Daughter Needs Help for Stepson

She may want to get an evaluation for him. Constant movement could mean a multitude of things......ADD...ADHD.....Autism.....Sensory Issues....Terettes. Good Luck.

She might want to seek input/evaluation from an OT (occupational therapist) as well as a neuro-psychiatrist. He could be a "sensory seeker." There are ways to work with this.

Good luck to them!

His father needs to take him to the pediatrician to find out if this is just energy or if it's a self control issue or if he has other factors going on.

My daughter is like that. Start of the day is important. Protein is good (Sausage etc) but if you not a meat person then make sure its low sugar and not yellow dye. My daughter will get basic cereal like cherios. A good montissori school will not mind if he gets up in the back and walks a bit. But you can help him control it a bit by what he eats. Lunch is the same thing. Not sure how old the kid is but goldfishs a no no, especially the multi colored ones. My daughter was put in gymnastics and now dance to help her control her movements. yes she still does hand stands and cartwheells in front of the tv in the open area but she is a lot more precise and less chance of accidents.

It would help us effectively answer if we knew his age. It's a shot in the dark without knowing that...

At any rate, it sounds like he is a kinetic learner AND that he needs to move and touch stuff strongly. That means he has sensory integration problems. An evaluation with an OT who has a lot of experience with sensory integration is needed. (SI is a masters level study, so make sure the OT has that before scheduling the appointment.)

What this child certainly needs is an appropriate outlet and place for this. Gymnastics would help. T-ball or softball, according to how old he is, would help. Swimming would be fantastic for him because of the feel of the water and all the movement. He needs structure in all of this to help him learn to touch things that are appropriate. She should not let him do cartwheels in the living room. Part of this is him learning where and when and where NOT and when NOT to do this stuff.

An OT can give a lot of home exercises to work on a "sensory diet", in other words, activities that give him what he needs that won't tear up the house. It is really important to get this looked into and handled.

And if this isn't SI, he needs to be evaluated for other problems. He cannot fit in with others if he is waving his arms around and doesn't even know he's doing it.

Dawn

Best thing to do is talk to his doctor to see if it is normal for his age and maybe some suggestions as to how to put in a reward system or something to try to "calm" him down a little.

A few things that my want to be concidered... his actions are a few of the things he can control & if something major has changed - it maybe his way of acting out. Also, most docs now won't offer meds for ADHD till the child is over 6 yrs old... so if he is under that personnaly I wouldn't even try them on it.

I hope things calm down... oh kids do sometime need a little more action then others - beleive me I have one that way.

2 words....Kung Fu. You might want to enroll him in a traditional martial arts program like Kung Fu, Tai Chi, or Karate to teach him self-control and let the martial arts teacher know that is why you are enrolling him, so they know how to deal with him. Another idea might be yoga.

I agree with others that understanding the cause of this need for movement is important, and seeking assistance from an OT could be a great help. In the meantime, having a specific set of movements - ten toe-touches then ten jumps in place, for example - might help him get the activity he needs, but in a more controlled manner. Dawn mentioned a sensory diet - this will give specifics that are most effective at achieving the desired result, letting him focus and be comfortable with minimal disruptions to himself or others. Good luck to them.