6 yr olds and hyperactivity

ShakleeMom

Mon, Jul 20 2009, 10:53 pm

An evaluation by a specialist will help you understand the difference between spunky and ‘taking over his life’ and help you feel comfortable with the category that he falls into. Leave it to the pros.

gryp

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 9:42 am

Well, back to my original question:

In your experience, is it typical for 6 yr olds to go through a hyper stage?

Tamiri

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 9:51 am

I can't remember anything out of the ordinary for any of my boys who passed the age of 6. That age doesn't stand out. I think it's actually supposed to be when they start calming down a bit.
(1) Have you considered that it may be tactile? "Something" out there may be driving him wild?
(2) My other suggestion would be to take him to a competant child psychologist for an evaluation. Sometimes a few sessions (very $$$, I know) of play therapy (and you can learn to do it too) make a world of difference.
Good luck!

micki

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 10:05 am

I have a 6 yr old, and I don't really recall a hyper stage with either of my boys.
more like an all year round rambunctios sp? stage.
they can focus and play with knex, lego etc all the time but they do love to rough house.
this may be more your sons personality. instead of trying to see if he fits the mold of a typical child, why don't you just focus on dealing with waht he is? sounds like you know what you need to do- so keep doing it!

gryp

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 10:15 am

Thank you for your posts, Tamiri and micki. They're very helpful.

Quote:

Have you considered that it may be tactile? "Something" out there may be driving him wild?

I'm not sure I get what you mean. What kind of "something?"

Quote:

this may be more your sons personality. instead of trying to see if he fits the mold of a typical child, why don't you just focus on dealing with waht he is? sounds like you know what you need to do- so keep doing it!

I just wanted to differentiate between what may be a normal stage and what's being caused by his anxiety. So I can have a clearer picture of "how much more hyper" he really is.

mom71

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 10:32 am

GR- art therapy, I believe, helps children who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally, express themselves through art. An art therapist may be able to see what may be bothering him through analyzing the way he colors , draws or what kind of pictures he chooses to make etc.

gryp

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 10:48 am

I'm thinking art therapy might come in handy. Thanks for that suggestion.

How do find a good art therapist? What credentials should I be looking for?

sped

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 10:50 am

A "floor time" approach could help. There are lots of people who are trained in the approach. Try getting hold of "The Challenging Child: Understanding, Raising, and Enjoying the Five "Difficult" Types of Children " by Dr. Stanley Greenspan. Your library may have it or some other books by him that describe the approach. I work with kids having difficulties, and this is a really valuable tool.
Hatzlocha

mom71

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 10:52 am

GR- I know someone who is an art therapist and I will I"yh ask her what exactly you should look out for.

gryp

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 11:08 am

Thank you. Smile

I wonder how many sessions it would take until he could learn some self-help tips.

Tamiri

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 11:20 am

GR wrote:

Thank you for your posts, Tamiri and micki. They're very helpful.

Quote:

Have you considered that it may be tactile? "Something" out there may be driving him wild?

I'm not sure I get what you mean. What kind of "something?"

.

sounds, smells, sensitivities to clothes, rugs, mold in the walls of your house....... it's endless
Something is bothering him AT HOME, so that is what you need to focus on.

mom71

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 12:50 pm

GR- I spoke to my friend who is an art therapist and she really feels it would be helpful and bebeficial for your son. I guess you can try a few sessions and see how it goes. She said try to google it or contact the art therapist association in your area. I hope this was helpful !

ShakleeMom

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 1:14 pm

GR wrote:

Thank you. Smile

I wonder how many sessions it would take until he could learn some self-help tips.

Many times, with very intense children... therapy has the opposite effect until about 6 sessions later. I still don' understand why you are jumping to therapy without a comprehensive eval.

gryp

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 10:36 pm

He's had an eval. Let's just say I wasn't satisfied with it. I don't see a need for another. I know him pretty well and I know what his needs are and where he needs improvements. I just don't know how to get rid of his inferiority complex around his classmates.

ShakleeMom

Wed, Jul 22 2009, 7:41 pm

Who evaluated him, the Board of Ed? Those are Bologna... they're not allowed to give you a diagnosis, did you know that? So let's be positive... let's rule it out. You owe it to your child to rule out the ADHD and then say, gee, he just needs more focusing help. The way to do it is to go for a comprehensive psychological and or psychiatric evaluation. with insurance... you will be very unhappy. Where are you located?

gryp

Fri, Jul 24 2009, 10:14 am

He doesn't have ADHD. He's this: http://www.hsperson.com/pages/child.htm Highly sensitive.