u/hopejoy108

Hi all,

I’d really appreciate input specifically from parents of kids on the spectrum.

My son just turned 5 and hasn’t started kindergarten yet. He could be neurodivergent (we’re still figuring things out), and I’m trying to understand how to interpret his current social style.

Today at a playground, he saw a group of older kids (7–9) and got very excited to interact. What stood out wasn’t just what he said, but how he approached them:

•	He ran up very excitedly (not calmly)

•	Went from one child to another quickly

•	Asked the same question (“What’s your school?”) to multiple kids

•	It didn’t feel like meaningful communication—more like he was asking just to engage or for the sake of asking

•	He didn’t really stay with one interaction or build on it

•	When one child said, “Can you leave me alone?”, he didn’t register that and kept trying

He clearly wants to connect, which I see as positive—but the interaction itself didn’t feel functional or socially tuned in.

What I’m trying to understand is:

•	Have your kids shown this kind of over-eager, scattered social approach at this age?

•	Did it become more calm, purposeful, and meaningful over time?

•	Did that shift happen naturally with exposure (like starting school), or did you have to explicitly teach it?

•	Is this stage something to view as a good foundation (social interest is there), or more as a signal to intervene early and shape it?

I’m less worried about the repetition itself and more about whether this kind of “non-functional” social approach evolves into real communication.

Would really value hearing how this looked over time for your kids. 🙏

My son just turned 5 last month. He doesn’t have major tantrums or aggressive behavior, but he does struggle with focus and is quite fidgety. It’s starting to impact his ability to learn in a classroom setting — not because he can’t understand things, but because he has trouble staying engaged and attending with peers.

We recently spoke with an ARNP who mentioned trying Guanfacine. Their explanation was that in younger kids, especially those with an autism diagnosis or similar regulation challenges, guanfacine is sometimes preferred over stimulants. They said it works more on calming the system and supporting the prefrontal cortex (attention, impulse control), rather than “speeding things up” like stimulants.

I’m trying to understand real-world experiences from parents who started this around age 5 or younger.

•	Did it actually help with focus or classroom learning?

•	Did it just make your child calmer, or did it improve engagement/learning too?

•	Any side effects (sleepiness, low energy, mood changes)?

•	How long did it take to see a difference?

•	If you tried it and stopped — why?

I’m especially interested in kids who are not aggressive, but more inattentive/fidgety and struggling in structured settings like a kindergarten classroom.

Not looking for medical advice — just honest experiences to understand what this looks like in real life.

Thanks in advance!