Help me help him - 2nd grader in need of supports
We have a 2nd grader who is almost 9 years old (Feb). He is really struggling at school recently. Prior to this year he has always held it together at school and had *major* restraint collapse with us after returning home. He has ADHD inattentive - moderate to severe, Anxiety with Somatic features, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, irritability and anger/mood swings and rejection sensitive dysphoria per a psychological evaluation in Jan 2025. During the school year 24 - 25 we moved him to a smaller private school where he has more freedom to move around, be outside in nature, accessibility to different supports (fidgets, breaks, etc). He did great with the transition last year and we didn't get any complaints from the teacher. This year however, he has complained about a couple of boys being mean to him over things like not being good at sports. Enough that a classmate when home and told his mother he was worried about my kiddo at recess because kids weren't nice. We had a meeting with the counselor and teacher recently and they both are so kind and caring and open to suggestions. Unfortunately, it sounds like it has escalated per the teachers latest communication to us.
"In the name of transparency, I was contacted by 2 families recently regarding Bob's choices in the classroom. To the other students these behaviors feel targeted, although my gut says that it's a cycle of global impulsivity, and not specific to certain classmates. Examples include pouring a cup of watercolor water onto the table where 5 other students were working, (saying that he was curious whether the cup had water in it) grabbing books out of kids hands while walking past them, and stepping on handmade game dice with responses like "ha!" or "who cares" as a result. (I'll also share that I witnessed these and stepped in- these examples aren't just one child's word against another.) Often their knee-jerk reaction doesn't come out as kind or productive, but I can certainly empathize with their frustration.
Bob required a great deal of my attention last week. When we spoke I tried to understand his feelings/motivations/etc. and my overall observation is that he's worried that his friends don't want to be around him or that he has regret and shame about the choices he's making but doesn't always know how to follow up after they happen. Unfortunately this is a natural consequence of some of his behavior, particularly for peers at this age. I reminded him that his choices have consequences (both positive and negative!) and that he will get back what he puts out there.
I'm so grateful that he values his relationship with his therapist. I'm really proud of his ability to voice what he's feeling- his phrasing of having a lot going on in his head seems very articulate. He also asked if he could take his board game home to share it with his therapist. What a wonderful resource! I'm committed to helping Bob get back on track, and will work to communicate his day to you so that you have some context when speaking with him at home."
I am feeling a little stuck. Burned out... not sure where to go from here. Kiddo is on prozac and focalin XR currently and both are supposed to be meds that should help benefit him the most based on recent GeneSight testing. I feel like I have listened to a thousand podcasts, and parenting books, talked to his therapist, my therapist... he is a middle kid and often I feel like the blame gets put on him by other family members or things like "I dont understand why you do things like that BOB!" which seem so hurtful. Just looking for advice, or solidarity... I am not really sure. Just needing some help from like minded parents. Thanks for reading if you made it this far.
Posted Jan 27, 2026, 1:55 PM UTC