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[quote=Anonymous]OP, I could have written your post about 4 years ago.  Oh, the head butting!  I've almost forgotten that.  I can't even count how many times I thought he had broken one of my facial bones because it hurt so much when he did that!  And he didn't mean to.

I think you've gotten some bad advice.  Keep up with the OT IF you think it's helping.  I think it can be helpful in helping kid to self-regulate their bodies, and helping them to realize where their bodies are in space.  That's often a problem for kids like ours.   I don't think it helps at all with the impulse control, or with the "sensory seeking" behavior -- other than giving you some ideas as to how to give them outlets for that behavior.

Here are some things that helped us:

1.  Yoga and other physical activities that required some degree of concentration and body control.  We had kids yoga DVDs and he liked those.  We also did stuff like Just Dance.  Gymnastics is really good if you can find one that doesn't have big groups or long waiting lines.  We tried karate, but it wasn't great because he was practicing it at home on me.  (Insert sad face here.)  Some kids do okay with karate, though.  We found this MUCH better than physical activity that was over-stimulating, like running in circles or playing tag.

2. Indoor Trampoline.  That was his 4 or 5 year old birthday present.  If he needs just a lot of motion, he can jump on the tramp while watching TV or talking to us.  Better the tramp than my stomach.

3. Helping him realize the ways in which he is different.  I found that the "golden rule" didn't work with him, because the way that he wanted to be treated was different from the way others want to be treated.  We talked about how different people have different likes/dislikes -- some people like hamburgers, some don't, some people like being hugged really hard, some don't, some people like to stand very close to people, some don't, etc.  If your friend doesn't like hamburgers, you don't give him a hamburger. 
 And if your friend doesn't like hugs, you don't give him a hug.  There's a book called "Personal Space Camp" that might help.  We also tought him that he has a higher need for physical contact than most people, and if he needs physical contact, he can come to mom and let me know and I will give him lots of cuddles.

4.  Think proactively and try to think like him.  If there's a line of kids, make sure he's at the end or front, so he has lots of space and isn't bumping into other kids.  Things like that.

5.  Medication.  We started medicating right before he turned 6 and it was a huge help in curbing the impulsive behavior.  He is just as active as he ever was, but he's not running into walls or just smacking people as he walks past them.

6.  The ADHD brain, in some ways, is developmentally about 2 years behind.  Remember that, when you're formulating expectations.

7.  When all else fails, pretend you're a robot in a sci fi film.  Like a really nice robot programmed to be a very sweet and loving mother.  But sometimes it helps me to to put myself in "calm and supportive program" and totally surpress my own frustration and anger (at least until he's gone to bed).  
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