He is nearly 9, but has problems (he is being assessed, but no dx yet), so stands out amongst his peers at school. He finds socialising very difficult, will sit alone with his hands in some soil while other boys play football etc. He is also pretty immature compared to others his age, and finds writing & concentration difficult.
There are certain children in his class that have said unkind things to him, which upset him, but I had a word with the teacher straight away & she had a general word with the class.
This evening he was sitting playing on the computer, then suddenly said "I bet you're glad you're not my age aren't you mummy?"
He then went on to say he wished he didn't exist, that everyone hates him, that he hates himself, hates his hair etc.
I tried to reassure him that lots of people like him, that we all love him to bits, that he is a very handsome boy (he is), and that everyone will have a few people who don't like them, but not to worry too much as our friends & the people who do like us are more important.
It upset me to hear him talking so negativly about himself, and I don't know what we can do to help his self esteem.