I have a 7 year old ADHD son, he is an only child and we homeschool, he has other homeschool friends that we get together with, he is advanced intellectually but his social skills are delayed especially in group situations.
He gets overstimulated, talks too loud, too long, runs when it is not appropriate and generally just gets too wound up and doesn’t think or listen very well. He will want to play only one theme of his own making and not be very open to ideas from his friends. Then he gets upset if no one wants to play with him. He also tends to get “a chip” on his shoulder and then feels sorry for himself. On the other hand, he has a lot going for him, he is very smart, creative, friendly, artistic, etc. and he could be very likeable if he would just slow down and pay attention to the others around him.
Homeschooling is a godsend for him and he is making some gradual improvement in this area as he is getting older. He still requires a lot of supervision and reminders. This bothers him (and me) a lot. We try really hard to find small groups where he can have some success and build upon that. This had been trial and error. We are getting ready to make a move to another city and will make all new friends so he has an opportunity for a fresh start.
I wish that I could find a children’ video that would show how someone acting in this manner affects others and ways to overcome this. I really think it would help him if he could see this from outside of himself. Does anyone have any suggestions, maybe even suggestions for some good books where the main character learns to overcome some of these social dilemmas?
Re: paperbacks for educators...
A great book to read : THE EXPLOSIVE CHILD by ROSS GREENE
If not in stock order , $14.00, paperback
This book gives much insight to what the LD child expierences, and helps give ideas to help the child to cope durning difficulty.
Re: Social Skills Video?(long)
Have you read the book, Good Friends Are Hard to Find? It is written by the head of the UCLA social skills clinic, and it is a great handbook for parents who want to know how to facilitate their kids’ ability to form friendships. It’s excellent. Also, have you thought about getting a nice high school boy to “coach” him in friendship skills? He could pick a couple of key behaviors and help him with little rewards when he gets it right. Also, if your son has a friend over, the high school boy can take them to the park, etc. and keep tabs on your son’s behavior, reminding him with a “secret sign” if he gets too wild, etc. Kids listen to big guys better than Mom and Dad sometmes.
check out www.anybookinprint.com for some great “bibliotherapy” books on all kinds of kids’ issues. The advantage of a book is that you can read it together, ask questions, personalize it. In my experience kids watch the videos but don’t really change their behavior after seeing it.