Help!

[Guest]

I'm at the end of my tether and it's only the second week back!!! I have a boy in my class who is causing a great deal of concern. Here goes . . . .

 

He cannot sit still, whether on the carpet or on a chair. When on the floor he takes shoes and socks off. When at a table, he swipes all the toys of the floor. When running around the classroom he finds other things to throw on the floor. Everything is put into his mouth. He will go to the book corner to choose a book, rubs it back and forth on the carpet and then puts it in his mouth to chew. After being told to pick the things up he has thrown, he will then repeat the swiping on the floor again. He does not respond to no, and has speech difficulties himself. He is an EAL child but his speech therapist has told his family to speak only in English with him, which they are doing.

 

Carpet time is a nightmare. He will sit and then roll on the carpet. He nips the other children's faces and he pokes them in the eyes. HE doesn't seem to respond to their tears. He cannot stay on task for anything. If I take my eye off him he is literally underneath my chair. He has bot up and bolted to the other side of the classroom (and as a double classroom, he has run straight onto the carpet of the other class and disrupted their lesson).

 

I don't always have support on the carpet, which makes it trebly as hard. I have a very difficult class this year and they are easily led. They mimic him and chant his name. He doesn't seem to notice or be egged on by this, it is simply what he does.

 

I've spoken to the SENCO and she came to observe him. He was quite placid at the time of her observation (aren't they always?), but she did pick out a few of his habits, i.e. the inappropriate noises he makes, the fact that he is constantly fussing with his left are (pulling his short sleeve shirt arm onto his shoulder and twitching his left arm) and the fact that he just cannot sit still and focus on the carpet. Someone from Pre-5s is coming, but we don't know when. We don't even know if anything will be done.

 

Mum raised her concerns about whether or not he would be more suited for nursery as he is a young August birthday and he only started in nursery in April 04. The FSCo-ordinator has dashed those thoughts with the insistence that he needs to get used to these routines.

 

I am very aware of the FSC and it's provision for less sitting down at the tables etc. Am not sure how many of you remember my situation, but am in a double class where they have had routines for a long time and feel that anything less is not 'teaching' (this is only my 2nd year of teaching). It's therefore hard to provide the less structured day for him when tables are what this Reception is actually all about.

 

Even outside this afternoon he was soon off task - with him them tearing round the playground taking other children's toys and throwing them on the floor.

 

Obviously there are internventions by adults, but I cannot be with him 24/7. The other children need my attention, especially the demanding lot I have.

 

I feel that there is no support for me. It has to go through the correct channels this I understand but in the meantime the SENCO has requested that I fill out another sheet and highlight my concerns and his targets. That was it. No guidance on what I could do.

 

I'm at a loss. Don't know what to do as nothing seems to be working. The other children are a handful and he feeds into it. Any suggestions???

 

I'm planning on using a support assistant to work on a one-to-one basis, but again, it's not something I can have all the time. Inclusion is so hard!!!!!!!!!

 

A very distressed teacher!!!! Please help!!

[Guest]

Poor you ...... I really sympathise. We had a child last year who was, still is, very disruptive. Eventually the paediatrician decided he was deaf and he now wears hearing aids (though he still can't settle, frequently wanders and is very disruptive and interferes with the other children), but your child sounds worse than him. I think things have to be done on a trial and error basis: we tried time out, rewarding him with an activity of his own choice if he could achieve a very simple target, (hope no-one listening .. but sometimes bribes of a treat). Can't really say much worked though !!! He didn't seem to be in the slightest bothered by not being allowed to take part in an activity if we had to ask him to leave once he'd had his initial scream and stamp. I was glad when the year was over as he was very waring.

 

If he went to nursery, could you possibly contact them to see if they had an stategies that they used that worked. We did this, but nursery admitted that they hadn't been able to control him either.

 

Good luck anyway sagarbabes - hope you get some more helpful replies.

Harricroft.

