Child refuses to do school work
My son is 9 years old and is very smart but has recently been falling behind due to refusing to work. He was going to in-person public school up until March. I pulled him out to do virtual school because he was not learning. I would get calls from the school psychologist almost every day that my son’s teacher would call for backup because my son would become enraged. He’d bang his fists on the desk and scream, flip chairs and desks over, and injuring himself. The psychologist would walk with him and he said he’d rather be in heaven than to be at school. He refused to learn.
We thought virtual learning would be helpful because he said that school makes his anxiety really bad. Now that he’s home, he still can’t pay attention and isn’t doing any work. He has regressed in reading and writing noticeably, along with other subjects. His psychiatrist put him on a stimulant along with his mood stabilizer and anti depressant. The stimulant made him extremely angry so we took him off.
Last week he came to the kitchen for lunch and I noticed scratches all over his arms. I asked how he got them and he was saying that he was hoping to bleed enough to not be here anymore because he has to do work. I told him we’d have a visit to the psychiatric hospital to be seen and he agreed, saying he just wants to be happy. I felt like the psychiatrist there was great and very knowledgeable. I felt very positive. Her recommendation was for him to double the adderall because the adhd is what is causing the outbursts.
Today he really struggled with school and I told him he had to at least stay by the computer to listen but could have a fidget, draw, etc. He said there is no point of being here anymore if this is what life is about. He grabbed a knife and tried to stem himself. I took the knife and he tried running out the front door.
I am feeling overwhelmed, depressed, and am losing hope of him living a normal, happy life. I hate knowing that he’s so unhappy. I am hoping somebody has some kind of advice or a similar story with a happy ending. My next step would be completely homeschooling him myself but the psychiatrist recommended him going back to in person school as it is good for him.