Hi,
My ds is 4 1/2.
He is in reception and his classteacher has suggested he should have a session with the OT advice clinic.
His behaviour at school is very impulsive, scribbling on the floor, hiding under the table, twirling around. He seems to seek out sensory experiences constantly- twirling, trying to stand on his head, burying himself in a basket of scarves, shaking his head from side to side, getting into boxes head first.
He doesn't access the activities on offer in a "typical" way. For example, rather than build with the wooden blocks. he prefers to bash them together. Rather than engage in a table top activity he will use his hands to brush the table, or get underneath the table and lift it up with his feet.
These are all behaviours that the teacher has described.
At home he loves stories, does play imaginatively, and can peddle a bike. He cannot dress himself independently and often wets himself, at school and home.
When eating he crams food into his mouth, as much as he can get. I am at the end of my tether with this one.
He is impulsively violent to his sisters and us. He will throw something really heavy, or jump off the kitchen table headfirst onto you while your back is turned. He likes to play with toddlers in the park, and will try to push them- he thinks it's fun.
He loves the company of adults, but doesn't always follow the instructions they give him. He doesn't appear to have made friends in reception, and the dinner ladies say he often plays alone.
He was born with clubfoot and seemed quite passive as a baby. When he was in nursery he was referred for speech therapy- he had a very deep, odd voice, though this is seeming more "normal" now.
He has always got up in the night, he can be awake for a couple of hours between 3-5am, and often says he is scared of monsters/the dark.
He can be very controlling about noise- not all the time, he loves to dance- but if he doesn't want music on will shriek for it to be turned off, over and over, until it is.
He has just been put onto School Action: they are going to give him more adult time in the afternoons, games in small groups etc.
He is starting to read words, slowly but happily.
Sorry if this post is a bit of a mish-mash, I am just writing down things as they come to me!
I think I need help unpicking what is "normal" 4 year old behaviour, and what isn't. I have 3 other dc, who are NT, so I know how to handle "naughty" behaviour, but I really don't think this is?
Any advice gratefully received!