[Beau]

Haven't got much in the way of practical advice I'm afraid. This is a really difficult situation and you'll have to bear with it for a while. Just remember that this is a small child who obviously has 'special needs' and you need to stay patient and calm. It will take time for him to build up to the levels of concentration that you require, and in the meantime he really needs someone there to suppport him on a one to one basis. Things will get better but progress may be slow - Rome wasn't built in a day!! Getting the parents onside will be crucial. Together you can work towards increasing his attention span and improving his overall behaviour. Does he behave in the same way at home? The other children are his role models - even children as young as 3 are able to relate to this. Tell them that they need to show him how to behave properly - children generally just love it when someone else is getting into trouble instead of them and love an opportunity to show someone else up. There's nothing worse than all your carefully prepared plans going out of the window because of a disruptive child but this is part of the challenge of working with young children. Try to look on it as a learning exercise. But above all remember he is just a child and a very small one at that.

[hali]

Hi

 

we had a little boy like that last term post on here somwhere about him.

 

We tried everything sticker charts, rewards endless things. Mum said he was only little just needs time, anyhow last term got the H.V and SENCO involved, mum hated it said we were too strict and had too many rules ....so unfortunatly has removed him this term..sent him to another nursery which is still has a naughy chair!!!!!!!!!

[Helen]

Hi Sagarbabes,

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time so early in the term

 

My first thought has to do with his energy levels; is he always full of energy and running about? Does he walk (run?!) to school or is he driven? We have noticed with some of our nursery children that if they are driven here, they are much more likely to be climbing the walls and desperate to get outside than if they walked, and therefore got rid of some of the tension and energy first thing in the morning.

 

As you have the SENCO ball rolling as it were, and any help from the LEA (as I'm supposing the pre-5s person is), I'd work really hard on a supportive relationship with Mum. Have her in every day, if necessary, and try to find something positive to say first of all (!), then give a brief description of the day (or if she comes in in the morning, smile and welcome her and ask her how he's been since the day before.) Try to get a whole picture of this little boy's life, the things he likes doing, what makes him happiest of all, what he likes to do with an adult on a 1-1 basis. That way, you can build a relationship with him from what he enjoys doing. Even if it means, temporarily, giving up part of your break or lunch time (always supposing you have one!) to spend some time just playing with him, with no pressure.

 

Once you feel the Mum trusts you, try to mention seeing her Health Visitor or GP, who might refer him to a Paediatrician for further investigation. It may be a simple food intolerance; Mum needs to understand that getting as much help from professionals at this stage is a GOOD thing, not something to be really worried about. Sell it in terms of her life getting easier the more people are involved, and the more enjoyment her little boy will get if he is able to access the curriculum like his peers.

 

Do get back to us and we'll all think of some more ideas

[Lorna]

I had a little boy who was a real handful last year and still have him in my class this year.... although he is getting much better.

 

I found that lots of attention and practical activites worked.... removing the child fron the classroom for short periods of time... when I had just had too much of him and his behaviour. Fortunately I had full time LSA help and she would sit on the carpet at carpet time and if needs be the child would sit on her lap or in front of her and rubbing his back seemed to calm him down.

He had no sense of right or wrong so rewars just didn't work.

 

One thing that did work ince the child got to know us was working 1:1 with an adult - painting, cutting and sticking etc... his favourite activities.

 

I know its hard but are there any triggers... it might be worth observing him at play in the classroom and see if there is a pattern to his behaviour - keep a diary of this and it can be used when talking to other professionals about him.

 

My head called the chid's mum in and spoke to her... we suggested simple things like illiminating colourings from his diet and that seems to be working and he is also take fish oil capsules daily which also seem to be altering his behaviour.

 

It may be more appropriate if the child is only in school part time... don't know what your school policy is ... if we feel the whole day is inappropiate for the youngest we only take them for a half day.

 

 

All that said I know its not easy... just do what you can... speak to your SENCO again and your parrallel teacher.... we all need support and the more you ask eventually it will sink through.

 

Have a restful weekend

 

L