Have you been able to sit down with him and discuss why he is acting this way?  If this happened immediately after the birth of a sibling and there had been no indication of this behavior before, it is likely that the new sibling is directly related to this change in behavior.  Maybe you could simply talk to your child about what it means to them to have a new sibling and you can see if there are some fears related to the new family member.  It may be that your seven year old is engaging in attention seeking behaviors because of the fear that the new baby will replace him.

Try your best right now to catch him being good as often as possible.  It sounds like you have tried this, but keep it up.  Encourage the good behaviors, set up clear consequences for bad behaviors that you wil be able to follow through on consistently, and positive reinforcers.  If the behavior becomes unmanagable and continues to not change, seek out some parent support groups in your area.  Parent support groups are great resources for parents who are looking for guidance and can provide great techniques, tools, and resources for help.  It would also be good to consult with a child psychologist about how to proceed.

We hope you can remain patient and not be fearful about continuing to seek out resources.  If you would like, feel free to call our hotline 24 hours a day.  We would be happy to further problem solve with you and have a database of referrals that we could check out.  Please call anytime!

Counselor, Dominic
Boys Town National Hotline-A resource for parents and teens
1-800-448-3000
www.parenting.org