Reception son possible adhd

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My nearly 5yo son has always been super energetic, and I've always thought he's just a very active little boy. As he's got older he has also shown signs of being extremely strong willed.

He has now started reception and the changes in him have been HUGE! At home he is quite similar to how he has been, but a bit more emotional and A LOT more tired. But he's really really struggling at school.

They have said he's never really in a calm state, struggles with his emotions (anger and upset), can be physical, not listen, run around and generally be disruptive. Academic wise he seems be be doing really well and I've been told he's a really clever boy!

I'm not saying he necessarily has adhd and I know it will be some time before they would diagnose, but there is something there I think.

Has anyone got any tips on how to manage this with the school so we can get him the most support he can before he can go through an assessment?

Thanks

My son is waiting for a assessment for adhd and asd, at school he has movement breaks where he goes outside and runs around, usually playing football with other children with additional needs in his school, he has fidget toys for when he needs it and a colour book for when he needs it too, they give him pictures of what his day is going to look like in order each day, and a beanbag reading area that he can go to if he’s feeling overwhelmed, all these things make a school day manageable but we do still have some days when he comes home and has meltdowns, these days are usually when routines have been changed or something has been missed that day

What support is the school providing? Is the SENCO involved?

Do they have a nurture group? Anyone who can support emotional literacy and Zones of Regulation work? Do they have someone who can run sensory circuits? Have they tried keeping an ABC chart to spot patterns/triggers? Have they tried making adjustments to support DS’s sensory needs in the classroom?

It sounds like DS is dysregulated by the school environment. Did he attend nursery?

@EndlessLight so I feel they have started to identify triggers around transitions and going from free play/structured learning particularly. He went to nursery and I definitely noticed he was less willing at transitions, but nowhere near this extent and he was younger so felt it could be usual for this age.

The school are being quite involved now, I feel they thought he was naughty/ pushing boundaries at first but now realise he's actually struggling and doesn't mean to be this way. SENCO have observed and apparently their comment was he doesn't know how to be calm/ feel calm. He has an outside area he can go for a run when he feels like burning energy and an indoor calm area which he spends time in before each transition.

My worry is a lot of this feels to me like managing disruption rather than helping him within the classroom. But this could just be the case with children with possible adhd / adhd.

Any other thoughts greatly appreciated!

It is brilliant the SENCO is involved, and the school has realised this isn’t naughtiness.

Giving DS movement breaks and a calm area to support transitions isn’t only dealing with the disruption. The ultimate aim is to prevent escalation x it is easier to prevent escalation than try to deescalate once DC have reached the point of no return. For example, the aim is DS recognises he needs a movement break without prompting before he gets dysregulated. That may be some time away, but it will help DS cope in the classroom. Whilst DS is learning to do that, the school needs to be prompting DS to go for a run or to the quiet area. Alongside this, they can work on something like Zones of Regulation.

If transitions are a problem, this could start well before the classroom. Think about a cup that is being topped up then spilling over the top. Each transition before you even get to transitions within the classroom adds to DS’s cup. For example, leaving the house and arriving at school.

@EndlessLight thanks for your response and good to hear it from someone else that these things are also to help him stay within the classroom by it not escalating!

I totally understand that all the transitions that happen before school add to that, though he is much much better behaved at home. I'd say more energetic than disruptive or frustrated. Could that still mean he has adhd do you think?

It’s not uncommon for DC to present differently in different settings (more often it is DC appear to manage at school and explode at home, but it isn’t rare for it to be the other way round). From a sensory POV, home is incredibly different. It could be the home environment meets DS’s needs better so he is more regulated. It could also be you are naturally adjusting your parenting to the style DS needs. So, DS presenting differently at home doesn’t rule out ADHD.