Positive turnaround?

I just thought I would update, because we were going out of our minds around the holidays.

My parents took DS for a week around New Years and ever since then, it seems like he's a changed boy.

He doesn't give us a hard time in the mornings (well, once in awhile but nothing like before), he is eating a lot better and just a lot of the negative behavior has seemed to disappear including getting dressed for us and leaving his clothes on.

As an aside, DH has had a lot more downtime and has been able to spend several more days a week with him, picking him up early from school and such.

Do you think some of this could've been for attention?

I know I have had a few of you FM to say it could totally be that because the teachers weren't complaining about him.

I also think this month school conference will be scheduled. I know his primary teacher just lost her mom though so a lot of that is up in the air.

Re: Positive turnaround?

I am glad to hear you've seen improvement! It's hard to tell the actual function of these behaviors unless you take data on the behavior, when its happening, whats happening before and after the behavior. That being said, the fact that he didn't act this way with your parents definitely speaks volumes! Also i think children fall into a routine with negative behaviors and it becomes a daily pattern. ( trouble during mealtime transitions etc) they almost become second nature. I think the break from him was a great idea and it probably just broke him of that pattern of negative behavior! Keep up the good work! Remember to catch him "being good" and praise him specifically for his good behavior.

Re: Positive turnaround?

Thanks for responding.

I still have an appt. with a specialist scheduled in the early spring as a preventative.

Re: Positive turnaround?

That's a great idea just to have a backup plan! You may need a behaviorist just to point out things you aren't seeing when you're in the moment. Sometimes parents and professionals reinforce behaviors without even realizing it and it's great to have an outside perspective.

Re: Positive turnaround?

Tks. We also wonder if the fact that DS doesn't have a lot of friends outside of school is triggering something.

He is with his cousins all the time, but the twins who are his age are girls and at this stage don't want to have anything to do with "boy stuff".

He has a little boy cousin who will be 3 in the late spring who adores him and follows him everywhere, but he's still too young to understand and follow everything in play that DS (5) wants him to do.

We saw them at a family event last night and on the way home out of the blue DS said to us "I don't think my cousins like me and want to play".

DH and/or myself have also been with him every day since mid-week last week and I have noticed almost no meltdowns. (So maybe it is separation anxiety?).

I will keep the appt. with the developmental ped because I know they are so hard to get and take a long time.

Just curious too if any other parents have noticed a positive change.