6 year old behavior

by Russ
(Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA)

6 yr old son, behavioral issues...

Question: My son is 6 years old and has been taking a number of different ADHD meds since he was 4 years old...he has always had a little bit of aggressive behavior towards peers and animals, and doesn't really show the remorse that you would expect to see.


He isn't out of control by any means, but will exhibit these traits periodically, i.e. hitting my Mother's dog, burnt little sister with a curling iron on her arm for playing with his toy, threw cat out of second story window when he was 3.

He also will lie very frequently about something he has done, placing blame on someone else. Which means he knows that he is doing something wrong and doesn't want to be punished.

He also is displaying some sexual behavior towards his sister, touched his cousins genitals at a birthday party, hopped into bed naked with his sister after they were put into their own bedrooms, rubs his privates on me or the ground, touches himself in public...just concerning behavior.

What should I do about his behavior??

Signed,

Concerned Father

Answer: I also find this 6 year old behavior to be very concerning and think that taking steps to deal with them now are very important, so it doesn't progress into adolescence.

I think working with a behavior analyst to observe him and determine why he is behaving this way would be extremely beneficial. I am especially concerned because if these behaviors persist or get worse he could find himself getting into trouble with the law.

It’s difficult for me to give you specific advice for these behaviors without observing and conducting a functional assessment of his behavior. A certified behavior analyst located near you will be able to do this for you.

The following website will help you locate someone bacb.com.

In the meantime, if he has aggressive behavior towards a person because someone has taken a toy, that toy should be removed for him to play with.

I would also have him restore the relationship by doing chores for that individual (ie. Cleaning their room, feeding the cat, cleaning out the litter box, picking up dog poop etc.) with supervision of course.

If he is sexually inappropriate, redirect him to a secluded area or take him home immediately if in public and tell him this is inappropriate behavior.

Talk about the body being private and that we don’t touch others in private places. Try to prevent further situations by allowing his sister to have a lock on her door.

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