kindergarten son developing lots of nervous habits

[Anonymous]

Our kindergarten son (almost six) is developing all kinds of nervous habits. He has started pinching his face, especially his lips and is constantly stretching the necks of his t shirts and covering his ears. He also seems unable to stay in his seat at the dinner table, he's waving his fork around so much it's scary. He's always been hard to direct but it's really off the charts. The teacher wants him evaluated, though his reading/math etc. are advanced. He's always been quirky but didn't exhibit nearly this much behavior in preschool. Kindergarten seems to have set something off. Does this sound like autism, aspergers? Advice? Web site recommendations?

[Anonymous]

You don't suddenly develop autism in kindergarten.
He seems stressed by the new environment. Sounds like he wasn't ready for it.
Whoever you have evaluate him should help you find a more suitable school for his temperament.
Whatever he 'has', he's the kid you've got so please find a school environment that suits him better

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't suddenly develop autism in kindergarten.
He seems stressed by the new environment. Sounds like he wasn't ready for it.
Whoever you have evaluate him should help you find a more suitable school for his temperament.
Whatever he 'has', he's the kid you've got so please find a school environment that suits him better

And for gosh sakes stay off the websites. It helps with nothing.
Take him to a good children's hospital for an evaluation and let them direct you.

[Anonymous]

Poor kid. He sounds stressed. Anyway you could pull him out of kindergarten or find another place for him?

[Anonymous]

It doesn't sound like anything other than some stress. What did the teacher imply, ADHD?

[Anonymous]

Autism doesn't involve fork waving.

[Anonymous]

might be tics. they are common at the age, especially boys.

[Anonymous]

Check for strep.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the recommendation to check for strep. A few visits with a good child psychologist could be helpful. From your description, he sounds stressed and anxious.

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree with the others that he sounds very stressed. My kids, who are also advanced in math and reading, struggle with the long school day. Their reasons might have nothing to do with your son's, so I won't go into them. I think the best you can do right now is address the stress: can you cut back on everything except the absolute required activities; make sure he is getting plenty of sleep and a lot of down time; is eating healthy food, and so on.

We have worked with a child psychologist and it was extremely helpful. Besides what she taught us, she observed one of my kids at school and had very helpful insights. There are many things you can do to help your child.

[Anonymous]

My son developed some stress behaviors in K, despite having been in daycare since infancy. I spoke with our pediatrician and the school counselor. Both were very helpful. We determined his stress was due to a very loud, volatile classroom. Lots of yelling from the teacher which really upset him. And some really poor behavior that also upset him.
The counselor talked to him periodically and the ped. helped us identify the right incentives for changing the behaviors.

[Anonymous]

Anxiety? Our DS had been in a fullday daycare since a very young age and done great but started to look like this in K. He has severe anxiety and the stress of having to sit still all day, the chaos of having so many kids around everywhere, the academic demands of having to do worksheet after worksheet really upset him. He was also advanced in reading and math which has nothing to do with what happened to him in K but since you brought it up in your original post I thought it would be helpful to mention it.

[Anonymous]

K can be a lot more stressful than daycare and PK. I agree with PP ... reduce outside activity as much as possible, concentrate on a very consistent routine with lots of sleep. An outside evaluation with a good developmental pediatrician or child psychologist may be beneficial as well. Is it at all possible to pull him from public K and send him to private?

[Anonymous]

Has he gone from a physically active environment to one that requires a lot of sitting? Honestly, maybe it is obviously stress to you but if my kid were doing that it would be a sign that he needs more sensory input and intense physical activity.

I agree that reducing stress by reducing extracurricular activities might help, EXCEPT make sure he is getting plenty of exercise. Unstructured running around outside or at a playground might be the best way to do that but if there is a sport that he loves that is low stress for him that might work. Swings, trampolines, and physical games that involve a lot of tackling/rolling on the ground also really help to relax and center my son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has he gone from a physically active environment to one that requires a lot of sitting? Honestly, maybe it is obviously stress to you but if my kid were doing that it would be a sign that he needs more sensory input and intense physical activity.

I agree that reducing stress by reducing extracurricular activities might help, EXCEPT make sure he is getting plenty of exercise. Unstructured running around outside or at a playground might be the best way to do that but if there is a sport that he loves that is low stress for him that might work. Swings, trampolines, and physical games that involve a lot of tackling/rolling on the ground also really help to relax and center my son.

PP again. When we can't get outside we also have a large yoga ball, a "hoppity" ball, a small trampoline, and a room with a couch that the kids are allowed to stand on, jump on, make a cushion pile and jump in it, etc. Seriously, especially after a few rainy days in a row when there is no PE and no recess my kid is about to burst out of his skin. He does not have ADHD. He just needs to move.