Reply to 5-year-old behavior issues in Kindergarten

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We would greatly appreciate any advice you have, as we are at a loss right now. We do not live in the DC area, but I have read and learned a lot about parenting from this forum.

Our DS started Kindergarten less than two months ago. He has a January birthday, so he is neither the youngest nor the oldest in his class. Overall, he seems to like school. He doesn't talk about school much, but occasionally he brings up school-related topics. When we ask specific questions about school, he usually answers us.

We just had a parent-teacher conference today, and the teacher pointed out several behavioral concerns. He does not really interact with other kids, even if other kids invite him to play. He daydreams and does not pay attention to the teacher. He talks to himself and sings when he's not supposed to. Academically, he's doing really well, even in his public school GT class.

The teacher suggested we seek a psychological evaluation (e.g., ADHD). We will reach out to his pediatrician about this. His teacher's observation is somewhat surprising but not totally out of the blue. DS has always been a bit socially behind; he is also sensitive and a perfectionist, so I know it will take him longer to adjust to Kindergarten. He is an introvert, but he also enjoys playing with other kids. He sometimes plays with stranger kids at the playground, so the teacher's observation that he does not play with his classmates really concerns us. I'm worried that he might be experiencing anxiety, so he uses self-talk as a soothing mechanism, and he kind of shuts himself down, which explains the lack of interaction with other kids.

His preschool teachers never raised similar concerns. DS has several close friends from preschool whom he still plays with. He is engaged in extracurricular classes. In addition to a psychological evaluation (which will be a long wait), are there steps we can take to help him? Could he be experiencing anxiety? Would occupational therapy or any other therapy help? I'd love to hear your thoughts or experiences. TIA.[/quote]

I am a teacher and parent of teen diagnosed with ADHD in elementary and Autism in middle school. The purpose of a neuropsych evaluation is to tease out what is going on whether it be anxiety, ADHD or autism (or a combination). Preschool teachers do not have the same education or experience as an elementary school teacher and so it isn’t surprising that they did not comment on your child’s behavior. Not only that, your child’s behavior may have fallen in the norm for preschool, but is now outside the norm for kindergarten. Teachers generally don’t recommend a neuropsych evaluation for borderline cases - she is very clearly seeing something she thinks needs further investigating. Your child may benefit from seeing a child therapist or psychologist. They can assess whether there is anxiety and provide their own thoughts at what may be going on.[/quote]

Agree here.   For us, it did not get better during K or into 1st.

In our experience, there can be a long lead time for a neuropsych appt.   Call around your area and get in the queue now.   Nothing to lose; you can always cancel the exam if things improve between now and then.

--Parent of a young adult who was diagnosed with ADHD in pre-K and Autism by 2nd grade.    [/quote]

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