Is this child a sociopath???

[BetteDavisEyes]

I work with children at an elementary school in the special education department. The kids I work with have learning disabilities & some are ADHD & ADD. There is one particular boy who is really starting to freak me out. I do not know what to classify him but I have started hearing the term sociopath in relation to him. As far as I know, I didn't think that children could be classified as sociopaths but this one is starting to make me wonder & research the subject. He's in the 3rd grade & his behavior has always been a problem but lately, it is getting scary.
Examples of things he's done are as follows:

1. Grabbed a little girl & pushed her behind a building where he proceeded to kick her repeatedly. When found, he told the police that he knew it was wrong but he wanted to hear her cry. He did it because he knew he could.
2. Admitted to me & the other teacher that his fish died b/c he wanted to take them out of the water & watch them die. I fear for the animals in his neighborhood.
3. Threatens to "kick his ass" to any other child he dislikes. He uses language like ass, shit, fuck, and bitch. Laughs when he is reprimanded about the use of that language in the classroom.
4. Laughed hysterically when the mother of another child was killed in a car accident. Thought it was funny that the other child now had no mom.
5. Choked another student in the boys bathroom b/c he wanted to see him turn blue. The other student is fine but his parents have since removed him from the school.

These are just a few examples of a long list of his behaviors. These aforementioned ones have happened since September of this year alone. We have set numerous conferences with his parents but they refuse to believe anything is wrong. They blame us for his behavior. He knows the difference between right and wrong but he has freely stated that it's more fun to do things that hurt other people because it makes him feel good.
I don't know if I'm overreacting or if this is something that could be a problem in the future. Any thoughts???

[PhoenixAzul]

..... holy mother of god. I think what that kid needs is a good exorcism and some counseling.

I can't believe his parents feel nothing is wrong. Is this an affluent neighborhood or middle class or what? Parents separated? Any evidence of abuse?

[BetteDavisEyes]

No. All that has been looked into. He's been with us for the past 3 years & he's been retained once. He's from a lower middle class family & they seem normal. We've done surprise visits & neighbors tell us that with the exception of this kid, the rest of them are hard-working & generally nice people who go to church every Sunday.

[chideltjen]

Any way to research his behavior outside of the classroom without getting too nosy?

But yeah... that kid needs some help.

[BetteDavisEyes]

There's only so much we can do. I know he saw the school psychologist last year but he told us that everything was fine with him. He was just overly excited.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Yes.

[Dionysus]

Yepper. That's really fucked up that his parents are in denial.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

When I was a little girl, there was a bigger boy who sounds very similar to that boy. He scared everyone. Despite encouragement from many sources, his parents refused to get him the psychiatric help that he desperately needed.

As a teen and an adult, he had numerous run ins with the law and had been institutionalized a few times. He spent many years suffering from untreated mental illness. He was not a functional member of society until recently when he finally got help.

I hope that this boy's parents heed the advice to get help. There are doctors and medicines that might be able to treat him. Otherwise, I see years of misery for this boy, his family, and anyone he decides to hurt.

[hottytoddy]

MY aunt works with kids with disibilities like this. I copied it and forwarded it to her.

[FAB*SpiceySpice]

Originally posted by BetteDavisEyes
I work with children at an elementary school in the special education department. The kids I work with have learning disabilities & some are ADHD & ADD. There is one particular boy who is really starting to freak me out. I do not know what to classify him but I have started hearing the term sociopath in relation to him. As far as I know, I didn't think that children could be classified as sociopaths but this one is starting to make me wonder & research the subject. He's in the 3rd grade & his behavior has always been a problem but lately, it is getting scary.
Examples of things he's done are as follows:

1. Grabbed a little girl & pushed her behind a building where he proceeded to kick her repeatedly. When found, he told the police that he knew it was wrong but he wanted to hear her cry. He did it because he knew he could.
2. Admitted to me & the other teacher that his fish died b/c he wanted to take them out of the water & watch them die. I fear for the animals in his neighborhood.
3. Threatens to "kick his ass" to any other child he dislikes. He uses language like ass, shit, fuck, and bitch. Laughs when he is reprimanded about the use of that language in the classroom.
4. Laughed hysterically when the mother of another child was killed in a car accident. Thought it was funny that the other child now had no mom.
5. Choked another student in the boys bathroom b/c he wanted to see him turn blue. The other student is fine but his parents have since removed him from the school.

These are just a few examples of a long list of his behaviors. These aforementioned ones have happened since September of this year alone. We have set numerous conferences with his parents but they refuse to believe anything is wrong. They blame us for his behavior. He knows the difference between right and wrong but he has freely stated that it's more fun to do things that hurt other people because it makes him feel good.
I don't know if I'm overreacting or if this is something that could be a problem in the future. Any thoughts???

Technically these things wouldn't get him diagnosed as a sociopath, but that's not to say that he should be watched very carefully now and in the next year or two. The physically violent behavior, lack of emotion, and the cruelty to animals are what stands out to me the most because they are a couple of the critera one has to meet to be diagnosed as a sociopath, in general.

As bad as it might sound, the language isn't a huge red flag, I know boys in my 3rd grade class who did the same thing, my brother included. Doesn't really factor much into the description of a sociopath however.

I would suggest talking to whoever is in charge of your school, making them aware of the problem, and then having them inform the parents. I don't know if you're in the position where you could just call the parents and let them know, but it seems like a smarter move to not do that independently. A therapist would be more helpful at first and if severe problems are found he can always be sent to a psychiatrist later on. Before giving the kid meds, he needs to be able to tell someone why hurting people feels good to him and have them actually listen to him. Also knowing what his family life and life outside school are like will probably be important. Only after all that is done would I suggest a psychiatrist.

Sorry this was long and if it made no sense. Good luck!

[BetteDavisEyes]

It made good sense. The language isn't a big deal when compared to the other incidents we've had to deal with. I only hope that his parents smarten up and soon or he's headed into some major problems.

[Speechpath]

Originally posted by BetteDavisEyes
There's only so much we can do. I know he saw the school psychologist last year but he told us that everything was fine with him. He was just overly excited.

can he been seen again given the recent events?

[ShaedyKD]

I'd say he's well on his way to becoming a serial killer. Seriously, many serial killers exhibited certain behaviors as children, including animal abuse, bedwetting, and playing with fire. Jeffrey Dahmer tortured and killed many animals as a child.

[labeachgrl]

It sounds like he hasn't had any "consequences" to his behaviour - obviously not at home or at school (um...I would think any of those actions involving hurting other students are causes for expulsion).

If you have no say in whether he stays - I say work on the little bad behaviours first, taking away "priviledges" in class and then work up to working detentions - scrubbing grafitti, etc. Setting boundaries of right and wrong, cause and effect might stall the little future serial killer.

Good luck!!!!!!!

[BetteDavisEyes]

Once a child has had severe problems like this, other schools & districts will not take them in. Basically, our schools are crowded & no one wants to take in a child like this. We're stuck with him for better or worse.
I hate to label him a future serial killer but with actions like the ones he's been exhibiting, unless something drastic happens soon, I don't know what will become of him.

As for the priviledges, he doesn't have any. He's already lost all the priviledges we could possible take away from him. The only other thing we could possibly take away is his food during lunch & that's abuse so our hands are tied until the district & school decides what will happen with him.
*pulls hair out in frustration over red tape in school districts*
California schools can really suck sometimes.