Child with extreme behavior in my class!

[PreKteacherA]

Myself and my co-teacher need help!
We have a student that is 5 yrs old and one of the taller, stronger boys in our class. He is know to our private preschool for being a problem child, as last yr he was constantly in trouble and having discipline issues.
It's almost hard to explain him. Both parents are highly educated and he has a very high IQ himself. He always feel as though he can outsmart you as an adult. He shouts out during circle and says it's the "Adam (not his name) show" and acts out to get attention and all the kids to laugh. At quiet time we have several "nappers" and he is just crazy, moving his mat all over the room and shouting out songs and weird noises. He often grabs things from others hands or says hurtful things to friends, but at other times he will answer questions in circle with "we should not do that because that would hurt someone's feelings" and such. He can be sweet and nice and when coached can attempt to be on best behavior but it only lasts an hour or so and he will just start being NUTS! He started this it only in our class around late October playing the "potty game". He would hide at recess and ask classmates to see them pee or to see their private parts (boys and girls), he also crawls underneath the classroom bathroom stahl to try and see others go potty. When the behavior was caught and addressed per discussion with him and we as a school told his parents, the behavior would falter a little and then it would start again. He lost recess privileges for weeks which is terrible bc we know he has so much energy built up. He can never sit still unless in a very small group doing something artistic or education of higher thinking. Parents have complained and now he has escalated to putting his hands in others pants, etc. The parents say they are at a loss and they are actually mad at us as teachers and the school but we have tried so hard. He was kicked out of a previous private preschool before coming to our school. I had him all summer and he didn't act near as bad. The teachers from last yr actually refused to take him this yr. and now his behavior just keep escalating. Our principal offered to his parents for him to have a "shadow", but the parents say no.
We had a child therapist come in to observe him but he was coached by mom that she was coming and to act nice. He last the whole 2.5 hours she was there acting bizarre and angelic like. It was appalling.
Help!
Anyone have a child like this?  

[specialmom]

Wanted to clarify why I asked about professional training in education.  I have been pleasantly surprised once my son entered primary school at the level of expertise teachers in our district have in dealing with all sorts of children.  At risk kids, kids with challenges and even basic behavior challenges are taken in stride by our local educators because of the constant level of continuing education they must do.  When we were in the preschool years prior to public education, in the private setting---  there was a wider range in training of teachers.  That is when there could be a chance that a teacher didn't understand thinks like sensory integration disorder and other such issues that affect classroom behavior.  Kids with these disorders often look like they are misbehaving but it is actually a surfacing of their disorder in the classroom.  Teachers that have a professional designation are required to know the signs and learn ways of managing these kids.  

So, I was inquiring what level the teachers are at at your school.  It may not be a right fit for this boy.  good luck

[specialmom]

You are a teacher?  Is this a school where teachers are required to have a college education?  I only ask because I noticed a good deal of grammatical error and it would lead me to believe that this is a school in which teachers perhaps haven't had all the training required of those that have professional degrees in education.  

Now, I had a son like this and you could discipline him for hours and it would matter not.  He had a nervous system issue called sensory integration disorder.

I would suggest that the head of your school, the director or principal meet with the teacher (the primary teacher) and parents.  Discuss what the parents see and what you all see at school.  Get input from the parents.  Then if your school has a grant program to help with intervention of children, begin the process.  This usually entails observation from a professional trained to identify concerns.  Then she/he can recommend that they evaluate for what these concerns may be related to.  If he has issues that can benefit from intervention, then the services required for that could be set up.  Teacher, principal, and intervention specialists can work as a team to help the boy alone.  

That is appropriate protocol for a child such as this.  And sometimes a private school setting isn't made for that.  Children are then recommended to attend the local public school where by law, these services are provided.  

BTW, they typically will observe a child over the course of at least three days in class as it is actually very common to 'catch' a child on a good day.  Also encourage the parents to come in and observe themselves.  

At five, you can not discipline a child after school for things that happen at school.  Punishment must be immediate.  And a child that feels like they are in trouble all day long at school will not learn appropriate behaviors.  In those cases, it is better to get to the root of WHY it is  happening.

good luck

[MarkLakewood3367]

Removing privileges from a 5 year old for weeks at a time is simply a bad and an ineffective discipline.  I recommend the following:

1.  Have the behavior rules clearly defined and posted.
2.  Place him in a timeout one minute per age (5 minutes) per misbehavior.
3.  Offer him tangible rewards for good behavior.
4.  Work with the parents on discipline making sure they also discipline or reward him at home for school behavior on a daily basis.
5.  Make sure that you communicate with the parents daily on his behavior.