Parents of Schoolgoers  Discussion Forum

hi,
can you place the TV in a high place so that it is not accessible to him. make a time schedule for watching TV.like a behavior chart. for e.g days of the week in one column and the timing in a row. if he is spending 8 hours watching gradually reduce him to 7 1/2 hours for the first week. if he throws a tantrum tell him in a firm voice that the time is up. if he doesnt listen then move him to another room where there is no t.v. all the time that he is in next room keep telling him that you are not punishing him rather using the time do a lot of things. next week reduce the time by another 45 mins. at no point should you yell or scream at him or give into his behavior. you will have to enlist the help of your family members in this. they all have to support you. do not immediately start reading a book to him once you have shifted him to another room rather gradually lead him to do any other activity such as colouring. when you make a chart. list all activities that you wish to do with him. such as craft work, outdoor play, reading, colouring, gardening/walking, etc. put a time schedule for each activity. then put it into action firmly. your child should not be allowed access to the remote or T.V. if your child runs away while you are reading to him then use books which are colourful and with big prints which will involve the child.
also, if he runs away you bring him back and read to him for 10 mins(if you read to him for 30 mins daily divide into slots of 8-9 mins with a break of exercise or anything that you can think of) depending how long you usually read to him and play a game such as counting or beading or finger painting,etc.
you will have to keep at this for at least 3-4 weeks everyday before you see any changes in his behavior. i would suggest that you put him in a play school/ activity centre. the idea is not to learn rather to get him used to children and how they study.
as for his food habits. you need to start practising from today itself. have a table and a chair and your child eats one spoonful by himself and one could be fed. he comes running to you rather than the other way round. start early as these behaviors need to be controlled early in life.

Hi sybil,
i have a 2 & a half year old son who speaks only a few words not still speaking in sentences. if i start teaching him or reading a story for him he says no & runs away. he just loves to watch movies. while seeing movies he sits for hours together & watches otherwise he is running around always. he grinds his teeth when he is feeling sleepy can u pls advise. what is IQ test?

Dear Sathya,
kindly do seek the help of a speech therapist at the earliest. I am suggesting a speech therapist because the earlier you approach a therapist the greater the benefits. initially you will need a 1 on 1 session with the therapist.
A speech therapist is a specialist with training in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of speech, voice, and language disorders who works with people, unable to make speech sounds or cannot make them clearly. They also work with people who stutter, have fluency and rhythm problems, inappropriate pitch, or harsh voice and speech quality problems. The most widespread and obvious speech disorder is stuttering, often caused by anxiety. The speech therapist sets up a program of speech exercises to reduce the disability, and if necessary, enlists the aid of a psychologist or psychiatrist.

you could put him in a play school where the ration should not be more than 5 or 6 children in a group. the attention has to be on a individual level