I know how you feel. We have adopted 5 grandchildren and all of them have ADHD, some worse than others. Our 7 year old was having a lot of problems at school, hitting, biting, pushing and knocking on class room doors when class was in session. He also hit a little girl with his belt, a child that never causes any problems. He says he hit her because she was a girl! We had an IEP meeting at school and they have placed him in a smaller classroom. He is having much success in this class(special ed) and feels so much better about himself. Perhaps your child would do better in a smaller classroom situation.

Yo

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Hi:

Thanks for posting your question about school behavior. This is a tough one since so many outside factors can influence a child's behavior: teacher, classmates, desk placement, medication, etc. Plus, you likely already know that ADHD is often accompanied by other comorbid conditions like Oppositional Defiant Disorder that could be causing these new outbursts.

I would suggest reading this great ADDitude article titled Helping Kids Who Hit and also looking into classroom accommodations for your son.

As YoYoThyme mentioned, an IEP or 504 Plan can really help some children turn a corner at school. ADDitude's ADHD at School eBook delves into the steps that parents should take to secure school accommodations, plus I would recommend reading our archive of articles about ADHD accommodations.

I hope this helps!

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Hi,

I also encourage you to get an IEP with the school if you don't already have one for your son.

We have a 2d grader with similar issues last year. Strategies that have helped have included: - having the school keep track of aggressive behaviors by time of day. The time of day may offer clues as to whether the medication is "wearing off" or becoming less effective. It also may be related to a situation your son finds difficult, such as changing classes, standing in line, taking turns, or dealing with a particular class he does not feel competent at. - talking with your child's doctor. There may be another medication that may better help your son curb his behaviors. - if possible, volunteering at the school so you can make the connections with the teachers and other parents. People tend to be more understanding and kinder when the parent is actively involved at the school. It is tough for us because both parents work during the day, so we just do the best we can. - also along those lines, maintaining your positive attitude with the school. My husband is better at this than me, as I can get defensive of my child, but he has shown me it really is better over the long term to speak up for my child in the most positive, grateful and understanding way I can muster, while still kindly and persistently taking her part.

I was interested in the bathroom behavior. My daughter would go in trash cans instead of in the toilets. For a while I sent her to school in one piece bathing suits that require assistance from the aide (with her consent). Of course, they don't have enough staff to go in with her to the bathroom at her whim indefinitely, so the other part of the strategy was to restrict bathroom breaks to times when supervision was available i.e., when the class took its regular breaks. This required some coordination on the part of the school since she would ask every teacher to go and play it up. I worried that she would have trouble holding it, but that has not been a problem other than she felt annoyed at first.

I hope this helps. Hang in there!

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Hi,

I am a newbie on this forum but your post really called out to me. I am a teacher but , most importantly, a mother of a 4 year old with ADHD. The first medication she took was metadate 10mg. At first it seemed like the miracle I had been waiting for so long. Then she started experiencing these awful tantrums that would last for an hour. She would shut down, not talk and was extremely violent. When I questioned our previous doctor about these episodes, they pretty much blew me off. They said I could discontinue the meds or deal with the side effects. That's when I switched doctors. I found a wonderful child psychiatrist and that has made all the difference. He was willing to try different meds and was understanding of my concerns with each med. It took a couple of different meds to hit the jackpot but it was well worth the wait. She is now on Straterra and is a different child. After saying all of that, my point is don't give up on trying different meds. It was a frustrating path to get where we are today but worth it. I feel some doctors are just not willing to keep trying. IMO, it sounds like metadate may not be what works for your child. It is only one of many drugs. Keep in mind that metadate is a stimulant and there are lots of other ADHD meds that are not stimulants. I would press for him to prescribe a different med. Also, not every doctor is the perfect fit for your child. We drive an hour to get to our new psychiatrist and it is difficult but I have gained a wonderful daughter from it. Please know that I, as well as others, feel your pain and want nothing more for you to have a peaceful relationship with your child. Keep us posted on the progress. Good luck.

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