Hi! I was wondering if anyone else has a son like mine? I feel like I am all alone in my community with no one to compare notes with. My son is 10 years old and has behavior problems, but is EXTREMELY smart. He refuses to follow directions given by teachers, or better put, he chooses what directions he wants to follow. He has no concept of personal space….he HATES when someone is in his, but doesn’t realize other people don’t like him in theirs. The school has done an evaluation on him (we thought he had Asperger’s) but they said if he does, it’s minimal. But they labeled him “emotionally disturbed” so he can qualify for help at school. Since he doesn’t need help understanding his work, they want to move his work up to his level (he scored superior, high superior, and very superior on all his testing)…most of his work level is between the 6th and 12th grade level, math being the highest and reading being the lowest. Is there any other children like this???? He has only one freind at school, because he has no social skills. They said he is depressed at school and rarely smiles….of course, at home he is totally different. He really does hate school and I’m afraid when he’s old enough, he will choose to drop out. If anyone has any ideas about maybe things we could do with the school to make it better for him, or any ideas how to teach social skills to some one who just doesn’t seem to get it?
Thanks!
Tracy
Re: too smart son but no social skills
I would look into a private evaluation to see if the Aspergers is in the ball park.
Jim Nuttall — Michigan
It is not at all unusual for people who are extremely smart to have difficulty with social skills. http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/index.htm - this site has information on gifted kids and things you can do to help them in school. Its a good place to start. I’m sure there is more info out there on the subject.
I must say its great that the school is being pro-active with his academics and trying to challenge him. Some behaviors can come from just being plain bored. :)
((Hugs))