My child is eight years old and has adhd he refuses to go to school. I am at the end of my rope?

Question

My child is eight years old and has adhd he refuses to go to school. I am at the end of my rope?

Answer 1

Try looking up a book called, "Allergies and the Hyperactive Child", by Dr. Doris Rapp (out-of-print - find online). Yes, as a parent you need to be in control, but for those who have not had a child with ADHD, the actual parenting can be somewhat challenging. You might consider going to S.T.E.P. parenting classes often offered by the school systems and read the book mentioned above. Get his diet under control. Sugary products, white flour products, etc. can cause lots of difficulties for many children. Look up ADHD and food intolerances, and ADHD and candida. Talk to him about his school experiences, schoolwork, and what you can do to help him become more comfortable in the school and classroom environment. Let him talk to you and find out what is truly bothering him - really listen, but not when you are trying to get him to school. Find a quiet time when he is relaxed. See if a meeting with the teacher would be in order, too. Be sure to read the book.

Answer 2

what is the reason he gives?   Did he act this way last year?  Does he have a best friend?  Did school just start?  Have you met his teacher?  Have you volunteered to do work at the school so he knows you are nearby and so you know what goes on at the school?  

There are so many reasons that a child will act that way.   Just cause your child is assigned a particular teacher does not mean that he should stay in that classroom, he may click better with a different teacher.   Maybe he is having difficulty making friends or maybe he has a learning disability that hasnt been discovered?  

You have got to take charge and find out the reasons.  Something is going on and you cant know what to do until you know why!   Talk to all the teachers he has, the principal, the school counselor.  These people usually are willing to help as much as possible.  They are usually good people with good hearts.   Dont feel at the end of your rope....you are just at the beginning of it!  Youve got ten more years of it!   It never gets easy!!!  

Answer 3

Find out why. Ask if he is being bullied at school or is scared to go for some other reason. Talk to him. Talk to the teachers. Talk to the other kids at school. There is a reason he doesn't want to go. He is possibly finding the work too hard and needs to be reassessed, or he is being teased or something. If you can't find any good reason, you could consider another school. Take him to a good child psychologist to help you find out what is at the bottom of this.

Answer 4

He's 8 and you're letting him dictate whether or not he goes to school? Great job.

Go to school with him and sit next to him until his behavior improves about school, and discipline him at home. ADHD is NOT an excuse for poor behavior.

Answer 5

Drag him to school, let me tell over papering can damage children.  Please treat fast.  

Answer 6

my youngest kids want to be police men and fire men i just tell my kids that if they want to be police and fire men they have to go to school. both my boys have adhd..it works well for us. find out what intrest you son and play along with it. if he wants to be a doctor or a police man or a fire man just tell him he can not do these thing unless he goes to school GOOD LUCK

Answer 7

Tie a knot to your rope, hang on, and get your child counseling.

Answer 8

it is called ADHD meds.

Answer 9

I also have an adhd child, he is also dyslexic.  Before he was diagnosed and receiving the help he needed he hated school.  He would hide under desks and keep his head in his shirt.  He would act out so that he would get kicked out of class.  The problem was that he felt dumb.  He didn't know what the other kids knew and he was humiliated.  Now he has resource and is feeling much more confident and doing unbelievably well.  If your child isn't getting the proper help at school he/she will continue to hate school and have a lifetime of problems.  It's embarrassing when the entire class is able to answer questions and read what you can't. And maybe there is some teasing going on.  Please talk to the school, talk to your child and get him/her the help that he/she needs. An adhd child has a really hard time absorbing info and Adhd and dyslexia can go hand in hand.  Whatever you do...do not let your child stay home from school.  Ask about resource, find out what is going on.  Good luck!  

Answer 10

i'm sorry, a child is telling u he refuses to do something? that's crazy. i guess things are diff from when i was growing up

Answer 11

Then you must physically make him go. Pick him up and put him in the car, drive him to school and carry him inside like a little baby if he forces you to. Thats ridiculous, an eight year old in control of his parents!

Answer 12

Whatever the reason for his not wanting to go to school, YOU as the parent must take responsibility and take him there. Yes, you may have to physically place him in the car, etc... but you are going to do it or YOU will be in trouble with the authorities. It is against the law for you to keep him out of school for too many days, unless you withdraw him completely and homeschool him. Definitely be careful- I am a former teacher and mother of 3 children, 2 of which are in school, and I have seen several parents end up in jail for not making their children attend school. Here, if a child misses more than 10 days without a valid excuse, then the parents are reported to the authorities. Again though as others have mentioned in their postings, YOU are the parent and he is the child. For an 8 year old to simply refuse to go to school, this sort of behavior must have been tolerated since the beginning, and now your child is the one in control. Take the control back before its too late!

Answer 13

Refuses to go to school?

Who is running that household him or you? Sounds like it's the kid - time to grow up and take charge -

I don't buy into the adhd - that's a recent "illness" discovered to sell drugs

there was no such "disease" when I was kid all those years ago.

  

Answer 14

TURKYS ARE MAKING THE WORLD GO AROUND

Answer 15

He's 8.  He doesn't have a choice.  Why doesn't he want to go to school?  Does he get teased or does he just not like his teacher? Either way, discuss it with him and drag his butt to school.