In a perfect world, a teacher could walk into her classroom at the start of a new school year and begin teaching the many academic lessons the children need to learn before they leave her care. In addition, she would teach them how to become safe, respectful, and responsible citizens who flawlessly contribute in a positive way to the class and act appropriately in the common areas outside of the classroom. However, that is not reality. Reality is a class of nearly 30 fourth graders who come from drastically different backgrounds and who may have deficits in academics and/or behavior. Sometimes, challenging behaviors may be due to medical conditions beyond their control, presenting yet another challenge. I have several students like this in my fourth grade class.
Bob is a nine-year-old, fourth grade boy who was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of third grade. Previous teachers had labeled him as a troublemaker and said he did not care if he got in trouble. He also did not respond to sticker sheets for good behavior and would rip them up. His third grade teacher suggested that they speak with their doctor and the result, after paperwork and several meetings, was ADHD. The year ended and when the teacher found out I would be getting him, she said, “Good luck. He’s trouble”. I was so happy to be getting him so I could work with him and give him the school life he deserves! I understand that you have to reach outside the norm of your social skills training for a case like this. “A common trigger for students is not feeling respected” (Hamlett, 2018, p. 2). If people view him and treat him like he is nothing but trouble, then that is what he will be! We, the teachers, need to lead by example. Bob is now thriving, as I enacted something as simple as, “take a lap” for when he feels too energetic. You see, even with this diagnosis, mother did not want to medicate. So, we have come up with many accommodations to help him and he is continuing to improve his social and behavioral skills. This is why we need to investigate the problem, so we can address it specifically.
Sarah had a rough first day in my class. When we started off with introductions and it was her turn to speak, she started crying. Even though I said we could do her turn later or another day, she still did not look happy. It was clear she was struggling with social-emotional skills. According to her paperwork from previous years, it was stated that she was quiet and shy. We are now five months into the school year, and she still struggles to participate. I have spoken to my intervention team and her parents and we have discussed ways to help her with participation. Nothing has been too effective. When we meet again in a week, the school counselor and psychologist plan to bring up the possibility of anxiety as an underlying cause of her reluctance to speak in front of others. “Anxiety-related responding and skill deficits have historically been associated with performance-based anxiety disorders such as social phobia” (Hopko, McNeil, Zvolensky, & Eifert, 2001, p. 185). As such, typical behavior skills training may need to be modified and to help this student reach mastery in social situations.
Amelia is a girl who has Autism. She is working with an aid and is performing at a much lower grade level, academically. She is sweet and loves to participate. However, she behaves inappropriately when it comes to boys. She verbally tells them that she loves them and that they are her boyfriend. The children in my class do not react negatively, as we have talked about how to respond to Amelia. However, in the common areas, for those who are not used to this, it becomes an issue. Her aid is there for her academic time in class, but not with her in the common areas. We have practiced appropriate versus non appropriate conversation topics, but she sometimes forgets. Learning appropriate social skills for Amelia takes a lot of repetition. “When introducing a new skill, teachers should give students the opportunity to practice until they feel they understand why that skill is important to their everyday success” (Hamlett, 2018, p. 2). As she grows and changes, the intervention plan may need to be altered. However, knowing the underlying factor of Autism can guide us in developing a research-based plan to meet her social and behavioral needs.
References
Hamlett, T. (2018). Module 3: Interventions for increasing appropriate student behavior, Part 1 transcript: Emotional control [Lecture notes]. Retrieved from https://ace.instructure.com/courses/1652445/files/100071761?module_item_id=22985945&fd_cookie_set=1
Hamlett, T. (2018). Module 3: Interventions for increasing appropriate student behavior, Part 2 transcript: Skill instruction [Lecture notes]. Retrieved from https://ace.instructure.com/courses/1652445/files/100071761?module_item_id=22985945&fd_cookie_set=1
Hopko, D. R., McNeil, D. W., Zvolensky, M. J., & Eifert, G. H. (2001). The relation between anxiety and skill in performance-based anxiety disorders: A behavioral formulation of social phobia. Behavior Therapy, 32(1), 185-207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(01)80052-6
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