Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
my son has been aggressive in daycare/preschool. this is his 2nd daycare. hitting other kids and have problems listening to teachers during story time. he is 4. I dont see any other problem with him except behavior problems.
i suspect he may have borderline ADHD. should I have him checked as early as now? what is the proper age to have a child checked for ADHD? is a child psychologist ok or should I go for a child psychiatrist? when I talked to a child psychologist over the phone he said he can't prescribe medication if my child needs one but can refer me to a child psychiatrist.
my son has been aggressive in daycare/preschool. this is his 2nd daycare. hitting other kids and have problems listening to teachers during story time. he is 4. I dont see any other problem with him except behavior problems.
i suspect he may have borderline ADHD. should I have him checked as early as now? what is the proper age to have a child checked for ADHD? is a child psychologist ok or should I go for a child psychiatrist? when I talked to a child psychologist over the phone he said he can't prescribe medication if my child needs one but can refer me to a child psychiatrist.
It's too bad he's in day care. He needs to be lovingly spanked by a parent when that happens, but I wouldn't want a day care worker to do it.
Aggressive behavior does not necessarily mean your child has ADHD. Usually, ADHD is not diagnosed this early, but it can be if the child has extreme symptoms.
If you do want him checked at least take a look here:
A psychologist who is familiar with the disorder can diagnose, but not prescribe meds. However, at 4, you may want to hold off on meds anyway. There are other things you can try first.
Now for the behavior problems, I suggest an evaluation by a behavioral specialist who can help you to devise a plan to help him stop the behaviors.
When my son was that age, the pediatrician told me that they dont test at this age. My question is why does your child care provider not know how to handle hitting. This is provider training 101.
ADHD is not able to be diagnosed until age 7, with symptoms present across multiple settings. However, if you have concerns about your son's behavior, his pediatrician should be able to refer you to a developmental pediatrician, early intervention assessor, or child psychologist, who will be able to take a thorough history and help you figure out if what is going on is normative and how to help him, regardless. I would start by talking to your regular pediatrician about your concerns. Good luck!
ETA: I agree with nana. There are a number of effective behavioral interventions that should be attempted before considering medication, if what you are seeing is the precursor to ADHD. Even if medication becomes required down the road, there should also be concurrent therapy to help manage symptoms and functioning.
I do want to make the point that there is probably nothing seriously wrong with the OP's child. All of our children (except the baby) went through a hitting phase, and reliable discipline - spanking, mainly - corrected the problem in a matter of weeks. You have to know how to spank properly, and how not to wait until you're angry. You have to know your child, too - some need only a couple of swats, some need more, and for others spanking alone doesn't work. For our oldest son, who was very sensitive, a stern fatherly look was all it took. But nipping it in the bud with discipline is effective for most children.
I would bet a dollar that there is nothing wrong with your child OP. I am concerned about your provider's over all early childhood education and capabilities though. If they don't know how to effectively handle spanking, then the concern, for me is what else don't they undderstand about kids.
There is a Magellen Group that will evaluate your child or an intermedit group will check the child for certain symtoms. Remember preschools have a handbook and if your child isn't following the rules he can be kicked out. Usually violent offenses are 3-5. I am surprise your facilty hasn't recommend help yet to you? And rule of thumb please please take your child to a corporate daycare/ preschool with degrees of their teachers. Mom and Pop daycares are usually not well educated.
It sounds like a phase he's going through. One nice thing about daycare is that kids get to practice behaving in a classroom setting before they actually have to go to school. He will probably outgrow it by the time he gets to kindergarten. If he's still having behavior problems when he goes to school, the teachers and staff there can help you decide if he needs to be evaluated for ADHD.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
