Hi, I'm brand new to this forum. I'm glad to have found it, though.
I have an 8-year-old boy who is completely out of control. He was suspended 3 times in 3 weeks, and then on both Monday and today this week. He makes HORRIBLE threats (including that he's going to kill himself), calls the teacher names, refuses to do his work. One of the previous suspensions was because he got upset with another student and started climbing on him. Today he picked up a chair and threatened to throw it at the class. He has always been a very difficult child, since he was old enough to walk and talk, but he's recently started to escalate. We have tried love, encouragement, and support. We have tried begging and pleading. We've tried asking nicely. We've tried taking away all of his privileges. Nothing works. He flat out doesn't seem to care about anything. And he can talk such a good game! He'll tell us exactly what we want to hear ("I love you guys so much! I promise I'll be good tomorrow! I know what I did and it won't happen ever again.") but the next day....suspended again. He's been diagnosed with ADHD, and is currently taking Concerta. His mother (I'm bonus mom) also has ADHD and probably other undiagnosed issues as well. The school wants to put him in an IEP program, but his mother (oppositional defiant disorder much?) refuses to allow that to happen, because she thinks the school is trying to hurt him and control him. Yes, there needs to be a parenting plan, but with unemployment being an issue, who can afford a good lawyer to make that happen? So, here we are, with a child who is going down a very bad path, and we are feeling frustrated and unsure how to stop it. Any advice on how to help him? (Without advice on parenting plan, counseling, etc. would be helpful. Those are obvious.) Thank you!
I have an 8-year-old boy who is completely out of control. He was suspended 3 times in 3 weeks, and then on both Monday and today this week. He makes HORRIBLE threats (including that he's going to kill himself), calls the teacher names, refuses to do his work. One of the previous suspensions was because he got upset with another student and started climbing on him. Today he picked up a chair and threatened to throw it at the class. He has always been a very difficult child, since he was old enough to walk and talk, but he's recently started to escalate. We have tried love, encouragement, and support. We have tried begging and pleading. We've tried asking nicely. We've tried taking away all of his privileges. Nothing works. He flat out doesn't seem to care about anything. And he can talk such a good game! He'll tell us exactly what we want to hear ("I love you guys so much! I promise I'll be good tomorrow! I know what I did and it won't happen ever again.") but the next day....suspended again. He's been diagnosed with ADHD, and is currently taking Concerta. His mother (I'm bonus mom) also has ADHD and probably other undiagnosed issues as well. The school wants to put him in an IEP program, but his mother (oppositional defiant disorder much?) refuses to allow that to happen, because she thinks the school is trying to hurt him and control him. Yes, there needs to be a parenting plan, but with unemployment being an issue, who can afford a good lawyer to make that happen? So, here we are, with a child who is going down a very bad path, and we are feeling frustrated and unsure how to stop it. Any advice on how to help him? (Without advice on parenting plan, counseling, etc. would be helpful. Those are obvious.) Thank you!