I have a list.....

... of all the children at school who "hate" George. They don't, but it's his perception that they do. Boys will be boys and all that... He's come home today, wound up, anxious and frustrated. He's anxious because one of the "big" boys pushed him over. This resulted in torn (ruined) school trousers and a small cut to Georges' hand. George tells me that this "big" boy always does this to him. He was worried that I would be cross because I need to get him yet another pair of school trousers. He's only been at this school for two terms and he's going through a pair of trousers per term. I suggested that, whenever possible, he avoid this boy to prevent this happening again.

He then launched himself into qualifying his statement of "everybody hates me".

"They give me a hard time because I'm different to them. They call me names like 'monkey boy' and 'freak'. I can't help it if I have ADHD. They do things to wind me up. When I do the same back to them, I get told off by the teacher and sent out of the class. Then they all laugh at me because I'm being sent out. In technology, today, two boys kept throwing my stuff on the floor. If I leave it there, it will get trodden on, or I'll get told off by the teacher because my stuff is all over the place. They kept doing it today, and I got so cross that I threw one of their pencils on the floor. I got told off for that, too. In English, they were winding me up so much I had to ask the teacher if I could be excused so that I could go into the corridor and calm down. She came out after a minute or two and told me to go back into class. I tried to explain that I hadn't calmed down. She made me go back in. It ended with her sending for the SOC (Staff on Call) and some of the class started laughing at me again because I was in trouble".

I don't think for one minute that every minute at school is traumatic for him. It is very hard, when you're struggling, to see anything positive though. And I know that George is struggling. If he was in a small school, with small classes, his behaviour would improve, because there would be less stimulus. Large classes with a lot of noisy children stress him out. He would do very well if he worked alone, in a quiet room, but it has the potential to turn him into a very solitary and lonely person.

Georges' Dad (often referred to as 'himself') works best and is very happy when he is alone. He can concentrate, has nobody else to consider but himself and achieves a lot. This gives him a sense of wellbeing. It is my belief that he suffers from ADD. He certainly exhibits a lot of the signs. However, he has learnt social skills (you would expect this from a chap in his forties) and he has lots of friends. To deprive George of his peers would also deprive him of the ability to learn social skills. It's at times like this that I could really do with a crystal ball (couldn't we all?!) I don't think that I worry too much about our youngest daughter and what her future holds. She has lots of confidence, lots of friends and seems to be doing quite well at school. Her parents evenings are always a pleasure. I worry a lot about what the future holds for George. He's been telling me for nearly two years that everybody hates him. He recognises his faults but seems powerless to do anything about them. Right now, this minute, he has the TV on. I've told him he isn't to watch TV today, but he's forgotten and I don't have the heart to remind him. He's had a terrible day. If that makes me a bad parent, right now, then I hold my hands up to it. I just can't face any more upset today.

The Dore exercises are progressing well. George hasn't complained about doing them and is trying hard. :o)