Hey....first off ((((hugs)))) I know how hard it is emotionally to have a child that punishes himself and speaks poorly of himself. It's heartbreaking.

My son started exhibiting this in kindergarten and would also say he was going to kill himself, hit his head, etc. That year he was diagnosed with ADHD/ODD and put on an "emotional disturbance" IEP. In other words, he likely has emotional/mood issues aside from ADHD that no one wants to diagnose at a young age. He's now 11 and it seems like it's kind of died down a good deal, but he clearly still struggles with self-esteem.

I think your son could benefit from some help. He may not get or even have a diagnoses but may benefit from therapy to help with self-esteem and such.

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. I don't have any "normal" children to base my knowledge on, so I'm curious what others have to say.