Q: My seven-year-old son will run out of his classroom multiple times a day. I think he is bored or frustrated. How can I get him to stay in the classroom and instead use words to express himself?

The Family Project is concerned that by age 7, a child shouldn’t be running out of a classroom. By this age, he is in second grade and students are expected to follow directions and listen to the teacher.

“Maybe it is something developmental, especially if he’s having trouble expressing himself verbally,” said panelist Mike Daniels.

First and foremost, this is a safety issue, said panelist Denise Continenza,

When he runs out of the classroom, he is in danger because he is no longer under the teacher’s supervision. And the teacher can’t go after him, because then the class is not under supervision.

“This behavior is at the point of interfering with the running of the classroom,” agreed panelist Chad Stefanyak.

“You should ask someone to observe what goes on before, during and after your son runs out of class. Find out what precipitates this behavior and what is his emotional state when he does this,” said Continenza.

Reasons for this type of behavior could be he is trying to escape or avoid a particular setting, person or activity, or he is seeking to get attention from an adult or peer at school.

This definitely puts the teacher in a difficult situation and you should seek intervention from the school’s counseling staff, the panelists said.

“There are school psychologists who can do an evaluation. He needs to have a behavioral assessment in school,” Stefanyak said.

“It could be, there are are other issues happening here,” said Daniels, adding, “It doesn’t seem this is really about the child’s understanding of following rules.”

You can help him to learn to express himself better by sitting down and talking to him when he is calm and receptive, the panel said.

Try asking him to describe how he is feeling, and follow up with open-ended questions about what’s happened to make him feel this way. Teach him words to describe his feelings and make sure he knows that its okay to have those feelings.

This week’s panel: Pam Wallace, program coordinator, Project Child, a program of Valley Youth House; Denise Continenza, extension educator; Chad Stefanyak, school counselor, and Mike Daniels, LCSW, Psychotherapist.

Have a question? Email: projectchild@projectchildlv.org

The Family Project is a collaboration of the Lehigh Valley Press Focus section and Valley Youth House’s Project Child.

The Times News, Inc., and affiliates (Lehigh Valley Press) do not endorse or recommend any medical products, processes, or services or provide medical advice. The views of the columnist and column do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Lehigh Valley Press. The article content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, or other qualified health-care provider, with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.