a letter with a rescheduled appt, so DH and I both independently recorded the date in our diaries from the letter, then shredded the letter, thinking we didn't need it any more. DH and I both took the morning off work and we took DS2 out of school to attend the appt. When we got there, not only did the appt not exist, but there was no record of any appt for us at all on the computer. We had dropped out of the system. Despite the fact that DS2 is supposed to be seen every 6 months. In the end we had to go back to the GP who had to write a re-referral letter to the paediatrician. Now we keep copies of all letters! Grin

Report
ThreeBeeOneGee · 04/01/2013 23:33

SpottyBagOfTumble I'm going to bed soon but you're very welcome to PM me if you have any other questions, or to let me know how you get on.

Report
SpottyBagOfTumble · 04/01/2013 23:39

Thank you. And thank you again for your help!

OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.