Your Concerns about Lying, Cheating, and/or Stealing, School Age

You said your child sometimes lies, cheats, or steals. Your child may occasionally cheat at board games or card games. S/he may lie and say things are not his/her fault. You may also notice that s/he takes small amounts of money from you. S/he may occasionally rip and tear papers when upset or cheat on tests at school. There may have been one time when s/he shoplifted. It is pretty uncommon for children to do these types of things a lot. It is more common for school-aged children to lie, cheat, or steal once in a while.

Warning signs that things are getting worse:

• Your child often cheats, lies, or steals
• Your child starts fighting, hitting, biting, or kicking
• S/he breaks into a house, building, or car.
• S/he "cons" others by lying
• S/he steals things of value (e.g. jewelry, clothing)

If you think things are getting worse, talk to your child's doctor even if you have discussed these things before.

Adapted in part from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care (DSM-PC) (1996).