8yr. old son acting violent, going to cut my hair when I am sleeping, toothbrush is a knife?

Question

Just got out of a mental hospital for angry @ school, trying to choke a girl per the principal, threw a chair down, defiant. I had enough, took him to the hospital per his new therapist who hasn't seen him yet, was in 5 days, dr. took him off risperdol, still on clonidine for night 0.1mg, & now on tofranil 25mg, 2 @ night. Still angry, defiante. Brushing teeth b/4 bed, said this is a knife & acted out slitting his throat, thinks he is stupid, said hurt me, hurt me, banging his head on his pillow, but I laughed & kept him in a good mood so he wouldn't get angry, has ADHD, Anxiety & Impulsivity. Sweet smart boy. Doesn't like himself. In special ed, slow learner, developmental delay since 1yrs. old, dad moved to AZ, saw dad last week for moms funeral, didn't let him go. Sat. night got mad, we were playing cards cuz I looked @ the tv, didnt talk to me rest of night, no kiss @bed, or last night, I give him hugs, lovin! Mad @ his haircut, said he will cut my hair off when I am sleeping.

Answer 1

You better do something now before he does something serious to you. He really needs to be on some medication to settle him down if there is a possible way. YOu better go back to the mental hospital and have him evaluated again. IF he continues to behave that way in school and do the naughty things to the school staff workers such as trying to choke a girl, and throwing chairs down, they are most likely to kick him out of school, and ship him to a much more strict school, which may not even be in your community. You really need to talk to him, and ask him why he is behaving this way. He seems to have a lot of emotional problems. I think you should call the mental hospital first thing tomorrow morning and tell them what is going on and tell them what he did in school, and also tell them what he tried to do to you with the cutting your hair business. ALso tell them from the previous issues what he did in the past and explain what is going on.

I advise you get help ASAP before things get even worse.

Answer 2

Well there are a lot of people to blame in this. 1) Whoever left the knife where an 8 year old could find it. 2) You son - both for picking it up in the first place, and then not telling an adult he has it (whether it was the bus driver or a teacher) 3) The boys who went into his bookbag The teachers can't be everywhere at once, and therefore cannot be keeping an eye on each child, every minute of the school day - so there isn't any blame there. As for punishment - I think he's been punished enough by being suspended for the offense, and with the possible threat of being expelled.

Answer 3

I answered a similar question last week. It was regarding a foster parent of a young boy with out of control behaviors. I don't know if you have ever heard of the mental health problem called Reactive Attachment Disorder or RAD for short. It explains a lot of your son's behaviors. Things sound really unmanageable for both of you right now. If I were you I would bring him back to the hospital and have him re-admitted. Then you would be able to work on a one-on-one basis with his therapist, and team of inpatient professionals on finding out what is going on. You might also want to invite your son in on one of the meetings towards the end. This way all of you can develop and get used to how things are going to be better when he gets home. ie;(whatever you and his treatment team develop as a plan to deal with his out of control behaviors. It may be a reward system, star charts, or something else, however just make sure he has some kind of input in deciding how things are going to be). I just want to say that you are doing the best you can. It is important for you and your son to remain safe during these hard times. Please don't feel bad about asking for help. And remember to assert yourself if you need to, if something doesn't feel right SAY something. Oh, and one more thing...if it is RAD, times will be tough for a while but it will get better.

Answer 4

Hes lost he doesnt know what to do hes confused im not sure but i think you ment his mothers funeral im gona guess your his sister or brother. He doesnt know his limits you should beat him a few times when he does something bad it would give him more boundrys. if he knows the can get away with it he will try. With no father figure and from what im getting now no mother hes going to have problems knowing whats real and fake. PAIN is real teach him that give him that reality to set his boundrys. Im not saying be abusive but be assertive. give him some responsabilitys and try to teach im a fine line between right and wrong.

He has reasons to be like he is but you need to reach out to him and show him life befor hes lost forever. Next time dont make him get a haircut let him go sonner or later he will WANT a haircut and when that time comes give him a pair of clipers as punishment for cutting your hair. although you should forgive him for it make him think you really care about it.

I REALLY hope this was help for you but if you have any more ?'s be happy to email me i would love to help you out

[e-mail]

Answer 5

at 8 years old, i think it will be hard for him to tell anyone what is really going on in his mind and heart. i'm no professional, and neither are you. some people may say to take him to another therapist, and another, and another, etc. i believe he needs to stay with one, so he can build a relationship with that person, and learn to trust them. if that therapist ever shares info about your child with you, don't tell him about it. he will lose that trust. i don't believe in pumping children full of drugs, but then again, who am i to disagree with a doctor. i do hope you can find an answer with out the use of drugs though. is there family history of mental illness? if so, pass this info on to the doc. i feel sorrow for your child, he obviously has a lot of emotions bottled up inside, and they need to come out. but, they need to come out in a calm manner. lock up the scissors and knives, and anything else that can do serious damage with little effort (for both yours, and his safety). also, having an 8 yr old committed to a hosp.????? i would imagine that caused even more anger to build up. i don't mean to point the finger at you, but check with the doctor, are you doing something that should be done differently. he is a child, nourish, encourage, and love him. I pray that both of you will have a more relaxed, better understanding of each other, blessed life ahead of you. God speed

Answer 6

See ADHD, and anxiety, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris on pages 6, and 22 - 25. Modify his diet accordingly. Provide a structured lifestyle, rewards, necessary discipline (withholding privileges), attention and affection. Anger management appears on page 4. I'd lock my door, at night. Also see pages 12 , and 21, and consider incorporating those dietary modifications, as well: can't hurt: may help.

Answer 7

Go back to the therapist and ask them about Asperger Syndrome( a form of Autism) this is what my son was diagnosed with when he was 18 after being diagnosed with ADHD as a child. The therapist can get the info and test your son on this and get him the appropriate medication to help control his behaviour.

Answer 8

This poor child. You know he is hurting really bad inside. Just makes sure he sees his therapist. You will probably be with him when he does and that is good.If she needs to talk to him in private, just make sure she knows the whole story.That his dad is gone. How long y'all have been split. How long he has been acting up like this. I don't understand about the laughing part. It didn't sound right to me but I'm sure it's just that I did not understand. Watch him really close until he can get to a doctor.

Answer 9

I think you need to check out other therapists in your area, once you find someone to help you ask the current therapist to refer you to someone else; it has taken so long to give your son the attention he needs. Still, there are several disorders here and if these progress the actions taken by your son can go beyond those mentioned---hurt to self or others; ODD, Antisocial behaviors, Personality disorders etc. and these will require attention ASAP. Someone has hurt your child so much---why does he hate himself? Why did he attack the girl? Why doe he think he is stupid? Sit down and tell him to tell you what is goin on with him to help you understand him.

Answer 10

first off i wouldnt laff at things he says or does itll only make things worse. if he doesnt want to give you hugs or kisses then say thats ok i dont want them then if i have to beg. r u mom or was his mom the one that died? does he play video games? what does he watch on tv? what kind of friends does he have? you need to reasurre him that he is special. as far as the tooth brush get him a rounded babyfide one and tell him that he can not have a big boys tooth brush because he doesnt know how to act with one. and talk to him about the knife. about his saying hurt me hurt me... tell him that untill he can talk like a nice young boy then just sit at the end of the couch ( i would say to send him to his room but seeing how he could hurt himself you would want to be able to watch him WITH OUT him realizing you are) good luck