Child Aggression at School
“I’m told that my five-year-old son is aggressive at school. What should I do?”
Children with ADHD often have trouble expressing their needs verbally, and the resulting frustration can be perceived as aggression. Encourage your son to use “I” messages — for example, “I don’t like it when you cut in front of me in line. It’s against the rules and it makes me mad.”
Give him a sticker or put stars on a chart for each day that he controls his impulses to hit or yell. If his aggression arises at certain times during the school day, let the teacher know that he needs extra guidance during transitions, while standing in line, and so on. If you think he’s engaging in rough behavior to get attention, seek professional help.
