New here and could use some parenting advice/ experiences:
My son has always been difficult- in fact when he was a toddler and preschooler we wondered if he had ADHD or was on the autism spectrum. The issues were/ are:
1. Highly emotional/ dramatic. He goes through these energy bursts until he melts down, cries, is irritable for a bit, then he's fine. He threw unholy tantrums as a toddler and preschooler- he's much better now, but still extremely intense.
2. Difficulty transitioning from a high interest task. He doesn't necessarily throw fits anymore, but it's hard to unstick him.
3. High/ sustained interest in subject matters. Used to be dinosaurs, then weather, now animals. He devours topics and learns everything he is capable of learning about them until we're all exhausted with it.
4. If he is not challenged, excited (in a positive way), and occupied he can be very difficult. Whiny, demanding, emotional, mischievous. Yes, this could describe any number of kids, but multiply it by three.
5. Precocious language, and talks constantly, constantly, constantly. Tries to negotiate everything- needs to know everything and if he discovers that there is any academic subject out there that he is unfamiliar with, wants to immediately try to master it.
6. Most worrisome is his ability to make and keep friends. He has difficulty finding kids who are interested in what he's interested in or can sustain it for a long time. He has a hard time compromising, and can be (for lack of a better word) a little, bossy, know-it-all. He takes things very personally, when most of the time it's not personal. We're working on it, but he probably won't ever fit comfortably, and I know it can make him sad.
There is no real question that he is gifted- his WISC IV results were 141 for full scale IQ and General Ability Index is 146. (processing time is superior but lagged behind his reasoning ability by a large margin, warranting the GAI score).
Anyone with a gifted rising first grader dealing with emotional drama, friend issues, the need help their kids develop better social skills? Want to commiserate? Anything I haven't thought about? He attends a rigorous private school and I have made efforts to provide him with challenging activities at home, so that's not the issue. It's just a bit exhausting sometimes.
It's very hard to talk with friends about this, because it comes across as "jerky" and "bragging." It really does, even though it's not intended that way.
My son has always been difficult- in fact when he was a toddler and preschooler we wondered if he had ADHD or was on the autism spectrum. The issues were/ are:
1. Highly emotional/ dramatic. He goes through these energy bursts until he melts down, cries, is irritable for a bit, then he's fine. He threw unholy tantrums as a toddler and preschooler- he's much better now, but still extremely intense.
2. Difficulty transitioning from a high interest task. He doesn't necessarily throw fits anymore, but it's hard to unstick him.
3. High/ sustained interest in subject matters. Used to be dinosaurs, then weather, now animals. He devours topics and learns everything he is capable of learning about them until we're all exhausted with it.
4. If he is not challenged, excited (in a positive way), and occupied he can be very difficult. Whiny, demanding, emotional, mischievous. Yes, this could describe any number of kids, but multiply it by three.
5. Precocious language, and talks constantly, constantly, constantly. Tries to negotiate everything- needs to know everything and if he discovers that there is any academic subject out there that he is unfamiliar with, wants to immediately try to master it.
6. Most worrisome is his ability to make and keep friends. He has difficulty finding kids who are interested in what he's interested in or can sustain it for a long time. He has a hard time compromising, and can be (for lack of a better word) a little, bossy, know-it-all. He takes things very personally, when most of the time it's not personal. We're working on it, but he probably won't ever fit comfortably, and I know it can make him sad.
There is no real question that he is gifted- his WISC IV results were 141 for full scale IQ and General Ability Index is 146. (processing time is superior but lagged behind his reasoning ability by a large margin, warranting the GAI score).
Anyone with a gifted rising first grader dealing with emotional drama, friend issues, the need help their kids develop better social skills? Want to commiserate? Anything I haven't thought about? He attends a rigorous private school and I have made efforts to provide him with challenging activities at home, so that's not the issue. It's just a bit exhausting sometimes.
It's very hard to talk with friends about this, because it comes across as "jerky" and "bragging." It really does, even though it's not intended that way.