Child's Negative Behaviour.

[Jenarry]

What do you think these following behaviour problems would indicate?...
As a child hardly speaking til 4-5 years old. Once old enough..prob from about 7 years of age choosing to go off for hours and hoours on end on their own away from home. Not getting on very well at school academically and with others. Continually causing problems at home almost as if on purpose...like wrecking new toys very quickly, shoplifting at a young age(around 8-9 years old), being quite destructive of their own and close ones belongings. Never really working with family but working against them .Not being caring at all to close family.
This is someone who is now an adult. My feelings are if they were a child now they would receive more medical help and possibly diagnosed with something such as adhd or family would receive advice about behaviour but I am just guessing. what do you think?...

[Jeza]

I cannot answer your Q Jen but I will be interested in answered received. Having been there nearly 30 years ago I went every where for help but no one was interested.

[anneasquith]

be interesting to hear how their behaviour is as an adult,

[pixie373]

The "not speaking" is throwing me. Usually ADHD has exceptionally early milestones. My son was walking around furniture at 6months, daughter at 7 months. Is very difficult to tell without seeing or interacting with someone.
If this person still has difficulties as an adult, they can still be diagnosed and helped by the Mental Health team.
My daughter and niece have both been diagnosed with ADHD and this doesn't sound anything like them.

[Jeza]

No probs with my boy until he started school.

[ummmm]

Where were they going for hours and hours away from home at the age of 7?

The rest sounds like attention seeking. Any attention is better than no attention even if it's negative.

[Prudie]

I know nothing in this area so this will be my very judgemental view - that list of behaviour in a child would suggest to me a far far deeper psychological problems than ADHD, as a parent I would have hoped for professional help. That must have been very difficult for parents/family to accept.

[ummmm]

You can separate those behaviours.

They might not all relate.

[Daffy6543]

A few Aspergers traits there.

[tamborine]

Middle child syndrome (MSC). Sounds like my son. Always throwing his toys out of pram coz he wanted another kids toy. Everyone completes a chore but MCS neglects his & wrecks anothers work. He has grown into a charmer but unsharing.

[Eve]

A thought the same as Daffy, some Aspergers traits could be in there.

[pixie373]

Aspergers rarely has speech problems, autism more likely.

[ummmm]

I would have said autism (my son is autistic) except for the going off for hours at the age of 7'ish....

[pixie373]

The only child i know who did that, ummm, did have ADHD- but i think that's more parental discipline. A 7 yr old can't "choose" to go off for hours on their own.

[Prudie]

It seems to be a discussion between ADHD, Aspergers or Autism with no consideration for more serious sociopathic disorders. I hope that's correct Jenarry and guessing as you know this person as an adult you have no concerns.

[pixie373]

Not Asperger's- that was ruled out for my son, because he had language problems- although his mental maths ability is amazing- and has been since he was 2.

[kvalidir]

I'm interested to know what the person is like now too as this resembles my younger half brother slightly. Until he was 4 or 5 he refused to talk much (he could talk he just didn't want to) and he preferred to go off down the garden for hours on end with his own company. He would also destroy his own things if he got upset.He was never destructive with other people's thing though or worked against the family. He's not anti social as such now either, but then he's had a lot of one to one work done with him. They suggested he was ' in the autistic spectrum'. He's a couple of years younger than me and is now quite 'normal' in social scenarios except he has little foibles and obsesses over things and still prefers his own company a lot. I wondered if the person you refer to is older how it's turned out for them?

[pixie373]

That sounds like my autistic son, kvalidir.

[Jenarry]

I should clarifry that lack of speech wasn't because unable just didn't want to.thats what he himself said to a gp about the matter aged 3 or 4.